Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02301402 2000-03-16
D-4795 DIV
METHOD OF INSTALLING AN OIL PAN HEATER ON
AN OIL PAN MOUNTED ON AN ENGINE BLOCK
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a method of installing an oil pan heater on
an oil
pan , a heater installation kit, and an oil pan heater insert. More
particularly the present
invention relates to a method of installing an oil pan heater on an oil pan
while the oil pan
is mounted on the engine block, a kit for installing an oil pan heater while
the oil pan is
mounted on the engine block, and an oil heater insert for installing an oil
pan heater on an
oil pan while the oil pan is mounted on the engine block , and an oil heater
insert for
installing an oil pan heater on an oil pan while the oil pan is mounted on the
engine block.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The installation of an oil pan heater on an oil pan is known. However the
general
practice is to drain the oil from the oil pan, remove the oil pan from the
engine block, and
then drill a hole in the engine oil pan , thread the hole or weld a threaded
insert to the hole
with the threaded hole or threaded insert being sized to receive a oil pan
heater. Then the
interior of the oil pan had to be thoroughly cleaned so that there would be no
debris that
would contaminate the oil that would be in the oil pan when it was mounted on
the engine
block. This procedure took several hours and generally required the vehicle to
be tied up
2o for an entire day. The removal of the oil pan was necessary to prevent
metal particles from
the drilling to remain in the oil pan. Such particles would contaminate the
oil and cause
extensive damage to the engine. Therefor there is a need for the present
invention which
allows an oil heater to be mounted on an oil pan while the oil pan is pan is
mounted on the
engine block and which procedure will not contaminate the oil which collects
and is
maintained in the oil pan.
CA 02301402 2000-03-16
D-479 DIV
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
This invention is directed towards the method of installing an oil pan heater
on an
oil pan while the oil pan is mounted on the engine block, a kit for installing
an oil pan
heater while the oil pan is mounted on the engine block, and an oil heater
bushing for
installing an oil pan heater on an oil pan while the oil pan is mounted on the
engine block.
It is therefore one object of the present invention to provide a method of
installing a
heater on a vehicle engine oil pan that is mounted on a vehicle engine by
draining oil from
the engine oil pan, piercing the engine oil pan to provide a pilot hole having
pierced ends
extending into the engine oil pan, scoring a circular chamfered groove
surrounding the
to pilot hole so as to provide an oil pan thickness at a base of the chamfered
groove of less
than about 10 mils, inserting a puller into the oil pan through the pilot hole
to engage an
internal portion of the oil pan surrounding the pilot hole, pulling to extract
a circular slug
from the oil pan and forming a substantially circular hole in the oil pan,
inserting an
expandable heater bushing in the substantially circular hole, the heater
bushing having an
expandable tubular section extending from an enlarged head, crimping the
tubular section
and sealing the enlarged head to the oil pan, and attaching an oil pan heater
to the enlarged
head.
