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).
Internal memorandum regarding over-oiling and battery charging issues on a customer's 'New Phantom' car, No. 54-MC.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 47\1\ Scan146 | |
| Date | 16th September 1925 | |
| hfs. X4117 PN{Mr Northey}3/DN16.9.25. TO EE FROM PN{Mr Northey} c. to Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} PY DJ. "N" Mr. Sidney's "New PhantomCodename for PHANTOM I" No. 54-MC. This car is being driven to the Works tomorrow by one of our men in order that immediate and urgent attention may be given to the complaint of over-oiling. Mr. Sidney has always been one of our most energetic supporters, having had many "Silver Ghosts". Every effort must be made to satisfy this owner as quickly as possible, because we had to disappoint him and make him cancel all his engagements arising out of delay in the delivery of his "New PhantomCodename for PHANTOM I", and now having to take the car from him for attention is causing him further embarrassment in his arrangements, as he wishes to get away with the car. It appears that when this "New PhantomCodename for PHANTOM I" was first delivered to the owner, the over-oiling was of a nature to enable him to run only 250 miles on one gallon of oil. Subsequently "N" carried out the modification enabling the oil to drain away through the valve cones. This produced an improvement to a very material extent, but the trouble is only half cured, because Mr. Sidney tells me today that his plugs are becoming sooted up with the enevitable misfiring after running a couple of hundred miles. Please let us have daily reports as to the progress made in this case, and although there is a high degree of urgency as indicated above, we do not want the owner to have this car in his hands again until it is in a state capable of enhancing the R.R. reputation. I understand that the battery on this chassis (fixed on the running board) has to be filled up with distilled water every 150 miles, not from overheating, but because the characteristic of the dynamo appears to be wrong in that the charging rate does not become reduced in accordance with the standard with rise of speed. Will you therefore please have this circuit gone into and the matter put right ? P.N. | ||