Powermaster accumulator

RareT

The Thread Freezer
Joined
May 26, 2001
Ok, first off, let's leave this discussion to Powermaster brake systems, NOT vacuum.

Someone needs to step up and come up with a solution to the discontinued Powermaster accumulator for those of us who don't WANT to convert to vacuum. There has to be a way to either recharge our old ones or fabricate "something" that will work. :confused:

Do I hear a Hale yea???
 
Are they discontinued or just too expensive? I bought a new GM one about 8 months ago for $87 through a wholesaler friend.
 
RareT said:
Ok, first off, let's leave this discussion to Powermaster brake systems, NOT vacuum.

Someone needs to step up and come up with a solution to the discontinued Powermaster accumulator for those of us who don't WANT to convert to vacuum. There has to be a way to either recharge our old ones or fabricate "something" that will work. :confused:

Do I hear a Hale yea???

I have thought of the same exact thing. Does anyone know who built the accumulator ball in the first place? Was it Bosch? Maybe we can lobby some of the aftermarket manufacturers to pick up on remanufacturing these things....Modine, Raybestos, Bendix, Standard....etc. I have also thought how hard would it be to rebuild them. They are basically a pressure vessel with a nitrogen charged diaphram.
 
It's basically a simple part, manufacturing the thing could not be that difficult for a good manufacturer. I don't think Kirban tried too hard in his endevour to purchase the tooling, if he tried at all. He would have been smart to do it.

Has anybody done a search to determine if the accumulator for a powermaster III will work on our cars? They made accumulators for other applications as well and no doubt still do. So I guess the tooling still exists. Do rebuilt units come with accumulators, does anyone know for sure? Wonder where the rebuilders are getting them from.

I think I'm going to shoot Kirban an email and pick his brain a little. Couldn't hurt....He always responds back.
 
FWIW & IMHO:
Any company that is in the biz of rebuilding powermasters, and has been in the biz for a while, would have been buying accumulators by the dozens, as a minimum, and is probably running on stock on hand, and is probably prety close to being out, too. Believe, all of the manufacturing businesses involved in vehicle parts supply have already done their homework, and if there was enough need for accumulators to make a good profit at it, they would be doing it. As previously stated by Eric Fisher, (turbofish38), I believe, tooling is a major issue. AC Delco is not going to give you their old tooling, especially if it is has any use left to it, just because you are on a crusade to supply the world's turbo Buick population with accumulator bowls. If there was a means of making a decent profit on this, Kirban would have already been on it. I have myself researched this issue of whether to stock up and buy existing parts to keep my car running based on the premise that a particular part might go out, or whether to pay a king's ransom when a part goes out and the philosophy of paying a king's ransom has won out. Just like there's always going to be a few no mileage GN's, Turob-t's, T-type's, GNX's, & TTA's for sale or obtainable at exceptionally high prices, there will always be parts obtainable, albeit ridiculously high prices also. Then the majority will go to vacuum. Sorry for the long post.
 
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