Re: alfa-digest V7 #1187

["Jay Mackro" <jmackro@domain.elided>]

GLewis4457@domain.elided had written:

>My former Alfa mechanic (those in the Houston area know who I mean) advised
>against using an oil pan guard on my previous 75 Spider.  Reason.  Since
the
>Alfa is a unibody construction you have to bolt it to the body and not to a
>true frame.  His logic was that in an incident violent enough to
potentially
>destroy your oil pan you have a possibility of greater damage to the
unibody
>and knocking it out of

Ya gotta love the Alfa Digest - where else could we debate something
so esoteric as oil pan sump guards?  Well, I disagree with the mechanic
in Houston (Being in Houston, he is probably just trying to generate more
oil usage from broken sumps).   While he might be right that a SEVERE
impact to the sump guard COULD warp the frame/unibody, that's not
the event that the sumpguard is designed for - it's more for the impacts
with rocks / speedbumps / potholes / etc - stuff not that major, but which
might crack an aluminum casting.  Any impact severe enough to deform
the unibody where it attaches to the sumpguard, would probably damage
the car with or without the guard.  Ie, the engine mounting attachment
points would probably distort when the sump - crankshaft - flywheel took
the hit.

Hey, how about airbags mounted in front of the sump?  I'm surprised
that Volvo hasn't thought this one up yet.

Jay Mackro

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