Apparatus and method for determination of cylinder head gasket joint failure in a running engine
OwnerCecil L. Brown, Michael Jurj +2inventors
InventorsCecil L. Brown, Michael Jurj, Ronald W. Berndt, Richard D. Michell
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Abstract
An apparatus for determining the existence of a head-gasket failure in an engine is provided. The apparatus includes an accumulator in fluid communication with the engine, an engine coolant flow path in fluid communication with the engine and with the accumulator, and a gas flow path fluidly coupled to the accumulator. The apparatus further includes at least one gas analyzer fluidly coupled to the accumulator via the gas flow path that receives a sample gas from the accumulator via the gas flow path to allow the at least one gas analyzer to detect an amount of carbon dioxide in the sample gas.
Claims20
A method for determining the existence of a head-gasket failure in an engine, comprising:
- providing an engine and an engine cooling system in fluid communication with the engine;
- providing an accumulator in fluid communication with the engine cooling system, the accumulator including a quantity of sample gas;
- providing a flow path in fluid communication with the accumulator, the flow path including at least one gas analyzer;
- circulating at least a portion of the sample gas through the flow path including the at least one gas analyzer;
- and
- determining an amount of carbon dioxide in the sample gas.
An apparatus for determining the existence of a head-gasket failure in an engine, the apparatus comprising:
- an accumulator in fluid communication with the engine;
- an engine coolant flow path in fluid communication with the engine and with the accumulator;
- a gas flow path fluidly coupled to the accumulator;
- and
- at least one gas analyzer fluidly coupled to the accumulator via the gas flow path and operable to receive a sample gas from the accumulator via the gas flow path, the at least one gas analyzer operable to detect an amount of carbon dioxide in the sample gas.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.