It is another object of the invention to provide a vehicle engine oil pan
heater
installation kit for installing an oil pan heater on an engine mounted on an
engine block,
2o having an engine oil pan piercing tool having an oil pan punch to punch a
pilot hole in a
vehicle engine oil pan; means to provide a circular scoring on the engine oil
pan
surrounding the pilot hole; a slug puller having means to remove a circular
slug from a
vehicle engine oil pan to provide a heater bushing hole in the vehicle engine
oil pan sized
to accept an oil pan heater bushing; the oil pan heater bushing having an
enlarged head, the
enlarged head having a hole therethrough which is threaded and sized to
sealingly receive
2
CA 02301402 2000-03-16
n-4~9s my
and hold an oil pan heater, an expandable tubular section extending from the
enlarged head
and adapted to fit through the heater bushing hole, the tubular section having
a first end
extending from the enlarged head and a distal second end, a passageway
concentric with
the heater bushing hole, an internal smooth wall extending from the enlarged
head a
predetermined distance, annular internal threads extending from the internal
smooth wall to
the distal second end, the tubular section having a crimper to crimp at the
smooth wall
section when a crimp bolt is threaded into the tubular annular threaded
section, and the
crimp bolt sized to pass through the enlarged head and be threaded into the
tubular section
cause the tubular section to crimp and the oil pan heater bushing to sealing
engage the
to interior and exterior of the vehicle engine oil pan.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an engine oil
pan
piercing tool having an air chisel shank, a first shoulder at one end of the
chisel shank, a
second shank extending from the first shoulder to a second shoulder, a punch
retainer
extending from the second shoulder to a punch retaining end, a compression
spring
surrounding a portion of the cylindrical retainer the one end contacting the
second shoulder
and the other end of the spring contacting a scatter shield, the scatter
shield being mounted
on the piercing tool retainer to move axially relative to the piercing tool
retainer wherein
the compression spring in the normal position positions the scatter shield to
surround a
pointed end of a punch mounted in the punch retainer and when in the piercing
position to
2o be compressed and exposed the punch pointed end and piecing sections;
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a vehicle
engine oil pan
heater bushing having an enlarged head, the head having a hole therethrough
which is
threaded and sized to sealingly receive and hold an oil pan heater, an
expandable tubular
section extending from the enlarged head and adapted to fit through an engine
oil pan
heater bushing hole, a non-expandable tubular section extending from the
expandable
tubular section to a distal end, an expandable tubular section having an
internal smooth
CA 02301402 2000-03-16
. D-4795 DIV
wall section extending from the enlarged head a predetermined distance,
annular internal
thread section extending inward from a distal end for a predetermined
distance, crimp
means permit the expandable tubular section to crimp at the smooth wall
section when a
draw bolt is threaded into the tubular section, an annular o-ring groove
formed in the
underside of the enlarged head, the annular groove being sized to hold an o-
ring, the
enlarged head and annular groove o-ring being sized to surround the heater
bushing hole
and contact an external surface of the oil pan when the tubular section is
placed into the oil
pan through the heater bushing hole.
The present invention can be further understood with reference to the
following
to description in conjunction with the appended drawings wherein like elements
are provided
with the same reference numerals.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Fig. 1 is a partial side view of a vehicle engine oil pan mounted on a vehicle
engine
t 5 block.
Fig. 2 is a partial perspective illustrating a vehicle engine oil pan of the
present
invention having an oil pan heater mounted thereon.
Fig. 3 is a partial perspective view of one step of the method of the present
invention.
2o Fig. 4 is a partial side view of the vehicle engine oil pan after the step
of Fig. 2.
Fig. 5 is a partial enclosed cross-sectional view taken along lines 5-~ of
Fig. 4.
Fig. 6 is a side view of the main section of the piercing tool of the present
invention.
4
CA 02301402 2000-03-16
D-4795 DIV
Fig. 7 is a front view of the piercing tool punch of the present invention.
Fig. 8 is a side view of the piercing tool punch of Fig. 7.
Fig. 9 is a side view of the piercing tool of the present invention.
Fig. 10 is a front perspective view with cut away portions of the piercing
tool shield
of the present invention.
Fig. 1 I is a front perspective view of a flycutter of the present invention.
Fig. 12 is a plane right end view of the fly cutter of Fig. 11.
Fig. 13 is a side perspective view of one of the tool bits used in the fly
cutter of Fig.
Fig. 14 is a partial side view of the vehicle engine oil pan after being
grooved by
the fly cutter of Fig. 11.
Fig. 15 is an enlarged cross-section view taken along lines 15-15 of Fig. 14.
Fig. 16 is a top perspective view of a fly cutter tool bit adjusting tool of
the present
invention.
Fig. 17 is a partial perspective view of another step of the method of the
present
invention.
Fig. 18 is a bottom perspective view of a slug puller of the present
invention.
Fig. 19 is a partial cross-sectional view of the slug puller of Fig. 18.
Fig. 20 is a partial perspective view of still another step of the method of
the
present invention.
Fig. 21 illustrates another step of the present invention.
Fig. 22 illustrates another step of the present invention.
