thinking out loud:
- source of green bits in oil now identified. I mean, jake identified it years ago, I just posted my pics because I couldn't find any other visual proof on the internet (ie, images of a destructively-opened, failed actuator).
- green bits seem to be a pretty common thing to find in oil, which means these actuators are a relatively common failure item.
- so, what causes deterioration of the o-ring in the actuator?
- thinking of brake calipers, as pads wear the pistons travel further and can pull the boots off. I wonder if tensioner pad wear causes the actuator to extend beyond design limits and load the o-ring in a destructive manner?
- if so, then the common knowledge that waiting for the cel (9 degrees deviation) is too long (mine failed when deviation was at 7).
- any info on what people's deviation was at when they experienced this failure - might prove informative to gather such data?
- or, perhaps failure is tied to chain slap? ie, chain slap on start-up hammers both the pads and the actuators?
- or a combination of both mechanisms? preventative maintenance would be to avoid chain slap at all costs - updated tensioners, updated oil piston, heavier cold weight oil?
- also, these things are $1000 each, and unserviceable. a good opportunity for aftermarket support? either raby-up a technique to service them, or perhaps fabricate an inexpensive alternative, perhaps using cores from failed adjusters?
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