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 component performance, detailing issues with insulation, fuse box accessibility, ignition points, lamps, and engine vibrations.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 180\M2\M2.6\ img046 | |
| Date | 22th September 1925 guessed | |
| -7- to give better protection or to adopt a different form of insulation for it - probably the latter would be the more effective, as it appears to get thoroughly sodden with oil which rots the indiarubber of the material now used. It is considered that some alteration should be made to render more practicable the replacing of the lid{A. J. Lidsey} of the fuse box. This operation at present may take ten seconds or five minutes, particularly in the dark, as three studs have to be entered simultaneously into holes at the bottom of the lid{A. J. Lidsey} about 2" deep. Some form of 'lead-in' to the holes is required. (c) Ignition. Platinum points of the contact breaker were found to be very rough and burned at 8700 miles, but were still operating satisfactorily. They were, however, replaced with spares. (d) Lamps. The headlamps and side lamps, which were on the wings, and their bulbs stood the test very well, but the tail lamp was completely destroyed by flying stones and had been replaced by a cheap lamp with celluloid window obtained locally. The bulbs repeatedly failed in this lamp. (6) ENGINE VIBRATIONS. The possibility of determining the comparative freedom of the engine from the vibrations and roughness which have given us trouble in the past was spoilt by the servo gear rattles and by the noisiness of the engine gears, due to a new gear wheel having had to be fitted at Chateauroux earlier in the test, owing to an accidental breakage of a bolt in the slipper drive. The engine was also very inclined to 'pink' and/or knock. Some 'pinking' was to be expected after 10,000 miles running and the engine certainly wants decarbonising. | ||