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).
Lubrication of a front axle, debating the cause of oil leakage and the condition of the parts.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 5a\3\ 03-page129 | |
| Date | 27th November 1931 | |
| K5840 To Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/Rm.{William Robotham - Chief Engineer} From G.W.H. Hotel de France, Chateauroux, FRANCE. 27/11/31. 18.G.IV. FRONT AXLE LUBRICATION. We have received your memo re. front axle lubrication. We are at a loss to understand the condition of the lubricated parts of the front axle of 19.G.IV. We do not intend to critisize your statements as to the condition you found the car in when dismantled, but whilst the car was here there was ample lubrication to all the parts. If you will turn up my report at 15,000 miles, I drew attention to the quantity of oil that was escaping from the steering pivots and draining down the outside of the drum shields. We did not of course dismantle the pivot pins, but we did examine the brake toggle shafts, and as much as was possible, without dismantling, and there was sufficient evidence that the lubrication had been ample. I am under the impression that the state you found the axle is most probably due to the fact that the car has run some considerable mileage with Conduit Street officials, and at Derby, and most probably the application of the bijur lubrication has been forgotten. It shows up very quickly on such points as the cross steering tube ball joints and the brake actuating shafts. We have had the experience here where a front ball end almost seized up in 250 miles through the failure of the bijur system. On 18.G.IV. before coming out here, I got the fitters to dismantle the filter chambers and extract the felt washer and have them cut in half and re-fitted. We were only yesterday testing the flow of oil at the other side of the filter, i.e. the supply to the pivots and ball ends and the supply of oil came through with a good steady flow. Under these conditions, do you still wish us to remove the felt filters entirely? We quite agree with you that when the cross steering tube pads are not following up, the oil would escape freely and would tend to starve the brake toggle shaft bearing, but the pivots would still receive sufficient oil as the standpipe in the pivots acts as the controlling bijur, and it is only oil escaping from the pivot pins which feed the ball ends. I took particular notice on 18.G.IV. front axle today when the car returned here at noon, and there was definitely oil weeping from the bearings of the brake actuating shafts on the axle, the toggle shafts, and from the centre of the pivot pins. We are not, therefore, suffering from the shortage of oil to these parts. | ||