Broken heater hose coupler removal tool and method of use

• US 6,575,057 B1
• Filed: 04/18/2002
• Issued: 06/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lisle Corporation
• Original Assignee: Lisle Corporation
• Inventors: Ploeger, Randall J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hail, III, Joseph J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shakeri, Hadi
• Application Number:
  US10/124,970
• Time in Patent Office: 418 Days
• Field of Search: 81/532, 814/41
• US Class Current: 81/53.2
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 13/48 for special purposes
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 15/005 with cross- or star-shaped cross-section
• CPC Class Codes: B25B 27/18 withdrawing broken threaded parts or twist drills

Abstract

A tool for the removal of a broken heater hose coupler from an engine block includes a symmetrical driving tool with twelve teeth or splines for engagement with the broken coupler so that a wrench may be applied to the opposite end of the tool to twist and unthread the coupler from the engine block.

Claims

1. A tool for removal of a broken heater hose coupler from an engine block, said coupler of the type threadably engaged in a bore passage in the block and projecting from the block, said projecting portion susceptible to breakage from the coupler thereby leaving a section of the threaded coupler in the block, said tool comprising:

(a) an elongate rod having a first end and a second end, a longitudinal, center line axis with a shank at the first end of said rod and a plurality of splines at the second end of said rod for driving engagement with the coupler section in the block;

(b) said splines in the form of a symmetric array of crested teeth radially spaced from and parallel to the axis, said splines defining an end region at the second end and an adjacent mid region, the cross sectional configuration of the mid region teeth consisting of equally sized ribs, each rib having a first face and a second face, each of said first and second faces of each rib intersecting at an apex parallel to the axis, and the first face of each rib intersecting the second face of the next adjacent rib to define a valley, the first and second adjacent faces of adjacent ribs parallel to the axis and intersecting at a right angle, and the cross sectional configuration of the end region at the second end congruent with the cross sectional configuration of the mid region said ribs being truncated at the end region at the second end to define a radius surface parallel to the axis; and

(c) said shank including a driving face transverse to the axis.

2. The tool of claim 1 wherein the first and second adjacent faces intersect at a substantially sixty degree angle.

3. The tool of claim 1 comprising twelve ribs.