Ride Control Pump for 1954 R-Type

[Paul Bennett]

Chassis no. B143WG
Engine no. B221W
Auto Gearbox
Mileage 143,000

Does anyone know where a new ride control pump may be available?

Are the pumps an identical fit for either manual or auto gearbox?

If "new" old stock would any internal seals still work?

Pump required as ATF had been leaking from it since I purchased the car in 2013 and have been told it seems to be coming from the plunger (?) area.

The ride control pipe unions, etc. and rear dampers, etc. have been rebuilt and sealed but it seems that the existing pump cannot be sealed.

I don't need need ride control and now that the system "works" I never move the lever from "normal" as I have read that the pump gives +/- 3 psi on normal but up to +/- 30 psi on "hard" setting, (if I remember correctly.)

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
(I am unable to work on the car myself, unfortunately, so have to pay a suitably qualified RR engineer to do so.)

Thanks and regards
Paul

[Christopher Carnley]

Paul,

The part that you refer to is the "control valve plunger", it has a rubber dust cover around it which may be perished, Part No, RG8297.

If Introcar do not have a new part try Graham Whitehouse 0121 559 9800.

The pump is very different from the manual version, and new ones are not available, but several used gear boxes are being salvaged for parts, every year.

[Paul Bennett]

Christopher

Thanks for your prompt reply (I had been computerless for a couple of days.)

Introcar do indeed have the part in stock, but before ordering RG8297 I was wondering if a "rubber dust cover" would function to keep oil in, (as opposed to keeping dust out?)

On their order page it looks a gasket/washer, (as opposed to some sort of rubber gaiter type dirt excluder that I expected.)

In their "manual gearbox" section there is a very nice exploded drawing of a ride control pump, but I can't see the above part there or where it would fit.

I found it the part by just entering the number in their search page as it didn't seem to be listed under "rear suspension" or "manual gearbox" (no auto gearbox section.) Is there an exploded view or picture available from any other source that shows it in situ?

Anyway thanks for your expert advice so far ; any other ideas or comments welcome.

regards Paul

[Christopher Carnley]

Hi Paul,

After 3 days with a broken newish smart hub, a dusky guy in the "Peninsular" had a new one set from Northallerton within 24 hours, amazing, but the compulsive use of PC,s and all the other gizmos,is shocking

This is a page from the R-R Hydramatic Parts List, and the part you require is No 29, the plunger being No 30.
The washer labelled RG8297 is not correct, so perhaps you should speak to Graham Whitehouse on the above number.
The oil pump is unlike the manual gearbox version.






The development of the GM auto box is very interesting, and based on the gearbox of a 1936 Daimler that GM bought from the Motor Show. It had a Wilson preselector gearbox coupled to the Daimler version of the fluid flywheel.
The first 300 or so of the R Type (and Silver Dawn) in the U series were fitted with a Detroit built "X" box.
(The R-R version took a bit longer to develop).

[Paul Bennett]

Christopher

Thanks once again for going to the trouble of sourcing the very informative diagram and for the extremely interesting other information about the GM derived RR auto box. I had sourced numerous books, etc. on the development of my car but did not realise that the GM spark of creation came prewar from Daimler.

I will try to contact the auto gearbox expert Graham Whitehouse next week but in the meantime, is there any way of translating the part shown as 29 on your diagram into an RR part no.?

I had tried in the past to obtain a useful workshop manual (for self-education about my car,) but ended up with a disc (that came from New Zealand,) or looking online at downloads from RROC Australia. The club no longer supplied hard copies and the online stuff is very awkward to navigate and incorporate the numerous amendments; all typewritten. (Not helped by an upgrade to Windows 10 that "doesn't support the optical disc drive!")

Books, (like vinyl LP's) are always there on the shelf and available (without being at the mercy of Messrs. Microsoft or Apple.)

Regards
Paul

[Christopher Carnley]

RG8297.

You can download the MK VI literature onto DVD or print them off, there 4 different manuals,the Service Handbook being very useful, from the RROCA site.
These "books" come up on ebay now and again.

Complete Classics No, 6 by Bernard King has all the chassis numbers, some gen, and photos. A good book.

[Paul Bennett]

Christopher

Thanks for the number RG8297 but, as mentioned before, if you enter this part no. on the Introcar site, it comes up with a picture of a washer that doesn't look like the part 29 on the diagram you kindly posted.

Do you think they may have put the wrong illustration against this part no.?

There's no point in ordering it if it doesn't look like the correct thing in your picture, even though it may be described as such.

I have Bernard King's R-Type book plus others.
In Graham Robson's "A Collector's Guide; The Rolls Royce and Bentley, volume one" there are some good photos of the RR/GM four-speed Hydramatic gearbox, but you can't see any ride control pump in the nearside view. There is some sort of housing rear left of the box but different to the one in your illustration. Maybe this was an earlier version?

Regards Paul

[Paul Bennett]

Christopher

All sorted now.
Your information regarding the part was impeccable.

RG8297 is indeed the required rubber dust cover which is now on its way to me from Introcar. It does look as if it could help to keep oil in as well as keeping dust out.

What had happened was that someone had inadvertently posted a picture of a fibre washer with a similar part number against RG8297 on their site.

Hopefully this will do the trick (after it has been fitted at great expense!)

Thanks again
regards Paul