Tappet retainer assembly

A tappet retainer assembly comprising:

• a housing having an inner peripheral surface defining a bore;
• a tappet having generally opposed first and second end portions, each tappet end portion having an outer peripheral surface thereon, said tappet first end portion positioned outside of the housing bore, said tappet second end portion reciprocally disposed in the housing bore so that its outer peripheral surface is adjacent to and faces the housing inner peripheral surface, said tappet further including first and second blind passages intersecting one another at a preselected angle greater than 0.degree. and less than 180.degree., said first passage extending to the outer peripheral surface of the tappet first end portion, said second passage extending through the outer peripheral surface of the tappet second end portion;
• first means for biasing displacement of the tappet in a direction outwardly of the housing bore;
• stop means for limiting displacement of the tappet out of the housing bore, said stop means including an annular recess defined in the housing inner peripheral surface and a stop positioned in the tappet second passage;
• and
• second means for biasing the stop against the housing inner peripheral surface, said second biasing means positioned in the tappet second passage.

A tappet retainer assembly comprising:

• a housing having an inner peripheral surface defining a bore, said housing bore having a central longitudinal axis, said housing inner peripheral surface defining an annular recess encircling the housing bore axis;
• a tappet having generally opposed first and second end portions, each tappet end portion having an outer peripheral surface thereon, said tappet first end portion positioned outside of the housing bore, said tappet second end portion reciprocally disposed in the housing bore so that its outer peripheral surface slidably contacts the housing inner peripheral surface, said tappet further including first and second blind passages intersecting one another in the form of a generally T-shaped intersection, said first passage extending generally in the same direction as the housing bore axis and to the outer peripheral surface of the tappet first end portion, said second passage oriented at a preselected obtuse angle relative to the housing bore axis and extending to the outer peripheral surface of the tappet second end portion, said intersecting first and second passages collectively defining an internal shoulder;
• a first helical compression spring biasing displacement of the tappet in a direction outwardly of the housing bore;
• a ball bearing positioned in the the tappet second passage;
• and
• a second helical compression spring positioned in the tappet second passage and biasing the ball bearing against the housing inner peripheral surface, said internal shoulder having a configuration sufficient to permit displacement of the second spring from the first passage to the second passage and to prevent displacement of the second spring from the second passage to the first passage.