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).
Follow-up report on troubleshooting electrical and starter motor issues for customer A.P. Eccles.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 46\3\ Scan004 | |
| Date | 1st June 1923 | |
| POST-WAR. Memorandum No. 1057. 1. H.{Arthur M. Hanbury - Head Complaints} 2. Py. 3. Rl. Copies to - C. Hx(2) ZP. Br.{T. E. Bellringer - Repair Manager} Re:- A.P. Eccles, Caldy Manor, West Kirby, Cheshire. Chassis No. 17-JG. Regd. No. MA-6313 Ch. delivered 20.9.21. Comp. 24.11.21 Visited 30.5.23. Prev. visit 10.10.22 Driver - Harbour. Body - Open, Barker. In my Memo No. 5032 dealing with my call of 19.5.23, I reported that the driver had experienced a failure of the starter motor and that when the lamps or the ignition were switched on the starter was occasionally set in motion. I fancied I had traced a short circuit in one of the leads from the battery. As time was short I had arranged with the driver to tape the wire in question, to fill up the cells with distilled water, and to have the battery properly charged. Not having heard from the driver as he had promised as to whether he had overcome the defect, I rang up the owner, who said that the starter motor was still giving trouble; and I accordingly arranged to pay another visit. Upon arrival, I was handed a note from the owner thanking me for calling and complaining rather bitterly of the annoyance caused by this failure. We spent a good deal of time in trying to find any fault in the wiring, having been mislead by the running of the starter upon switching on the lamps. I eventually discovered that this was entirely due to the looseness of the battery terminals & was due to the fact, which I had not before realised, that, with the positive lead from the battery to the junction box disconnected, owing to the system of wiring, the phenomenon which had been experienced was the natural result. Upon assuring a proper connection at the positive terminal of the battery the defect was entirely overcome and the whole electrical system behaved perfectly. I have since written to the owner in answer to his letter explaining the cause of his trouble and asking him to let me know in future should he have any cause for complaint. With regard to the slow running of the engine which, as reported in my last memo, was very poor, the driver had since been over the coil ignition thoroughly and this was now quite satisfactory. | ||