US1702702A - Apparatus for cleaning lubricant cases of engines - Google Patents

Description

Feb. 19, 1929. 1,702,702

W. L. OSBORNE APPARATUS FOR CLEANING LUBRICANT CASES OF ENGINES Filed Fteb. 4, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet l N 'N .r k j@ w Feb. 19, 1929. v 1,702,702

w. 1,. osBoRNE APPARATUS FOR CLEANING LUBRICANT CASES 0F ENGINES Filed Feb. 4, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ZZ f( U 1 'y' L 1 f Patented Feb. 19, 1929.

' UNITED STATES 1,702,702 PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM L. OSBORNE, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO OSBORNE PROCESS, INC., OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA,

A CORPORATION F CALIFORNIA.

APPARATUS FOB CLEANING LUBBICANT CASES OF ENGINES.

Application' mea February 4, 1927. serial No. 165,854.

which may be closed by theV adjustable and .i

This invention relates to improvements in process and apparatus for cleaning lubricant cases of engines, and -1s 'more particularly adapted to cleaning crank cases and the transmission and differential cases of motor vehicles, such as automobiles, motor trucks, and-the like. However, the invention is also adapted for use in cleaning lubricantcases of engines generally, as, for example, motors on trolley cars, Diesel engines, boats, airplane engines, or the lilke.

The objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter more clearly appear from the following description, but, broadly speaking, the purpose is to effectively and lsimply clean the case containing the lubricant together with the mechanism' enclosed in such case. To this end, the process and apparatus is carried out and operated, first by preferably draining off the dirty oil or lubricant, and then forcibly circulating a flushing oil through the case and around the mechanism contained therein.

The apparatusis not only relatively compact and simple of manufacture, beingdevoid of any mechanism or parts liable to get out of order, but is especially characterized by tht` facility with which it can be brought int-o communication with, and detached from,

the c rank case of the automobile or other part that is to be speedily cleaned. In addition to this feature, the cleaning is carried out much more effectively than in the methods and in the apparatus now generally in use. y

As a feature of the invention, I provide the apparatus with means for filtering the flushing oil as it is circulated through' the member that is being cleaned.

In the drawings,

Fig-lis a more or less diagrammatic view showing the complete method of cleaning the lubricant case, in this instance, the crank case of a motor; 4 v Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic top plan view 'of the cleaning apparatus proper;

Fig. 3 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in verticalsection of the same;

Figs. 4 and 5 are detailed views of the lug :which may be used to reduce the flow rom the cases of certain types of motors.

Referring to the drawings, more particularly Fig. 1, 1 designates the motor of the engine to be cleaned, having va drain hole 2,

tively.

removable plug 3 hereinafter more fully described. 4 illustrates the feed inlet for the crank case. Below the motor, preferably in a pit 5, is mounted a drip pan 6, which ma be mounted on a swinging joint 7 through w ichthe pan is adapted to receive the dirty oil as it drains out of the motor.

The dirty oil flows from v the dri pan 6 i throu h the line 8 into the drain h er 9 and then t rough check valvey 10 into the dirty oil storage tank 11. This storage tank 11 may be located underground as shown, or it may be placed above the ground as desired. Afterthe oil has been drained out of the crank case,

Athe cock 12 in line 8 is turned so. as to cut the line 8 from the header 9 and connect it tothe pipe 13. To this pipe 13 may be detachably secured flexible hose connection 14,' referably mounted on a suitable truck 15 ig. 2) having wheels 16. In the present instance, the device is equipped with a tank 17 for receiving new flushing oil and forming in effect a storage tank for suchnew flushing oil. On I the truck may be also supported a distillate storage tank 18, which is adapted to receive I new distillate so that such distillate may be 3 out, for example,

used in initially cleanin the differentialor transmission case of a motor car. These tanks may be provided with suitable gauges 19 and y20 pump 21 is provided, operated by handle22.

I have shown a hand-operated pump because it is desirablethat the pump be operated at different speeds with different types of motor cars, but an electrically or motor driven pump may be used, but in such case should be so arranged that it can be operated at variable speeds.

