Retainer for a Manifold

A manifold system for securing a manifold of a cooling system to a mounting structure, the manifold system comprising:

• a mounting structure with a slot having a first portion and a second portion that is narrower than the first portion;
• a retainer having a retainer body, the retainer body having a first end, a second end opposite the first end, and an aperture in the first end, the second end of the retainer body being affixed to the mounting structure so that the aperture is positioned adjacent the second portion of the slot;
• and
• a bushing having a major diameter and a groove with a minor diameter, the bushing extending along a bushing axis and being configured to be secured to the manifold to extend away from the manifold to be received through the slot, the major diameter being sized to be received in the first portion of the slot but not in the second portion of the slot, and the minor diameter being sized to be received in the first and second portions of the slot;
• the retainer body configured to be deflected away from the mounting structure upon contact with the bushing, when the bushing extends through the first portion of the slot, and to rebound to receive the bushing within the aperture and thereby capture the bushing within the slot when the groove of the bushing is slid into the second portion of the slot.

A method for mounting or demounting a manifold, the method comprising:

• aligning a manifold assembly with a mounting structure;
• moving the manifold assembly toward the mounting structure to insert a mounting protrusion of the manifold assembly in an axial insertion direction into a receiving portion of a keyhole slot on the mounting structure, whereby the mounting protrusion extends through the keyhole slot to contact a retention plate that is secured to the mounting structure at a first end of the retention plate and flexes the retention plate to deflect a second end of the retention plate away from the mounting structure;
• and
• moving the manifold assembly along the mounting structure in a seating direction to move the mounting protrusion from the receiving portion of the keyhole slot into a retention portion of the keyhole slot that prevents movement of the mounting protrusion out of the keyhole slot in a direction opposite the axial insertion direction, whereby the retention plate resiliently unflexes to move the second end of the retention plate toward the mounting structure so that the mounting protrusion is received in an aperture in the first end of the retention plate that is aligned with the retention portion of the keyhole slot and the mounting protrusion is thereby captured in the retention portion of the keyhole slot against movement in a direction opposite the seating direction.