Welcome to this, our latest Rolls-Royce & Bentley Driver Technical Guide.

We’re staying with the servicing theme, this time focusing on a stunning 1962 Silver Cloud III.

We say stunning, but unfortunately, there’s a catch. When we first saw it, we were blown away – an early example in silver and black with a green hide interior. Incredible, right? On further investigation, however, it turns out that the 32,737 stated mileage is too good to be true, as the car has done 132,737 miles. The sills and wings are rusty too, to the extent that a body-off restoration might be the way to go. The good news is the 6.25-litre engine is sound, with decent compression in all cylinders. Overall, this sister to the highly desirable Bentley S3 is ripe for restoration.

On to the job (or rather, jobs) in hand. We start with an engine oil and filter change, then fit new spark plugs and a new air filter, before finishing with steering fluid, anti-freeze and tyre checks.

The latter are all simple enough, but there are a few important points to note on the engine oil and filter. Rolls-Royce recommends that you change the oil filter element every 5000 miles; if you have a left-hand drive model, the oil filter bowl can only be removed with the steering on full left lock. When fitting the new oil filter, it is vital to ensure that the rubber sealing washer and cap washer are both fitted correctly; failure to do so can allow unfiltered oil to pass up the central tube, potentially resulting in serious damage to the engine bearings. You have been warned.

 

Please remember that old engine oil is classed as hazardous waste. Most local recycling centres accept it, so don’t just ditch it. As always, the usual Technical Guide caveats also apply. Please note that these articles are intended as general guidance only. For model-specific instructions, please refer to your owner’s manual.

Finally, and I can’t emphasise this enough, safety is paramount. Please use the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) and dispose of waste products responsibly.

Good luck and mind your head! If you have any questions, queries or tips, please get in touch on 01455 292949 or email sales@flyingspares.co.uk.

Click the links for the step-by-step guide

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