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).
Letter concerning the return and timing issues of a Watford E.W.6. Magneto, including a tester's report on starting problems.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 65\3\ scan0435 | |
| Date | 19th January 1931 | |
| X7791 EFC1/AD. 19th January, 1931. X7791 X 6098 Messrs. North & Sons,Ltd. Whippendell Rd. Watford. Dear Sirs, Watford E.W.6. Magneto. We are arranging for the return to you of a magneto of the above type No.127221. You will no doubt recall that some time ago we evolved some notes concerning the timing of a magneto both as regards contact breaker - armature functioning and distributor - contact breaker functioning, considered correct on principle. The magneto referred to has been on one of our experimental cars and a report concerning it has been received from one of our testers an extract from which reads as follows :- "In quite 80% of cases it is not safely possible to start up a Phantom II car (by means of the starting handle) on magneto ignition after the car has been standing over night even in a well warmed garage. The ignition lever is fully retarded in order to avoid backfires; it is not humanly possible to "swing" the engine by means of the starting handle, all that can be done is to pull it over each compression as sharply as possible, which will not start up the engine. The magneto invariably fires after the engine has been pulled over top dead centre and the engine runs backwards. There is no risk of injury to the person operating the starting handle because the back fire always takes place well after the engine has turned over top dead centre by which time the starting handle dogs are disengaged. What happens is that the impetus given to | ||