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).
Use of Ethyl lead fuel in Bentley cars and related petrol pump and sparking plug issues.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 150\1\ scan0264 | |
| Date | 9th January 1937 | |
| W/S. {Derby Works / Sales} H. {Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} from Rm. {William Robotham - Chief Engineer} 1282 Rm {William Robotham - Chief Engineer} 1/R.9.1.37. USE OF ETHYL LEAD FUEL IN BENTLEY CARS. Replying to H.8/MD.8.1.37., we gave you our views on this problem in our Rm {William Robotham - Chief Engineer} 15/GR. {George Ratcliffe} 4.11.36., and so far, the situation is substantially unchanged. We are not surprised that several owners have run on Discol without petrol pump trouble. We are quite certain, however, that the petrol pumps are more liable to give trouble with Discol than with non-alcohol blends of petrol. In view of our recent epidemic trouble with Ethyl petrol, therefore, this point cannot be ignored. We have now available a supply of switches which enables the customer to check whether each half of his petrol pump is functioning satisfactorily, or not. These have been standardised. If a customer uses this switch intelligently with Cleveland Discol, it is most unlikely that he will ever be let down on the road. We will be rather interested to know what attitude Bentley customers are taking up. We ourselves have dealt with one customer, and the solution to the problem has been as follows:- He keeps two sets of plugs, as soon as one set is removed from the car it is cleaned and put on one side, and the other set fitted. He finds that he has to make the changeover about once every two to three months. He is perfectly satisfied with this arrangement, because he realises that we are up against a problem. He would much rather do this than run on ordinary petrol and have pinking, or run the risk of being completely stranded on the road with a petrol pump failure. With regard to mixing fuels, this appears to us to be far more trouble than occasionally cleaning sparking plugs. The ordinary Benzol mixtures have not the anti-knock value of Ethyl by a wide margin. | ||