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 issues including frozen brakes, gear ratios, valve spring failures, and radiator lag.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 178\2\ img146 | |
| Date | 4th April 1934 | |
| -3- (5) FROZEN BRAKES. Powder snow can penetrate the brake shafts in the front axle and, after being thawed in a garage, will freeze solid and cause the brakes to stick on. It is difficult to know how this can be overcome with our existing design. (6) GEAR RATIOS. For constantly stopping and starting from red lights the second speed ratio is too high. (7) VALVE SPRING FAILURES. These totalled twelve in all and finally terminated by a valve dropping into the engine and wrecking it. It is difficult to explain these failures, as valve spring trouble has been almost non-existent during our experimental running in England and France. We conclude the cold may have had something to do with it but further investigation is required. We had some springs made up in Detroit to exactly the same design but of different material and used these for spares. None failed so that this is worth following up. We think that on a high performance unit such as the Bentley some provision should be made to prevent the valve dropping into the cylinder and scrapping the engine when a valve spring fails. (8) STARTING HANDLE UNDER THE BONNET. We are all in favour of this for English conditions but when the car has been standing out all night in American zero weather it often takes a long time to unfreeze the bonnet catches and get at the starting handle, which is of course badly needed. (9) LAG IN RADIATOR SHUTTER OPERATION. Experiments have been carried out in Derby to determine why on the first Bentleys the water temp. rose to 90° in cold weather during a burst of speed. This is very annoying in America as one boils off the anti-freeze alcohol continuously. | ||