Oil shut-off device for wet clutches

A wet clutch with oil cutoff during disengagement, comprising:

• a housing,
• a drive member extending into the housing and having first clutch plate means mounted thereon,
• a driven member extending into the housing and having second clutch plate means mounted thereon in operative relationship with the first clutch plate means,
• one of said members including a shaft and a hub mounted on the shaft supporting the corresponding clutch plate means,
• a tube mounted on the housing and extending coaxially over the shaft in spaced relationship to the shaft to form an annular conduit for oil,
• said tube having a distal open end adjacent the hub,
• said hub having means for directing oil from the distal open end of the tube to both of the clutch plate means,
• clutch pressure and release means including a plurality of levers radially extending around the tube for disengaging and engaging the first and second clutch plate means with each other when inner end means on the levers is pivoted axially relative to the tube toward and away from the open distal end of the tube,
• an actuator collar slidably mounted on the tube for movement between fully advanced and fully retracted positions and including a bearing for engaging and disengaging the inner end means on the levers to disengage and engage the first and second clutch plate means during advancement and retraction of the actuator collar,
• said inner end means on the levers being spaced from the bearing when the actuator collar is in the fully retracted position by a distance about equal to a change in lever position due to permissible wear of the clutch plate means so as to provide an adjustment free clutch,
• said actuator collar having opposite and lip portions and an inner annular channel defined between the opposite end lip portions of the collar wherein the opposite end lip portions slideably engage the tube and the annular channel forms an axially movable annular chamber surrounding the tube
• means in the housing for collecting and supplying oil under pressure to the annular chamber, and
• a plurality of radial openings in the tube positioned for communicating between the annular chamber and the annular conduit when the actuator collar is in any position between the fully retracted position and an intermediate advanced position which corresponds to at least about 0.02 millimeter clutch plate lift per pair of new clutch engaging surfaces and for being substantially closed from the annular chamber by a trailing lip portion of the end lip portions when the actuator collar is advanced to a position between the fully advanced position and the intermediate position.