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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).
Vehicle testing results and issues with brakes, fuel pumps, and pistons from France.

Identifier  ExFiles\Box 82\1\  scan0204
Date  18th August 1933
  
Hotel de France.
Chateauroux.
Indre.

To Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}
From G.W.H.
18.8.33.

I. B. IV.

I have received your memo of the 16/8/33.

BRAKES
The brakes had run 4456 miles and had not been adjusted up to the time we changed over to the steel shoes.

S.U. PETROL PUMPS
The contacts were burnt and apparently an electrical connection was not obtained. The contact springs appear to be weak, making the pump work slow but with a longer stroke. To get the pump to work satisfactory it was necessary to make a slight set in the contact blades, ie. strengthening them up. I should say the length of time they had run would cause the burning of the contacts.
There is a big difference in the action of the pumps when having to pump petrol along some 8 ft. of piping, than when close up to the delivery, also a restricted suction side makes them sluggish. Small suction pipe no longer necessary with S.U. Pumps.

PETROL PUMP
We will send you the pump that we ran during our tests here, but we shall have to replace the fabric. This was taken off so that the pump could be retained on the engine. We cannot take the push rod out operating the pump therefore we had to use the pump casing to prevent oil leaks.

THERMOSTATT
Taking the valve out of the thermostatt has not made any difference to the water temperatures.

We have sent you the following telegrams:
N° FIVE PISTON SKIRT COMPLETELY BROKEN OFF ON SPLIT SIDE INFORM HS{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} OR RM.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} HANCOCK
COMPLETE SET OF PISTONS REQUIRED STOP THREE FOUR SIX SKIRTS CRACKED - HANCOCK

When the car returned at noon I noticed that the engine sounded rough and closer listening one could hear a thud. The engine was dismantled and N°5 piston skirt on the split side was found to have broken off, both sides of the vertical slot right up to the horizontal slot. The reamaining
  
  


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