5
CA 02301402 2000-03-16
D-479 DIV
Fig. 23 is a partial cross-sectional view of the heater bushing insert of the
present
invention.
Fig. 24 is a perspective view of a crimp bolt used with the heater bushing of
Fig.
21.
Fig. 25 is a partial cross-sectional view of the heater bushing of Fig. 21
mounted on
a vehicle engine oil pan.
Fig. 26 is a cross-sectional view of another heater bushing according to the
present
invention.
Fig. 27 is a partial cross-sectional view of the heater bushing of Fig. 26
mounted on
to a vehicle engine oil pan and having a heater attached thereto.
Fig. 28 is a partial cross-sectional view of still another heater bushing
according to
the present invention mounted on a vehicle engine oil pan and having a heater
attached
thereto.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
When referring to Figs. 1 and 2, there is shown a vehicle engine oil pan 20
mounted
on a vehicle engine block 21. The vehicle engine block 21 is mounted on a
vehicle (not
shown). The vehicle engine oil pan 20 has an oil drain plug 22 that allows oil
24 to be
drained from the vehicle engine oil pan 20. When it is desired to install a
vehicle oil pan
heater 23 on the vehicle engine oil pan 20, the oil drain plug 22 is opened
and the oil 24 is
2o drained from the vehicle engine oil pan 20.
Referring to Figs. 3-5, after the oil is completely drained from the vehicle
engine
oil pan, a piercing tool 26 is attached to an air chisel 27 and used to punch
vehicle engine
oil pan 20 to provide an oil pan pilot hole 28. As shown in Fig. 4, the
preferred shape of
6
CA 02301402 2000-03-16
D-4795 DIV
the oil pan pilot hole 28 is rectangular shaped with four (4) pierced ends 29
(only three
being shown in Fig. 5) extending into the vehicle engine oil pan 20.
Referring to 3, 6 and 9, the piercing tool 26 has a main section 30. The
piercing
tool main section 30 has a actuator shank 31 preferably sized to fit the air
chisel 27. If
desired , this actuator shank can be sized and shaped to be used to manually
actuate the
piercing tool 26, i.e., by a hammer. Below the piercing tool actuator shank,
is a shoulder
32 which in this case, along with the piercing tool actuator shank 31, is used
by the air
chisel to actuate the piercing tool 26. Below the shoulder is a shaft 33
extending to a
second enlarged shoulder 34. The piercing tool actuator shank 31 is preferably
shaped and
1o sized to fit the chuck of a readily available air chisel i.e. about 3/8
inch diameter or sized to
alternatively be used manually and thus strong enough to accept the blow of an
appropriate
hammer. The piercing tool actuator shank 31 is sized and the entire piercing
tool main
section 30 is sized and preferably made of steel or a material so that it is
strong enough for
repeated use on vehicle engine oil pans having a thickness of at least 0.035
inches. The
shaft 33 preferably has a circumference that is larger and a length that is
longer than the
circumference and length of the piercing tool actuator shank 31.
The means section 30 has a punch retainer 36 extending from the second
shoulder
34. The punch retainer 36 has a circumference greater than the circumference
of the shaft
33 and a length longer than the length of the shaft 33. The punch retainer 36
extends from
2o the under side of the enlarged shoulder 34 to a punch retainer end 37. The
punch retainer
end 37 has a punch retainer bore 38 drilled therein. The punch retainer bore
38 is sized to
hold a piercing punch 40 (Figs. 7 and 8) and preferably sized to hold the
piercing punch 40
with a sliding fit.
7
CA 02301402 2000-03-16
D-4795 DIV
The various sections of the piercing tool main section 30 are shown as being
substantially cylindrical. However the shape of these sections can be any
desired shape as
long as they can perform the functions set forth.
