Method and apparatus for treating coolant for internal combustion engine

• US 4,996,874 A
• Filed: 10/16/1989
• Issued: 03/05/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/1989
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: DeRome, Raymond D., John T. Colomer, Lawrence G. Derome, Robert A. Remiasz
• Original Assignee: DeRome, Raymond D., John T. Colomer, Lawrence G. Derome, Robert A. Remiasz
• Inventors: DeRome, Raymond D., Remiasz, Robert A., DeRome, Lawrence G., Colomer, John T.
• Primary Examiner(s): MYRACLE, JERRY
• Application Number:
  US07/422,061
• Time in Patent Office: 505 Days
• Field of Search: 73/118.1, 73/49.2, 73/49.7, 123/41.01
• US Class Current: 73/114.68
• CPC Class Codes: F01P 11/06 Cleaning in general B08B; Combating corrosion in general C23F

Abstract

The present invention is an apparatus and method for treating coolant for an internal combustion engine. A pump circulates the coolant from an internal combustion engine through a filter and returns the coolant to the internal combustion engine. After circulation, the coolant is delivered to a holding reservoir. Additives and other materials are delivered to an addition reservoir. A vacuum pump is connected to the internal combustion engine to reduce the vacuum air pressure within the cooling system to between 15 and 27 inches of mercury below atmospheric. The addition reservoir and holding reservoir are connected to the cooling system so that the material from the addition reservoir and from the holding reservoir are pulled into the cooling system because of the reduced pressure.

Claims

1. An apparatus for treating coolant for an internal combustion engine comprising, in combination, means for pumping coolant out from an internal combustion engine, means for filtering the coolant pumped from the combustion engine before its return to the internal combustion engine, means for holding coolant from the internal combustion engine being selectively connected to the means for pumping coolant from the internal combustion engine, means for selectively creating a reduced pressure in a portion of a cooling system of the internal combustion engine, and means for connecting the means for holding coolant from the internal combustion engine while there is a reduced pressure in the cooling system of the internal combustion engine to draw coolant from the means of holding coolant to deliver coolant to the cooling system of the internal combustion engine.

2. An apparatus for treating coolant for an internal combustion engine as defined in claim 1, including a gauge selectively connectable to the cooling system of the internal combustion engine to determine whether there is an increase in reduced pressure in the internal combustion engine when operation of the means for selectively creating a reduced pressure is interrupted to indicate whether there is a leak in the cooling system.

3. An apparatus for treating coolant for an internal combustion engine as defined in claim 2, including a vacuum test valve connected to the gauge and being connectable to the cooling system for selectively connecting the gauge to the cooling system.

4. An apparatus for treating coolant for an internal combustion engine as defined in claim 1, including an addition reservoir for receiving materials for addition to the cooling system being selectively connectable to the cooling system.

5. An apparatus for treating coolant for an internal combustion engine as defined in claim 4, including a reservoir valve connected to the addition reservoir and the means for holding coolant to allow materials from the addition reservoir to flow into the coolant system before coolant from the means for holding coolant is returned to the cooling system.

6. An apparatus for treating coolant for an internal combustion engine as defined in claim 1, including a vacuum test valve selectively connectable to the cooling system, a gauge connected to the vacuum test valve and for selectively indicating the amount of reduced pressure in a portion of the cooling system to determine whether there is a leak in the cooling system, a reservoir valve connected to the means for holding coolant from the internal combustion engine, and an addition reservoir connected to the reservoir valve, whereby the reservoir valve allows materials from the addition reservoir to flow into the cooling system of the internal combustion engine prior to flow of coolant from the means for holding coolant from the internal combustion engine flowing into the cooling system of the internal combustion engine.

7. A method of treating coolant from a cooling system of an internal combustion engine and testing fluid tightness of the cooling system, comprising the steps of:

filtering coolant from the cooling system of the internal combustion engine, delivering a portion of the coolant from the cooling system to a holding reservoir, adding materials to an additional reservoir, reducing the pressure in the cooling system to below atmospheric, delivering materials from the additional reservoir to the cooling system, and returning coolant from the holding reservoir to the cooling system.

8. A method of treating coolant from a cooling system of an internal combustion engine and testing fluid tightness of the cooling system as defined in claim 7, including;

observing the amount of reduced pressure in the cooling system when no further reduction in pressure is being applied to determine whether there is a leak in the cooling system.

9. A method of treating coolant from a cooling system of an internal combustion engine and testing fluid tightness of the cooling system as defined in claim 7, including;

testing the coolant in the cooling system to determine the amount of materials required to be added to the cooling system.

10. A method of treating coolant from a cooling system of an internal combustion engine and testing fluid tightness of the cooling system as defined in claim 7, including;

testing the coolant in a cooling system of an internal combustion engine to determine the amount of materials required for the cooling system, and means for observing the reduced pressure in the cooling system while no further reduction of pressure is applied to the cooling system to determine whether there is a leak in the cooling system.

11. A method of treating coolant from a cooling system of an internal combustion engine and testing fluid tightness of the cooling system, comprising the steps of:

testing coolant in a cooling system of an internal combustion engine to determine the need for additives and supplemental coolant, circulating the coolant from the internal combustion engine through a filter, delivering a portion of the coolant in a cooling system of a internal combustion engine to a holding reservoir, reducing the pressure in a portion of the cooling system to a pressure below atmospheric in the range of 15 to 27 inches of mercury, holding the reduced pressure for a selected period of time, observing the reduced pressure while it is being held to determine whether there is a leak in the cooling system, delivering additives to the cooling system, and returning a portion of the removed coolant from the holding reservoir.