Fig. 1), anda I also provide filters' 23 `and 24., each of I which may be provided withy a removable mesh bag 25, which bags are adaptedl to peri mit the cleaning oil to pass through, but catch and hold the foreign substances. The pump is connected through lines 26 and the branches 27 and 28 to the two tanks 17 and 18, respec- A. three-way cock 29 is lprovided whereby either tank may rbe cut into or both cut out of the system. Similarly, a threeway cock 30 is provided for closing line 26, opening it tooneor 4the other of the tanks, or for connecting it to the suction vline 14 of the pump. The discharge line 31 is connected lfilters in the present instance one may be usedin cleaning the fiushing oil from the crankl case, and the other in cleaning the iiushing oil from the differential or. transmission.4 The latter two cases are likely to be much dirtier than the crank case, and in addition use. a grease instead of lubricant, and it may be desirable to use separate filters in such instance.

vWhen it is desired to remove dirty oil from storage tank 11, as for example, to a tank truck 38, I may connect the latter with a flexible hose 39 having shut-oil' cock 40 to Y iitting 41, leading to pipe 42 into the tank 11 near thel lower end thereof. The oil from storage may be forced up through pipe 42 by means of air compressors (not shown), in the following manner Air is introduced through the line 43 and branch 44 through the cocks 45 and 46, and through line 47 into the top of the tank 11. At this' time the valve 48 in branchline 49 is closed andthe cock 46 alsor closed offrom the Vent pipe 50.

After the tank has been cleaned as far as Y possible of this oil content, there still may remain some sedimentin the bottom which it will be necessary to agitate and loosen up before it can be removed.- To this end the branch 49 is connected to pipe 51 terminating in nozzl'e 52, as shown'. To agitato the oil,the cock 46 is open to the vent 50 to vent the tank. The air control valve 48 is then opened to the line 51 .while the valve 45 is closed and air forced in through the nozzle 52, to agitato vthe oil and sediment in the bottom ofthe tank 11. After lthis the air valve 48 is closed and the cock 45 turned to connect to the pipe 47 and the cock 46 also regulated so that the air will be forced into the top of the tank, as first described, s0 as to blow out the remaining oil and sediment. A clean-out manhole 53 is preferably pro. vided on the top of tank 11. 54 designates a connection to manual or. power operated suctiboln pump should air pressure not be avail# a e.

I have heretofore referred to an adjustablev plug which it is desirable to use in certain types of motor cars. 'In the case of'some cars t e drain openingr from the crank case is so large that it permits the oil to iiow out too fast into the drip pan when I am circulating the flushing oil. It is, therefore, necessary or desirable to limit the size of such opening, but in as simple and expedient a manner as possible. To this end, the plug consists of a casing 54 which is provided with. inlet openback to the suction side ofthe pump.

ing 55 and outlet opening 56. v'Ihe inlet opend ing is provided with a pair of lugs 57 and 58,

the latter being adjustably carried by the v screw 59 having a handhold 60; preferably a Washer 61 is also provided. To inscrt the plug in the discharge pipe from the crank casing, the lugs are inserted intol the opening and then spread by operating the screw 59 so as t0 ly get frictional contact between the lugs vand the inner wall of this discharge pipe. These lugs maybe provided with teeth' as shown, to facilitate such frictional contact. The outlet opening 56 is controlled by means of segmental shaped gate 62 pivoted to the casing as r i shown at 63, and provided with operating handle 64. The arrangement is such that by moving the gate the size of the openingran be controlled or shut oif.

It is to be understood that in vsome casesv the discharge opening from the crank case or other case being cleaned is sufficiently small so that this plug may not have to be used, but where it is too large it forms a very eiiicient means for controlling such discharge and also permitting more pressure to be brought on the iuid in the crank case which liuidcan ob lviously be introduced into the crank case under pressure faster than withdrawn.

In carrying out the processand for the purpose of illustration, I will describe the cleaning of the crank case of a motor car. v The car is driven over a sultable rack so that operating the valves hereinbefore described.

The pump is then operated and new liushing roo oil, as, for example, a light lubricating stock, ,I

is pumped through `the line 37 into the crank case, the oil passmg first through one of the filters which is being used for the cleaning of the ushing oil for crank cases. With the types of crank cases now generally in use on motor vehicles, from one to two gallons of flushing oil will be suflicient. The oil is then circulated by ,suitably operating the pump as follows: from the pump, through the corresponding filter, crank case, drip pan, and As the flushin oil is thus circulated it has to pass throug 1 the filter which catches and col-v lects the dirt, sediment or other foreign matter which is being iushed out of the crank case. The' flushing oil is circulated a suficient number of times to effectively clean the crank case. In a hand pump now in use, the pump can handle approximately five gal lons a minute. Therefore, by operating such pump a period of five minutes, an equal of 25 gallons of flushing oil will be circulated through the crank case, and this, it has been l cleaned andy detachableuplug (if in use) removed, andthe crank-ease is ready to receive a fresh supply ofdnbricant'.

