Dan: To address this ? "Bradness, how do you know they are oiling failures, what confirms this when you tear them down? Can a spun bearing from crank whip look the same?"
I have not done destructive testing as this would entail draining the oil and running the motor until it blows. Then a complete tear down to examine what went, etc. What does a motor destroyed by running with a UDP look like? Have to ask Terry.
IN MY OPINION this whole subject is a red herring. Why do I say this? The only documented failure due to a solid pulley (not a damper) was by Terry H doing (I can only guess here as Terry never responded with the conditions of the test) a destructive test in a dyno cell. This would likely entail running the engine at it's resonant frequency for as long as it takes to blow. Again, unless Terry confirms or denies this we won't know for sure. I do know that there are CEG's out there with in excess of 40K miles with a UDP and to date no blown motors. Again, I'm not in any way endorsing UDP's, simply looking at the available evidence.
There is hard evidence though, of blown engines due to oiling failure (& H2O pumps). THIS is, or should be, a far bigger concern to owners of Duratec powered cars than dampers/UDPs IMO. Sure, the dual mode damper undoubtedly is better than a single mode damper. But has the single mode damper caused 1 single Duratec to grenade?
I'd be happy to provide my sources and underlying logic if you wish to e-mail me direct. You have my address already or you can PM me if you prefer.
