| Author | Message | ||
     Bob uk Unregistered guest Posted From: 94.197.122.79 |
Today I was talking to a auto electrics guy about Sun and planet starter motor gear boxes. And it turns out that the first starters with reduction gear boxes were invented by Rolls-Royce in the 1930s but never used the idea on any cars and the first cars were 1962 Chrysler. He has an Austin seven which has a third brush dynamo charging system. That has worn the bronze bearing. He wants me to make one. (Message approved by david_gore) | ||
| Richard Treacy Grand Master Username: richard_treacy Post Number: 3068 Registered: 4-2003 |
Bob, even the 1946 MkVI Bentley has a gear reduction starter as original equipment ? ! My R-Type has one. Lovely kit and never touched in 750,000km since new. By the way, mechanics love the inferior undersized 1.9HP ones available for SY/SZ cars as they are chewing out the ring gears. I know of two more ruined just this week on Silver Shadows in Sydney after being installed for less than a year. Good for business if you sell spares and repairs. The 2.6HP gear reduction starters fitted OEM to 1987 cars and the larger later ones are kind to the ring gear. RT. | ||
| Richard Treacy Grand Master Username: richard_treacy Post Number: 3069 Registered: 4-2003 |
ps: the 1946-1957 MkVI-R-Type-S1 gear reduction starters will last forever provided the oil level in the reduction gearbox is topped up every two years or so. Unfortunately, many owners and maintainers don't even know that there is a gear reduction let alone read the service instruction to top it up. RT> | ||
| Richard Treacy Grand Master Username: richard_treacy Post Number: 3070 Registered: 4-2003 |
in advance. Sure, R-R/B cars have never employed planet/sun gear reduction systems for the starters, but they have employed gear reduction starters since 1946 and maybe beforehand too. RT. | ||
| Bob uk Unregistered guest Posted From: 94.197.122.74 |
I thought that RR never used them. I like the idea of a starter motor gearbox oil level plug. All the modern ones have grease only which is never as good as oil. Also a lot modern starters are IMO are undersized for the job. What oil is used.? I have chosen oilite sintered bronze for the dynamo bearing. It comes in thick walled tube ready for machining and it machines nice. (Message approved by david_gore) | ||
| Richard Treacy Grand Master Username: richard_treacy Post Number: 3073 Registered: 4-2003 |
For the MkVI, R-Type and S1, the original oil defined in 1946 was Castrol XL etc. engine oil. Just use any engine oil on hand. Simply remove the plug in the reduction gearbox and top up the oil with a hand oiling can. The factory scheduled this every 10,000 miles, so yearly will do. | ||
| Chris Browne Prolific User Username: chrisb Post Number: 150 Registered: 2-2010 |
Here are a few photos showing the system from a 1958 Cloud 1.    Kind regards, Chris | ||
| Richard Treacy Grand Master Username: richard_treacy Post Number: 3076 Registered: 4-2003 |
That's the one. Marvellous equipment. We even have replicas available for less than just $1,500 complete with the gear reduction drive, Bendix and starter motor here in Sydney. They don’t sell well as the originals are so utterly reliable unless neglected. RT. | ||
| Richard Treacy Grand Master Username: richard_treacy Post Number: 3077 Registered: 4-2003 |
Note the oil filler plug in the middle picture from Chris above. | ||
| Bob uk Unregistered guest Posted From: 94.197.122.93 |
Smashing photos. RR have even used helical cut gears for less noise. And by the look of width of the gears, the starter could be used as a winch. This is proper proper good quality electrical engineering. Which is where RR started. It is details like this that to me make the 1950s Silver Dawn so desirable. (Message approved by david_gore) |
