Claims
- 1. A marine propulsion device comprising a propulsion unit including a lower unit supporting a propeller shaft, and a powerhead located above said lower unit and including an engine driving said propeller shaft and including an exhaust port, a housing including an exhaust gas inlet communicating with said exhaust port and an exhaust gas outlet, an element which comprises catalytic material and which is movably supported in said housing about a pivot extending transversely to the direction of flow of exhaust gas through said element for reorientation from a first orientation in said housing to a second orientation in said housing different from the first orientation, and means for reorienting said element from the first orientation to the second orientation.
- 2. A marine propulsion device in accordance with claim 1 wherein said reorienting means comprises means exterior of said housing, and wherein said reorienting means reorients said element from the first orientation to the second orientation while said element is in said housing.
- 3. A marine propulsion device in accordance with claim 2 wherein said element is pivotally mounted in said housing, and wherein said reorienting means pivots said element.
- 4. A marine propulsion device in accordance with claim 3 wherein said element pivots about a pivot axis, and wherein said element is pivoted through 180.degree., from the first orientation to the second orientation, about the pivot axis.
- 5. A marine propulsion device in accordance with claim 4 and further comprising a shaft connected to said element and having a portion exterior of said housing, and wherein said reorienting means comprises a crank handle connected to said shaft.
- 6. A marine propulsion device comprising a propulsion unit including a propeller shaft, a housing having therein an exhaust gas passageway including a shoulder and a wall extending from said shoulder and defining an exhaust gas passageway portion, a catalytic element located in said exhaust gas passageway portion and including a rib, a retaining sleeve which extends in said exhaust gas passageway portion and which partially surrounds said element such that said rib is captured between said shoulder and said retaining sleeve, and means for selectively retaining said retaining sleeve in said passageway portion.
- 7. A marine propulsion device comprising a propulsion unit including a propeller shaft, a housing including an exhaust gas passageway defined by a first inner cylindrical surface have a first inner diameter, and a second inner cylindrical surface having a second inner diameter which is greater than said first inner diameter, said second inner surface being axially aligned with and adjacent to said first inner cylindrical surface, and a shoulder defined between said first inner cylindrical surface and said second inner cylindrical surface, a catalytic element which is located in said exhaust gas passageway and which is generally cylindrically shaped and includes first and second ends, and a rib located intermediate said ends and extending circumferentially around said element and a retaining sleeve which is generally in the shape of an open-ended hollow cylinder, which is mounted in said housing, and which partially surrounds said element such that said rib is captured between said shoulder and said retaining sleeve.
- 8. A marine propulsion device in accordance with claim 7 wherein said exhaust gas passageway has an exhaust gas inlet and an exhaust gas outlet, and wherein said element is selectively housed in said exhaust gas passageway in one of a first orientation, in which said first end of said element faces said exhaust gas inlet, and in a second orientation, in which said second end of said element faces said exhaust gas inlet.
- 9. A marine propulsion device in accordance with claim 8, wherein said second inner cylindrical surface of said housing has therein a groove, wherein said marine propulsion device further comprises an outwardly biased retaining ring removably received in said groove in said housing, and wherein said retaining ring retains said retaining sleeve in said housing when said element is in the first orientation and when said element is in the second orientation.
- 10. A marine propulsion device in accordance with claim 8 wherein said retaining sleeve has thereon a flange,, and wherein said retaining ring abuts said flange when said element is in the first orientation and when said element is in the second orientation.
- 11. A method of maintaining an element comprising catalytic material in an engine apparatus including a housing defining an exhaust gas passageway, said method comprising the steps of providing the element in a first orientation in the exhaust gas passageway, and displacing the element about an axis extending transversely to the direction of flow of the exhaust gas through the element to reorientate the element from the first orientation to a second orientation in the exhaust gas passageway different from the first orientation.