I have described the iiseof the device and process in connection witlr'cleaning the crank case of a motor car. When it is desired to clean the differential or. transmission, the operation is carried out in specifically the same manner, except that preferably after the transmission or differential is drained, distillate may be circulated by the pump through such casing to cut the heavy grease and foreign particles and in such case the filter which is used for the distillate is cut into the system, and the other one cut out. After this distillate has been suiiiciently circulated it may be led oi to storage tankl 11. Ordinarily the circulation of the distillate will be sufiicient to clean such transmission or differential. This distillate may be' kerosene distillate' also other distillates may be used, if desire There may be certain cases in which the motorist or operator may want to have the differentialor transmission additionally flushed with lubricant oil, which can be done by cutting out the distillate filter andl discharge storage tank and by cutting into the system the other filter and the lubricant storage tank. v I have described the process and appara.- tus in connection with motor vehicles, but, as heretofore stated, casings of other mechanism may be cleaned in asimilar manner.

Frequently, the crank cases of automobiles contain sulphurous 'or other acids from the explosions-in the cylinders, which, if left in the crank case, eat away the bearings. The methods of cleaning crank cases of the prior art do not effectively remove such acids. By

my process and apparatus, the flushing oil comes into such intimate'contact with allparts of the crank case and the moving parts therein as to be able to remove, lry absorption or washing, all such acids. his flushing oil being new', clean oil has a maximum .absorption eiiiciency for such acids.

and lthe connection from the pump to the lubricant containing case, particularly when washing or flushing the transmission and diii'erential casings. In such event, the hose 37 is detachably connected directly to the top of the three-Way valve 34. as illustrated in dotted lines at the left of Fig. 1.;

By the term lubricant container as used y in the claims I intend this to be defined as the element illustrated in the drawings and designated l, i. e. a power unit containing movingparts adapted to vbe lubricated by lubricant ,f

contained in the casing. AvI disclaim the use of the term lubricant container intliis application merely aS astorage tank for lubricant.

'I claim as my invention :y v

1. An apparatus, comprising vin combination, a lubricant container, a pump, connections for the inlet and discharge of'said ump adapted to have communication with t einlet and discharge of such lubricant container, a filter interposed in such connectionswhereby cleaning oil is caused to have a'cyclic cir- Vculation through the lubricant container,

pump and iilter, a storage receptacle containv ing cleaning oil, connections between the latter and said pump, and a second storage re r ceptacle isolated from said cyclic circulatory system to which used lubricant and cleaning oil may be passed'. 2. An apparatus, comprising in combination, a lubricant container, apump, connections for the inlet and discharge of said ump adapted to have communication with-t e inlet and discharge of such lubricant container, a filter interposed in such connections whereby cleaning oil is caused to have a cyclic cir-l culation through theA lubricant container,

ump and lter, a storage receptacle containing cleaning oil, connections between the latter and said pump, and a second storage receptacle isolated from said cyclic circulatory system to which used lubricant and cleaning oil mabe passed, and means, including a valve, or diverting used lubricant directly to said storage receptacle without passing same through the cyclic circulatory system,

3. An apparatus, comprising in combination, a lubricant container,- a pump, connections for the inlet and. discharge of sai-d pump adapted to havev communication with the inlet and discharge of such lubricant container,

a filter interposed in such connections whereby cleaning oil is caused to have a cyclic cirpump and filter, a storage receptacle containing cleaning oil, connections between the latter and said pump, and a second storage re- 12o." culation through the lubricant container, i

Il. An apparatus, comprising in combination, a. lubricant container, and a portable cleaning apparatus therefor including a movable support and a cyclic circulatory system mounted ythereon including a pump, connections for the inlet and discharge end of .said pump adapted to have comn'iunication with the inlet and discharge of such lubricant container, a filter interposed in such connections, a storage receptacle containing cleaning oil, connections between the latter and said pump, and a second storage receptacle isolated from said cyclic circulatory system'to which used lubricant and cleaning oil may be passed.

5. An apparatus, comprising in combination, a lubricantcontainer, and a portable cleaning apparatus therefor including a movable support and a cyclic circulatory system 'mounted thereon including' a pump, connections for the inlet and discharge end of-said pump adapted to have communication With the inlet and discharge of such lubricant container, a filter interposed in such connections,

separate storage receptacles each containing different kinds of cleaning oil, valved connections between the latter and said pump permitting withdrawal from the desired relceptacle, and an additional storage receptacle posed in such connections whereby cleaning v oil is caused to have a cyclic circulation through the lubricant container, pump and desired iilter, a storage receptacle isolated from said cyclic circulatory system to which used lubricant and cleaning oil may be passed, branches communicating between said pump discharge and each of said filters, and a control valve interposed in the connections between the pump and said filters.

WILLIAM L. OSBORNE.

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