Referring to Figs. 7 and 8, the punch 40 has a punch shank 41 and an elongated
rectangular piercing section 42 extending from the punch shank 41. The
piercing section
42 preferably has a square cross-section. Extending from the rectangular
piercing section
is an elongated pyramid shaped piercing section 43 ending in a sharp piercing
tip 44. As
seen the piercing tip 44 is the apex of the pyramid shaped piercing section
43. The base of
the pyramid piercing section 43 or cross-section of the rectangular section
has a width 45
to of at least 0.25 inches to punch a hole sufficiently large to permit
insertion of a slug puller
tool 100 (Figs. 18 and 19).
The pyramid piercing section we now use has a side angle 46 of 30° or
less and
preferably 20° or less. This enables the piercing punch 40 to easily
penetrate the vehicle
engine oil pan without distorting the oil pan.
The punch shank 41 has a set screw angled holding flat surface 47 with an
upper set
screw shoulder 48a and a lower set screw shoulder 48b. A typical punch shank
41 has a
3/8 inch diameter and is 1 to 1 ',~4 inches long. The punch shank is slid into
the punch
retainer port 38 with the flat surface facing the punch retainer set screw
threaded hole 35
such that the rectangular and pyramid piercing sections 42 &43 of the punch
sufficiently
2o extend from the end 37 of the punch retainer 36. The punch shank is held in
the retainer
bore 38 by a set screw 49 threaded into the threaded set screw hole 35. The
punch set
screw 49 will engage the holding flat surface 47.
The shape of the various sections of the piercing tool main section 30 is
optional.
The cylindrical shapes shown are the preferred shapes .
8
CA 02301402 2000-03-16
D-4795 DIV
Referring to Figs. 3 and 9, a compression spring 51 is slid around the punch
retainer
36 until one end 52 of the spring S 1 abuts the second cylindrical shoulder
34.
The compression spring 51 is preferably made of steel or a material
sufficiently
strong enough for repeated use of the piercing tool on a 0.060 inch vehicle
engine oil pan.
Referring to Figs. 9 and 10, a shield 61 having an internal passageway 62 is
slid
around the punch retainer 36 and has one end 63 abutting the other end 53 of
the
compression spring 51. The other end 64 of the shield extends to or slightly
beyond the
punch tip 44. The shield 61 preferably has a two diametrically spaced
longitudinal slots 65
& 66. The length of the longitudinal slots 65 & 66 are sufficient to allow the
shoulder 34
1 o to move towards the shield to compress the spring 51 and expose the
rectangular and
pyramid punch sections 42 & 43 to permit these punch sections to pierce the
oil pan. A
Guide rod 67 is attached to the punch retainer 36 between the shoulder 34 and
the closed
end of the retaining bore 38. The guide rod 67 diametrically extends through
the punch
retainer into both slots 65 & 66 such that guide rod guides the retainer to
longitudinally
~ 5 move relative to the punch retainer. The length of the guide rod is
preferably equal to the
diameter of the shield. As shown in Fig. 9, when the shield 61 is mounted on
the punch
retainer 36, the spring S 1 is slightly compressed so that the spring urges
the guide towards
the punch and the shield surrounds the punch tip 44, and the guide rod 67
abuts the upper
ends 68 & 69 of the slots 65 & 66.
2o In the preferred structure, the punch set screw 49 can be accessed through
one of
the slots 65 & 66. In this way, the punch 40 can be removed from and
reinserted into the
punch retainer bore 38 when it is desired to replace and/or sharpen the punch
section 43
and/or 42.
As shown in Fig. 3, the assembled piercing tool 26 is mounted onto the air
chisel
25 27. The guide end 64 is placed against the emptied oil pan 20 while the oil
pan is still
9
CA 02301402 2000-03-16
D-4795 DIV
mounted on the engine block. The punch 40 is manually pushed towards the oil
pan to set
the position of the piercing punch 40, the air chisel is activated to move the
piercing tool
main section 30 towards the oil pan and cause the second shoulder 34 to
compress the
spring 51 and move the second shoulder towards the shield, and the punch 40 to
pierce the
oil pan. The compressed spring 51 then exerts sufficient force against the
shield so that the
shield will surround the punch sections 42 & 43 as they are retracted from the
oil pan. The
shape of punch sections 42 and 43 form the rectangular hole 28 having the
flared ends 29
extending into the oil pan 20 (Figs. 4 & S). The scatter shield 61 acts as a
safety device to
prevent the expulsion of pieces of a broken punch should the punch 40 break
during the
to piercing process.
