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).
Issues and solutions for various engine leaks and joints.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 124\1\ scan0179 | |
| Date | 29th June 1939 | |
| -6- Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Swdl.{Len H. Swindell}2/MH.{M. Huckerby}29.6.39. LEAKS & JOINTS ETC. Invariably water leaks occur past the rocker shaft holding down studs, the holes for which are drilled through into the cylinder head water space. The obvious cure is to have blind holes, but we understand there is some difficulty in this, in the meantime leaking studs are cured by smearing the threads with "Heldite". Trouble has been experienced with shrinkage of the B.60 and B.80 rocker cover joints, there being no recess in the flange of the cover to hold the joints in position. This has occurred both on vellumoid and Gaskoid joint material, and in one instance the shrinkage in length amounted to .750". In view of the above some form of location should be provided to hold the joint in position, not necessarily to house the complete washer but a partial recess to allow the washer to expand into. The Buick is similar to this in principle, there being a slight indentation running around the flange of the pressed steel cover into which the cork joint has expanded and locked in position. Leaks have occurred from the tappet doors in the centre owing to the flange of the pressed steel doors being too deep for the cork washer thickness and usually cured by having an extra washer on each door. Another point on the tappet doors is that one never knows when to finish tightening down the nuts with the spanner, i.e. taking the nuts as A, B and C and tightening in rotation, after completing C, A is found loose and after A, B is found loose and so on. As hand tightened wing nuts have never been an accepted feature on our units, the alternative appears to be stops for the nuts which have certain disabilities, or a cover sufficiently stiff to withstand the spannering. Also under the flange of the nuts, soft alum or fibre washers should be fitted to prevent "weeping". The oil level in the tappet chambers is on the same level as the joint of the door and either the former could be lowered or the latter raised with advantage. | ||