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).
Oil leaking onto the front brakes of the 20/25 model and proposed solutions.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 130\2\ scan0056 | |
| Date | 6th July 1936 | |
| COPY. To G.W.H. Chateauroux. Cricklewood. 6.7.36. Enclosed is a sketch of the 20/25 front brake carrier plate. We have had two more cars in to-day with no front braking. Trouble - Oil on front brakes. I have looked into it carefully, and I find that the trouble identical on both cars; i.e., oil getting in through the slot in the mud excluders. There was no oil leaking from the toggle shaft oil drain cup, on the inside of the carrier plate. The oil runs from the pivot pin, along the steering lever, and in through the slot in the mud excluder. This will be seen in Fig. 3. There is nothing to stop it, and as soon as the oil comes into contact with the edge of the brake drum it is carried up to the top of the carrier plate, and the force of gravity brings it straight down on to the brake linings; hence no braking. This trouble could be got over by doing away with the slot in the mud excluder and having the steering levers reset away from the carrier plate, say .100" so that they would not be in contact with each other. To make the job fool-proof. A small shield could be incorporated with the fitting of the mud excluder as shown in Fig.2. This shield would have to cover 20% of the circumference of the outside diameter of the mud excluder, and be fitted in such a position as to catch all the oil dropping off the side steering lever. At the moment on the production car, the side steering lever touches the carrier plate, and any oil coming along the lever is into the brakes in no time. I feel with the suggested scheme that if a driver pressed his foot operated oil pump till the tank was empty, he would still fail to get any oil on the front brakes. Hs{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair}/K.F.Scholes. | ||