- 12. A method in accordance with claim 11 wherein the element is removably supported in the housing, and wherein said reorienting step comprises the steps of removing the element from the housing, and reinserting the element in the housing in the second orientation.
- 13. A method in accordance with claim 11 wherein said exhaust gas passageway has an exhaust gas inlet and an exhaust gas outlet, wherein the element has a first end, and a second end, wherein the first end faces the inlet when the element is in the first orientation, and wherein the second end faces the inlet when the element is in the second orientation.
- 14. A method of maintaining a catalytic element, including a first end, a second end, and a rib having first and second sides, in an engine apparatus including a housing defining an exhaust gas passageway having an exhaust gas inlet, an exhaust gas outlet, and a shoulder between said exhaust gas inlet and said exhaust gas outlet, said method comprising the steps of providing a retaining sleeve, providing the element in a first orientation in the exhaust gas passageway wherein said first end of said element faces said exhaust gas outlet, wherein the retaining sleeve partially surrounds the element, and wherein the rib is captured between the shoulder and the retaining sleeve with the retaining sleeve engaging the first side of the rib, displacing the element to reorientate the element from the first orientation to a second orientation in the exhaust gas passageway wherein said second end of said element faces the exhaust gas outlet, wherein the retaining sleeve partially surrounds the element, and wherein the rib is captured between the shoulder and the retaining sleeve with the retaining sleeve engaging the second side of the rib, said reorienting step comprising the following steps in order: removing the retaining sleeve from the housing, removing the element from the housing, reinserting the element into the housing in the second orientation, and reinserting the retaining sleeve in the housing.
- 15. A method in accordance with claim 14 wherein the rib is located approximately halfway between the first and second ends of the element.
- 16. A method in accordance with claim 14 wherein the element is generally cylindrically shaped, wherein the housing includes a inner cylindrical surface, wherein the retaining sleeve is generally in the shape of a hollow open-ended cylinder, wherein said method further comprises the step of providing an outwardly biased retaining ring, wherein the inner cylindrical surface of the housing has therein a groove receiving the retaining ring, wherein the retaining ring retains the retaining sleeve in the housing when the element is in the first orientation and when the element is in the second orientation, and wherein said reorienting step comprises the following steps in order: removing the retaining ring from the housing, removing the retaining sleeve from the housing, removing the element from the housing, reinserting the element into the housing in the second orientation, reinserting the retaining sleeve in the housing, and reinserting the retaining ring in the housing.
- 17. A method in accordance with claim 16 wherein the retaining sleeve has thereon a flange, and wherein the retaining ring abuts the flange when the element is in the first orientation and when the element is in the second orientation.
- 18. A method in accordance with claim 11 wherein the element is pivotally mounted in the housing, and wherein said reorienting step comprises the step of pivoting the element.
- 19. A method in accordance with claim 18 wherein the element pivots about a pivot axis, and wherein the element is pivoted through 180.degree., from the first orientation to the second orientation, about the pivot axis.
- 20. A method of maintaining a catalytic element in an engine apparatus including a housing defining an exhaust gas passageway, wherein the catalytic element, the engine apparatus and the housing defining the exhaust gas passageway partially define a propulsion unit of a marine propulsion device, wherein the propulsion unit includes a powerhead comprising the engine apparatus, wherein the powerhead has a bottom portion wherein the element is supported, wherein the propulsion unit further includes a lower unit including a propeller shaft and a driveshaft drivingly connected between the engine apparatus and the propeller shaft, and wherein the lower unit is separably connected to the bottom portion of the powerhead, said method comprising the steps of providing the element in a first orientation in the exhaust gas passageway, separating the lower unit from the powerhead, and displacing the element to reorientate the element from the first orientation to a second orientation in the exhaust gas passageway different from the first orientation.
RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 07/822,972 filed Jan. 21, 1992 and now abandoned.
US Referenced Citations (16)
Continuations (1)
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Number |
Date |
Country |
Parent |
822972 |
Jan 1992 |
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