Internal combustion engine exhaust control valve

In an internal combustion engine exhaust system having a remotely operated exhaust control valve for selectively controlling the flow of exhaust gas wherein the valve comprises a valve body having an inlet and an outlet and containing between said inlet and said outlet a valve means that is journaled for rotary motion on said body by means of a shaft that extends through a bearing in a wall of said body between the inside and the outside of said body, said shaft having an outside portion that is coupled to an actuator via which the remote control of said valve is accomplished, the improvement for preventing exhaust gas from escaping the inside of said body via said bearing which comprises:

• said bearing having surface to surface sealing with a hole in said wall within which said bearing is mounted, said bearing comprising a hole through which said shaft passes, ceramic washers disposed on opposite axial faces of said bearing in surface to surface sealing with said bearing, one of said ceramic washers having such surface to surface sealing with a face of said bearing that is toward the outside of said body, said shaft passing through said ceramic washers, a bellows disposed on said shaft and having opposite axial ends, means closing one of said bellows' ends to said shaft, and the other of said bellows ends having surface to surface sealing said one ceramic washer, said bellows being axially compressed so that it exerts forces urging said washers against said bearing and said other bellows' end against said one ceramic washer.