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 investigation of issues with the clutch, gearbox, and selector shaft housing.
| Identifier | ExFiles\Box 1\4\ B001_X 100a-page158 | |
| Date | 18th December 1932 | |
| To Hs.{Lord Ernest Hives - Chair} From G.W.H. 84057 hotel de France, Chateauroux, FRANCE. 18.12.32. 2.PER.II. We have dismantled the clutch and found that the rubbers fitted a week previously, had been on the large size and had become as if moulded in position, the spare rubber being squashed out sideways. The slot we had cut in the top had closed up and become vulcanised into one piece again, entirely obliterating any sign of a previous slot. we have therefore cut the trimmings off, cut a fresh slot in the top, and refitted them. We again found that the end plate G.100486 had bulged outwards. The RAD.13 clutch material does not look as if it will be satisfactory. it apparently tears up easily. A very slight pip had picked up on the castiron face and this had torn a groove out of the RAD. material. GEARBOX. We thoroughly drained the gearbox of oil and examined for cause of the chunking. There is excessive slackness in the continuous gears. this is most noticeable when in the top gear. when in first gear the two gears take the slackness up appreciably. RE. PUSHING OUT THE SOLDERED END OF THE SELECTOR SHAFTS HOUSING. we dismantled this to find the cause. the trouble is, when the 1st gear is changed, there is only .050" clearance between the end of the selector shaft and the cap. There is a connecting oil hole for letting the oil from one selector housing to another, but this communicating hole is too far away from the end, consequently oil gets trapped, and being incompressible, forces the end cap off when the gear is let in sharply. The movement reported of the second gear, is caused by the selector shaft location not being located when the gear is fully in. the location leaves the gear approx. 1/32" from being fully engaged. this is multiplied by the change speed lever, which when pulled back to the end of the slot in the quadrant jumps back approx. 1/8". this can easily be overcome. | ||