Exhaust Closure Device

An engine protection system comprising:

• a vehicle having a tailpipe and an engine, the tailpipe having a terminal edge defining an opening extending into the tailpipe wherein the tailpipe is configured to discharge exhaust from the engine outwardly through the opening;
• a butterfly valve being coupled to the tailpipe, the butterfly valve being actuatable when the engine is inactive to seal the opening wherein the butterfly valve is configured to inhibit a liquid from travelling inwardly through the tailpipe to the engine, the butterfly valve including:
• a body being positionable against the terminal edge of the tailpipe, the body having an outer diameter being equal to an outer diameter of the terminal edge of the tailpipe;
• a disk being pivotably positioned within the body wherein the disk is alternatively positionable between a closed position and an open position, the disk being parallel to the terminal edge of the tailpipe when the disk is in the closed position wherein the disk blocks the opening while the disk is in the closed position, the disk being perpendicular to the terminal edge of the tailpipe when the disk is in the open position wherein the disk exposes the opening while the disk is in the open position;
• a shaft coupling the disk to the body, the shaft being rotatably coupled to the body and statically coupled to the disk wherein rotation of the shaft relative to the body pivots the disk between the closed position and the open position, the shaft being elongated, the shaft extending vertically along a diameter of the body wherein the shaft has an upper end being positioned above the body and a lower end being positioned beneath the body, the lower end being spaced from the body by a distance exceeding a distance between the upper end and the body;
• and
• a gasket being coupled to an outer edge of the disk, the gasket having a width being complementary to a distance between an interior surface of the body and the outer edge of the disk wherein the gasket is configured to inhibit the liquid from leaking through the opening between the interior surface of the body and the outer edge of the disk while the disk is in the closed position, the gasket covering the outer edge of the disk;
• and
• a coupler securing the butterfly valve to the tailpipe of the vehicle, the coupler including:
• a pair of fins being coupled to the tailpipe, the pair of fins extending outwardly in opposing directions from the tailpipe;
• a pair of bores extending through the pair of fins wherein each bore of the pair of bores is positioned within a respective fin of the pair of fins;
• a pair of projections being coupled to the body of the butterfly valve, the pair of projections extending outwardly from opposing directions from the body wherein the pair of projections are alignable with the pair of fins coupled to the tailpipe;
• a pair of channels extending through the pair of projections wherein each channel of the pair of channels is positioned within a respective projection of the pair of projections, the pair of channels being aligned with a pair of bores when the pair of projections are aligned with the pair of fins;
• a pair of fasteners coupling the pair of projections to the pair of fins, each fastener of the pair of fasteners being positionable to extend through a respective channel of pair of channels and a respective bore of the pair of bores;
• and
• a pair of retainers being couplable to the pair of fasteners wherein each retainer of the pair of retainers secures an associated fastener of the pair of fasteners within the respective channel of the pair of channels and the respective bore of the pair of bores.