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).
Investigations into overheating issues with defective Mk VI and Ph.III radiator cores.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 146\1\ scan0034 | |
| Date | 9th October 1937 | |
| W/P To Sr/VA. from Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Std. c. Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} c. Hd.{Mr Hayward/Mr Huddy} Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Std.1/M.H.9.10.37. 4.10.37. Referring to your Sr/VA.4/GM.24.9.37. and Sr/VA.9/ET. the information which our Order Office ( who deal with replacement orders, of course) gave us, led us to believe that three Mk VI Ph.III radiator cores, which had been returned as defective to Messrs. Marston Ltd., had been returned by Franco Britannic Autos. Further investigations into this information, however, show that one of these Mk VI units was returned by you, having been removed from 3.AZ.20 car, the other two having been removed from 3.AX.65 (Andre Pisart) in Switzerland, and 3.AX.181. The change on 3.AX.65 apparently did not pass through your hands, but through those of our Repair Dept. The same applies in the case of 3.AX.181 car. In neither case is there any definite evidence that the overheating was at high speeds and traceable to the matrix, and in neither case were we notified of the trouble by the Repair Dept. Further we were not informed by you, that trouble had been experienced with the Mk VI matrix on 3.AZ.20 car. While this was a very early Ph.III and you might not expect it to be fitted with a Mk VI core, yet since it is easy to see at a glance ( by counting the vertical waterways as mentioned in your report on 3.AZ.140 (29.7.37) in your Sr/VA.4/GM.24.9.37) we think that we should have been notified of the trouble on this matrix. We are carrying out tests on the three Mk VI cores in question, in order to determine the cause of the over-heating. We are sending you a quantity of a corosion inhibitor known as "No Co Ro{C. C. Rose - Export Manager}", which we would like you to put in 3.AZ.20 car, (0.6 pts. to 5 1/2 gallons of water required for Ph.III) in order to reduce future corosion. In the case of any future complaints of overheating will you please ascertain whether the matrix is Mk V or Mk VI (66 and 44 waterways respectively), and if the latter, let us have full particulars of the nature of the overheating, i.e. high speed or idling, and atmospheric temp. at time etc. Rm{William Robotham - Chief Engineer}/Std. | ||