Posts in another thread got me thinking, that is usually foreign and dangerous terrotory so bear with me..
We all know the PTU's on our beloved behemoths are a significant weak link. People in the past have thrown out the idea of banding together to develop a replacement unit, but those dreams always seem to fade away into the sunset as no shop are interested.
Something that might help make a run at replacement development would be to firmly identify the failures. I have a feeling that without information on what is failing, most places will be less than interested in undertaking such a project. The can of worms is just far to large to even entertain the project.
SO, that is my question, beside the base known issue of excessive heat )which can cause a wide range of issues), What exactly is failing on the PTU's most commonly?
I have seen:
- shattered cases
- blown bearings(case flex or heat?)
- disintigrated frictions(heat or sheer workload?)
Is there any one issue that is more common type of failure? My thinking is that if one issue is more common, maybe it will link to other failures and give a shop a target to address?
So lets say case integrity is the primary failure, some explode externally, others flex enough to cause bearing failure.
A fix for that is to tweak the case design, maybe even as simple as a billet steel case with the same internal component layout. Take the flex out of the housing by using a stiffer and more durable material. I for one would not bat an eye if the weight of the PTU jumped by 1/2, if it meant that it was much more durable. Then once you custom make a case, you open up all sorts of possibilities for filtration, cooling etc.
Thoughts?