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 condition of various engine components following a 5000-mile test.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 11\2\ 02-page101 | |
| Date | 19th February 1929 guessed | |
| contd :- -2- Engine gears. These remained as reported at 5000 miles. Vacuum pump to I.O.P.E77660. This continued to function as reported at 5000 miles. No other troubles developed. Inlet pipe to I.O.P. E.77653 & carb. to I.O.P.E.78397. As reported at 5000 miles carburation is very susceptible to water temperature. Our report at 5000 miles re. starting up may have been misleading. This should have read - the engine cannot be opened up with the normal mixture until the water temperature had reached 60°C. With the mixture strong it is very good for getting away from dead-cold. Distribution is good. The starter carburetter feed pipe broke close to the nipple towards the end of the test. There should be a clip fitted to the pipe to prevent the vibrations fracturing the pipe. Water pump, drive and throttle governor to I.O.P.E.76657. Water Pump to I.O.P. E.77661. Since our previous report there has been no further trouble with the water pump. It was dismantled to observe wear of spindle etc. We found that the spindle had grooved somewhat although lubrication appeared to be ample. The Shelloc coating on the inside had peeled off, leaving the bare aluminium. The drive shewed no signs of deterioration. We found that the drain cock is so situated that it does not entirely drain the water from the pipe leading from the pump and is liable to freze up and choke the system. Exhaust manifold to I.O.P. E.77673. New exhaust manifolds and exhaust pipes were fitted and not lagged. A bracket was fitted in the centre of the exhaust pipe to prevent it from distorting downwards. Under these conditions we had no further trouble with the pipes. The exhaust noise is very pronounced when starting up cold. It improves considerably when hot. The schoop aluminium treatment of the manifolds is not a success owing to the manifolds getting to a higher temperature than the melting point of aluminium. Exhaust snout and swan neck. These were O.K. at the finish of the test. Exhaust cutout. This, at the end of the test, had warped and allowed gas to escape through the cutout which made the exhaust more noisy. It required attention to make it satisfactory. contd :- | ||