Referring to Figs. 11-13, there is shown a fly cutter 71 that is used in the
present
invention. The fly cutter 71 as shown, has a drill shank 72 axially extending
from one end
73 of a tool bit retainer 74, and a pilot shank 75 axially extending from the
other end 76 of
the tool bit retainer 74. The tool bit retainer 74 has a pair of spaced cutter
retainer slots 77
1 s & 78 formed therein and sized to hold two metal tool bits 79. Each of the
tool bits 79 & 80
are held in their respective retainer slots 77 & 78 by a pair of set screws 81
for each
retainer slot such that their leading cutting tip 80 is dramatically spaced.
As shown in Figs. 14 and 15, the ends 82 of the tool bits aie shaped to cause
a
chamfered cylindrical groove 85 in the oil pan 20. The depth 86 of the
chamfered groove
20 is adjusted to leave after grooving an oil pan thickness 87, of 7.5 mils or
less and
preferably 5 mils or less. The depth of the groove is sufficient to extract a
circular slug 99
(Fig. 21) from the oil pan without damaging the oil pan. Also, it is important
that the tool
bits do not cut through the oil pan 20. Cutting through the oil pan would
increase the risk
that debris would enter the oil pan.
CA 02301402 2000-03-16
D-479 D1V
The tool bits 79 are accurately adjusted on the fly cutter 71 by using the
tool bit
adjusting tool 91 shown in Fig. 16. The tool bit adjusting tool 91 is
preferably a steel
block 92 having a central guide hole 93 drilled through the center thereof.
The guide hole
93 is sized to receive the fly cutter pilot 75. When the fly cutter pilot 75
is inserted into the
guide hole 93, the flat face 76 of the fly cutter retainer will abut the top
flat face 94 of the
tool bit adjusting tool 91. A longitudinally extending cutter tool bit
receiving groove 96
having a width equal to or greater than the diameter of the guide hole 93
extends the length
of the adjusting tool such that the axis of the groove passes through the
diameter of the
guide hole. The width of the groove is also sufficient to accommodate the
width of the tool
to bits 79. The depth 97 of the slot is set for the normal thickness of an
engine oil pan 20
minus the desired chamfered groove depth 86. For instance, the thickness of a
truck oil
pan mounted on a typical diesel engine block is generally 0.060 inches. To
leave a
thickness of 5 mils, the depth 86 of the oil pan chamfered groove 85 and the
depth 97 of
the tool bit adjusting tool groove 96 should be O.OSSinches.
To adjust the tool bits 79, the fly cutter pilot shank 75 is placed in the
guide hole 93
to allow the flat face 76 of the retainer 74 to contact the flat face 94 of
the adjusting tool
and the tool bits 79 of the fly cutter are positioned over or in the groove 96
. The tool bits
79 are lowered into the groove 96 until the tip 80 of each of the tool bits
contact the base of
the grove 96. When this occurs, the tool bits 79 are locked in place by
tightening each of
2o the set screws 81.
As shown in Figs. 4, 11, 14, 15 and 17, the fly cutter 71 is connected to a
drill
motor 98. The cutter pilot shank 75, is inserted the oil pan pilot hole 28.
The motor and
fly cutter are activated and the chamfered groove is 85 is formed on the
surface of the oil
pan.
