From the Rolls-Royce experimental archive: a quarter of a million communications from Rolls-Royce, 1906 to 1960's. Documents from the Sir Henry Royce Memorial Foundation (SHRMF).
Condition report on the electrical system components of a vehicle.
| Identifier | Morton\M18\ img051 | |
| Date | 5th July 1932 guessed | |
| -9- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. Voltage Controlled Dynamo. The Dynamo has given no trouble throughout the mileage. The commutator and brushes are in a good condition. There was very little dust in the end cover or round the brush gear. The output has been satisfactory. Battery distributor and Contact points using D.74117. Circular Condenser. Tufnal rubbing block. The distributor is in good condition. The contact points show full face contact with no signs of burning. No wear has taken place on the rubbing block. Contact points set at .010" gap at start of the mileage remain at .010" at 10,000 miles. Magneto. The magneto distributor was in a poor condition when examined at the finish of the test. The carbon brush had worn and burnt. It was found level with the holder, the amount allowed for wear having all been taken up. The distributor segments were burnt through sparking having taken place. The contact points showed no signs of burning and no wear had taken place - set at .012", at finish .012". Starter motor with self lubricating bearings. The faulty starting of the starter motor has been traced down to the starter button. When the button is pressed centrally there are no faulty starts, but when pressed a slight bit sideways faulty starts are made, the pinion teeth of the motor rubbing the flywheel teeth and will not engage. The motor under these conditions appears to revolve at a fairly high speed. A good and faulty starting can be obtained at will. The actual reason of the failure would appear to be due to the button switch not making the contact to the field winding of the motor. The contact to the main switch is made which shunts a heavy current round the motor. Our experts can confirm this. Battery. The battery box has remained firm, there does not appear to be any fault in the suspension. The battery has not fidgetted in the box. The battery charge has been maintained throughout the mileage. During the latter part of the mileage only two hours night driving has been run with maximum drain from the battery. | ||