Information
-
Patent Grant
-
6397812
-
Patent Number
6,397,812
-
Date Filed
Monday, March 12, 200123 years ago
-
Date Issued
Tuesday, June 4, 200222 years ago
-
Inventors
-
-
Examiners
- Argenbright; Tony M.
- Harris; Katrina B.
Agents
-
CPC
-
US Classifications
Field of Search
US
- 123 1 R
- 123 198 R
- 220 DIG 13
- 220 671
-
International Classifications
-
Abstract
A housing includes a flange apertured to receive cap screws for temporary attachment to the block of an air cooled engine to enclose a piston rod and close a cylinder of the engine to protect engine parts from foreign matter. Oval flange openings accept cap screws for a range of cap screw patterns found in different engines.
Description
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention concerns engines being overhauled or repaired incurring the removal of one or more cylinder heads.
When working on air cooled engines it is frequently necessary to remove one or all cylinder heads from the engine block leaving the interior of the engine and piston rod exposed to moisture and airborne matter. It is a practice in some repair shops to close the cylinder or cylinders of an engine being repaired by the stuffing of a clean rag into the cylinder with a portion of the rag or a separate rag applied about the exposed end of a piston rod. Such a solution to the problem is a hit and miss approach to protecting internal parts of the engine as well as the rod end from foreign matter being deposited on engine and rod surfaces. Further, some risk of damage to an engine being repaired occurs when a piston rod end protrudes from the engine block.
SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT INVENTION
The present invention concerns a housing temporarily attachable to th block of an air cooled engine and serves to close the cylinder opening of the engine as well as enclose and support the outer end segment of a piston rod from which a piston has been removed.
The housing is adapted for temporary attachment to the engine block without alteration or modification of the block with a housing flange in surface abutment with the block wall to provide a seal against foreign matter. The housing may confine that portion of a piston rod normally housed by a cylinder now removed during engine maintenance or repair. The piston rod is free to move back and forth within the present housing during engine crank shaft rotation coincident with repair efforts. A portion of the housing serves as a guide for the rod end which may be fitted with the wrist pin or preferably a substitute wrist pin. A housing mounted flange has a series of springs for cap screws with some of the openings oblong to accommodate a range of air cooled engines with blocks having different bolt patterns.
Important objectives of the present invention include the provision of a housing readily attachable and detachable from an engine block to close the cylinder bore of the block against entry of foreign matter; the provision of a housing of a length to permit reciprocation of a piston rod during cranking of an engine during engine repair while protecting the piston rod from foreign matter; the provision of a housing having a face plate or flange abuttable with the engine block and defining fastener receiving openings, some of which are of other than circular shape to permit utilizing of the present housing on engine blocks having different bolt receiving patterns.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
In the accompanying drawings:
FIG. 1
is a side elevational view of the present invention in place on an engine block shown in schematic form;
FIG. 2
is a vertical sectional view taken along line
2
—
2
of
FIG. 1
;
FIG. 2A
is a view similar to
FIG. 2
showing a modified housing;
FIG. 3
is an end view of the present housing of
FIG. 1
removed from an engine block;
FIG. 4
is a view similar to
FIG. 3
but showing a modified form of the housing having orthogonal wall surfaces.
FIG. 5
is a fragmentary elevational view taken along line
5
—
5
of FIG.
4
.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
With continuing attention to the drawings wherein applied reference numerals indicate parts similarly hereinafter identified, the reference numeral
1
indicates the block of an air cooled engine having a block wall surface
2
from which a cylinder head has been removed upon removal of cap screws.
A block defined bore or cylinder
3
in which, during engine operation a piston rod recirates. Engine block
1
additionally defines multiple threaded bores which receive a series of cap screws attaching a cylinder head flange to the block.
Depending on the extent of engine maintenance being performed, one or all of the cylinder heads will be removed leaving block surface
2
suitable for attachment of the present housing indicated generally at
5
. A housing flange
6
extends about the housing end and defines openings at
7
which correspond with openings or threaded bores in engine block
1
. Cap screws are at
8
.
In a preferred form of the invention, the housing includes walls
10
and
11
, with side walls at
12
and
13
. Guide means is provided by a pair of channels at
14
each having a shoulder
15
on which a pin
18
may rest or slide to support the end
16
of a piston rod
17
. The pin
18
may be a rod wrist pin or a simulated temporary wrist pin provided for sliding engagement with shoulders
15
.
Shoulder extensions at
15
A extend into the cylinder for rod end support. An end wall at
19
closes the housing.
A modified form of the housing side walls is shown in
FIG. 2A
dispenses with channels
14
and permits rod end
16
to ride on a wall
20
. Walls
20
and
21
of the modified form of the invention would preferably be inclined in the manner of walls
10
and
11
in the earlier described form of the invention. Side walls are at
22
.
With reference to
FIG. 3
, flange
6
includes the aforementioned openings
7
for reception of cap screws
8
with some of the openings being oblong as at
23
to accommodate two somewhat different bolt patterns existing in two different makes or models of air cooled aircraft engines.
With reference to
FIG. 4
, a modified housing is shown wherein housing walls at
24
,
25
,
26
and
27
are orthogonal with respect to flange
16
, an end wall is at
28
.
While I have shown but a few embodiments of the invention, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied still otherwise without departing from the spirit and scope of the claimed invention.
Claims
- 1. A temporary housing for installation on an air cooled engine block being repaired to protect a piston rod and the engine interior from foreign matter upon removal of an engine cylinder head, said housing comprisinga base for temporary abutment with a surface of the engine block upon cylinder head removal, guide means for slidably supporting one end of a piston rod and permitting travel of the piston rod during cranking of the engine for engine repair purposes.
- 2. The temporary housing claimed in claim 1 wherein said base includes a mounting flange defining multiple openings, fasteners insertable in said openings and engageable with the flange and the engine block.
- 3. The temporary housing claimed in claim 1 wherein said guide means defines a channel.
- 4. The temporary housing claimed in claim 3 additionally including a pin carried by the piston rod for travel in said channel.
US Referenced Citations (1)
Number |
Name |
Date |
Kind |
4530141 |
Vachon |
Jul 1985 |
A |