CA 02301402 2000-03-16
D-4795 DIV
After the groove 85 is formed, a slug puller 100 as shown in Figs. 18-21 is
used to
extract a circular slug 99 from the oil pan. The slug puller 100 has a pull
bolt 101 with
threads 102 at one end 103 and an angular projection 104 at the other end. The
pull bolt
101 fits through a cap 105 having an open cylindrical end 106. The open end
has an inner
diameter of preferably greater than 1.25 inches. A cap hole 107 extends
through the cap
top surface 108 to permit the pull bolt threaded end 103 to extend
therethrough. A nut 109
is provided to tighten the bolt 101. The cap must be strong enough to permit a
1 inch slug
99 to be removed from the scored oil pan. In operation, the angled end 104 of
the pull bolt
101 is inserted into the oil pan pilot hole 28 so that the angled section 104
rests on flared
l0 ends of the oil pan pilot hole 28 inside the oil pan. The threaded end 103
of the bolt is
passed through the cover hole and the nut 109 is placed on the pull bolt
threads 102 and the
nut is tightened to position the cap so that the cap open end 106 contacts the
oil pan and
surrounds the cylindrical chamfered groove 85. The nut is then continuously
tightened
until the circular slug 99 is removed from the oil pan to leave about a 1 inch
oil pan heater
bushing hole 110 (Fig. 22) in the vehicle engine oil pan 20.
Referring to Fig. 23, there is illustrated the oil pan expandable heater
bushing 120
which is preferably made of steel. However, any material can be used that can
withstand
the types of temperature extremes in which a vehicle engine oil pan may
encounter. The
vehicle engine oil pan heater bushing 120 is preferably one piece having a 1
inch tubular
2o section 121 adapted to fit through the oil pan heater hole 110. The tubular
section 121
extends from an enlarged head 122 to a distal end 123 a predetermined distance
124 i.e.,
about 7/8 inches. The tubular section has an expandable tubular section 125
and a non-
expandable tubular section 126. The non-expandable section 126 extends from
the
expandable section 125 to the distal end 123. The tubular expandable section
125 has an
internal smooth wall section 127 extending from the enlarged head 122 a
predetermined
distance 128, i.e., about 7/16 inches. Annular internal threads 129 are
provided in the non-
12
CA 02301402 2000-03-16
, D-4795 DIV
expandable tubular section 126 that extend inwardly from the distal end 123
towards the
enlarged head 122 a predetermined distance 130 i.e., about 7/16 inches. An
annular crimp
groove 131 is formed approximately mid-way of the smooth wall section. The
annular
crimp groove 131 has sufficient depth to permit the tubular section to crimp
or expand at
the smooth wall section. The annular smooth wall section has a wall thickness
132 of
about 0.040 inches. This thickness 132 is less than the thickness 133 of the
annular
threaded section.
An annular o-ring groove 134 is formed in the underside of the head 122. This
o-
ring annular groove 134 is sized to hold an o-ring 135. The head and o-ring
annular groove
to are sized to surround the oil pan hole 110, Figs. 22 and 25, and contact an
external surface
of the oil pan when the tubular section is inserted into the oil pan through
the oil pan heater
bushing hole 110. The enlarged head shown in Figs. 23 and 25 is the shape of a
hexagonal
nut having a thickness 135a of about 5/8 inches. The annular thread section
129 has a
threaded hole sized to receive a crimping bolt 139 (Figs. 24 and 25). The
enlarged head
has internal annular threads 136 that are sized to sealingly receive an oil
pan heater 23 and
are concentric with the tubular section and have an inner diameter 137
slightly larger than
the outer diameter 138 of the crimping bolt to allow the crimping bolt to
freely pass
therethrough.
As shown in Figs. 22 and 25, the crimp bolt 139 is threaded into the oil pan
heater
bushing non-expandable tubular section 126. The oil pan heater bushing tubular
section
121 is inserted into the bushing hole 110. The bushing hexagonal head 122 is
now held by
an appropriate wrench and the crimp bolt 139 is turned to cause the expandable
tubular
section 125 to crimp and abut the internal surface 140 of the oil pan while
the o-ring 13~
sealingly engages the outer surface 141 of the oil pan 20 and the enlarged
head 122
engages the outer walls of the oil pan. Once the oil pan heater bushing is
sealingly
13
CA 02301402 2000-03-16
. D-4795 DIV
attached to the oil pan, the crimping bolt 139 is removed and the oil heater
(Fig. 2) is
inserted through the oil pan heater bushing 120 and threaded into oil pan
heater bushing
head 122. The oil pan heater has appropriate electrical connections 142 (Fig.
