Different Types of Refurbished Piston Accumulators
All automotive manufacturers design their piston accumulators to be sealed and replaced after their service life. During the manufacturing process the accumulator is backfilled with nitrogen through a gas valve into a gas chamber. The piston and piston seals are used to separate the nitrogen from the hydraulic fluid. Overtime these seals start to wear as a result of:
- Foreign matter in fluid
- Incompatible fluid and seal material
- Incorrect back pressure
To reduce the requirement to buy an entirely new accumulator suppliers in the aftermarket have decided to "rebuild" the original accumulator. To "rebuild" the accumulator the supplier welds a new valve to the back of the accumulator and introduces nitrogen through the gas valve into the gas chamber. This strategy is well intentioned, but it does not address the principle wear conditions as mentioned above.
To put it in the simplest of terms not all refurbished/rebuildable piston accumulators are manufactured the same. At MLR we have designed an accumulator that is fully rebuildable from the ground up. Our accumulator has:
- A purpose built valve used specifically for recharging with nitrogen, not a valve that has been drilled and inserted into the accumulator. This reduces the possibility of metal shavings getting into the gas chamber
- A fully removable end cap that can be removed to expose the piston and seals for servicing and replacement.
- The ability to be recharged and backfilled with nitrogen - to OEM or customer specification.
Look for our accumulators with the upgraded designation and we can assure you that you will be getting a new accumulator in your vehicle.