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).
The performance of and issues with various vehicle components, including the radio aerial, starter motor, dynamo, and distributors.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 91\1\ scan0403 | |
| Date | 1st January 1918 | |
| -18- 109/18 Radio Aeriel. We have previously mentioned the uselessness of fitting the aerial under the running boards, although the anchorage remained sound, the wire connection continually broke away under the hail of stones etc. from the front wheels. Starter Motor.LOP. D.75447; Lec.3779. M.Sch.3982. The starter motor gave no trouble. The engagement was made readily but on occasions we got the opinion that the armature was thrown back too quickly, as the engine when hot would frequently only give a puff and then stop. Then on re-engaging the starter, the same thing would happen, and we felt that if the starter would engage for a moment or two longer, the engine would get away without any difficulty. The starter was not dismantled for examination. Starter Switch. No trouble was experienced with the starter switch. Dynamo Lec.4406/4410/4545. We have already remarked on the dynamo in a previous report. It maintained a good output until it failed due to faulty main terminal insulation. After it had been repaired, we experienced no further trouble. Ignition Coils.LOP.D75260. No trouble experienced. Distributors. Although the distributors remained firm in their mounting, we had considerable trouble due to low speed mis-firing. This was largely due to wear in the cam spindle bearing, which caused the cam to move excentrically, causing the contacts to open unevenly. We also found the screws which secure the plate in which the rocker spindle and contact points are mounted were slack which probably accelerated the uneven opening of the points. It was found essential that the points should be kept accurately adjusted otherwise misfiring was likely to occur. | ||