2) for
connecting the heater to an appropriate electrical outlet by way of an
appropriate electrical
cord 143.
Referring to Fig. 26, there is illustrated the oil pan expandable heater
bushing 145
which is similar to expandable heater bushing 120 (Fig. 23). Therefore, the
same reference
numbers are used to identify substantially identical parts. The vehicle engine
oil pan heater
bushing 145 has tubular section 121 adapted to fit through the oil pan heater
hole 110. The
to tubular section 121 extends from an enlarged head 146 to a distal end 123 a
predetermined
distance 124. The tubular section has an expandable tubular section 125 and a
non-
expandable tubular section 125. The non-expandable section 126 extends from
the
expandable section 125 to the distal end 123. The tubular expandable section
125 has an
internal smooth wall section 127 extending from the enlarged head 146 a
predetermined
distance 128. Annular internal threads 129 are provided in the non-expandable
tubular
section 126 that extend inwardly from the distal end 123 towards the enlarged
head 146 a
predetermined distance 130. An annular crimp groove 131 is formed
approximately mid-
way of the expandable smooth wall section 126. The annular crimp groove 131
has
sufficient depth to permit crimping or expanding at the expandable smooth wall
section.
2o The annular smooth wall section has a wall thickness 132 which is less than
the thickness
133 of the annular threaded section.
An annular o-ring groove 134 is formed in the underside of the head 146. This
o-
ring annular groove 134 is sized to hold an o-ring 135. The head and o-ring
annular groove
are sized to surround the oil pan hole 110, Figs. 22 and 27, and contact an
external surface
of the oil pan when the tubular section is inserted into the oil pan through
the oil pan heater
14
CA 02301402 2000-03-16
D-479 DIV
bushing hole 110. The enlarged head shown in Figs. 26 and 27 is the shape of a
hexagonal
nut having a thickness 135a. The annular thread section 129 has a threaded
hole sized to
receive a crimping bolt 139 (Fig. 24). The enlarged head 146 has an annular
external
threaded section 147 extending a predetermined distance therefrom. The
enlarged head
146 has internal smooth wall 149 that extends from the end 148 of the external
threaded
section 147 to the expandable smooth wall 127 and is coterminus with the wall
127. The
wall 149 is concentric with the tubular section 121 and has a diameter larger
than the outer
diameter 138 of the crimping bolt to allow the crimping bolt to freely pass
therethrough.
As noted above, the crimp bolt is threaded into the oil pan heater bushing non-
expandable tubular section 126. The oil pan heater bushing tubular section 121
is inserted
into the bushing hole 110. The bushing hexagonal enlarged head 146 is now held
by an
appropriate wrench and the crimp bolt is turned to cause the expandable
tubular section
12~ to crimp and abut the internal surface 140 of the oil pan 20 while the o-
ring 1 >j
sealingly engages the outer surface 141 of the oil pan 20. Once the oil pan
heater bushing
is sealingly attached to the oil pan, the crimping bolt is removed and an oil
heater 151 is
attached to the enlarged head 146. The heater I51 has an elongated tubular
heating
element 152 extending from one end of a heater head 153. Extending from the
other end of
the heater head 153 are a pair of electrical connections 154. The electrical
connections 154
are sized to connect the heater to an appropriate electrical cord. Also, the
electrical
2o connections are electrically connected to the heating element 152. The
heater head has a
tubular section I 56 with an o-ring 157. The tubular section and o-ring are
sized to fit in the
smooth wall 149 so that the o-ring 157 sealingly engages the smooth wall 149.
An annular
nut 158 and seal 159 attaches the heater 151 to the head threaded section 147.
Referring to Fig. 28, there is illustrated the oil pan expandable heater
bushing 160
which is similar to expandable heater bushing 120 (Fig. 23). Therefore, the
same reference
CA 02301402 2000-03-16
, D-4795 DIV
numbers are used to identify substantially identical parts. The vehicle engine
oil pan heater
bushing 160 has tubular section 121 adapted to fit through the oil pan heater
hole 110. The
tubular section 121 extends from an enlarged head 161 to a distal end 12 3 a
predetermined
distance 124. The tubular section has an expandable tubular section 125 and a
non-
expandable tubular section 126. The non-expandable section 126 extends from
the
expandable section 125 to the distal end 123. The tubular expandable section
125 has an
internal smooth wall section 127 extending from the enlarged head 161 a
predetermined
distance. Annular internal threads 129 are provided in the non-expandable
tubular section
126 that extend inwardly from the distal end 123 towards the enlarged head 161
a
t 0 predetermined distance. An annular crimp groove 131 is formed
approximately mid-way
of the expandable smooth wall section 127. The annular crimp groove 131 has
sufficient
depth to permit crimping or expanding at the expandable smooth wall section.
The annular
smooth wall section has a wall thickness which is less than the thickness of
the annular
threaded section.
An annular o-ring groove 134 is formed in the underside of the head 146. This
o-
ring annular groove 134 is sized to hold an o-ring 135. The head and o-ring
annular groove
are sized to surround the oil pan hole 110, Figs. 22 and 28, and contact an
external surface
of the oil pan when the tubular section is inserted into the oil pan through
the oil pan heater
bushing hole 110. The enlarged head shown in Fig. 28 is the shape of a
hexagonal nut.
2o The annular thread section 129 has a threaded hole sized to receive a
crimping bolt 139
(Fig. 24). The enlarged head 161 has an annular smooth wall section 163
extending from
the enlarged head end 164 to the wall 127 and is coterminus with the wall 127.
The
smooth wall section 163 is concentric with the tubular section 121 and has a
diameter
slightly larger than the outer diameter 138 of the crimping bolt to allow the
crimping bolt
to freely pass therethrough.
16
CA 02301402 2000-03-16
D-4795 DIV
As noted above, the crimp bolt is threaded into the oil pan heater bushing non-
expandable tubular section 126. The oil pan heater bushing tubular section 121
is inserted
into the bushing hole 110. The bushing hexagonal enlarged head 161 is now held
by an
appropriate wrench and the crimp bolt is turned to cause the expandable
tubular section
125 to crimp and abut the internal surface 140 of the oil pan 20 while the o-
ring 135
sealingly engages the outer surface 141 of the oil pan 20. Once the oil pan
heater bushing
is sealingly attached to the oil pan, the crimping bolt is removed and an oil
heater 166 is
attached to the heater bushing head 161. The heater 166 is almost identical to
the heater
151 and therefore the same part numbers are used. The heater 166, however, has
a flange
167 extending from the heater head 153. The flange, with a pair of bolts or
screws 168. are
used to attach the heater to the enlarged head 161.
The heater 166 has an elongated tubular heating element 152 extending from one
end of a heater head 153. Extending from the other end of the heater head 1 ~3
are a pair of
electrical connections 154. The electrical connections 154 are sized to
connect the heater
to an appropriate electrical cord. Also, the electrical connections are
electrically connected
to the heating element 152. The heater head has a tubular section 156 with an
o-ring 1 ~7.
The tubular section and o-ring are sized to fit in the smooth wall 149 so that
the o-ring 157
sealingly engages the smooth wall 149.
Although I have described my invention as a method of installing an oil pan
heater
in an engine oil pan mounted on an engine block, the method is applicable for
mounting
other devices in an engine oil pan such as sensors, fill tubes, fluid level
indicators, etc. by
using the bushings 120, 145 and/or 166 to mount these devices.
The foregoing description is for purposes of illustration only and is not
intended to
limit the scope of protection accorded to the invention. The scope of
protection is to be
17
CA 02301402 2000-03-16
D-4795 DIV
measured by the following claims, which should be interpreted to give me the
broadest
protection possible due to my inventive contribution.
18
