Apparatus and method for cleaning an automotive automatic transmission

A transmission cleaning machine for servicing an automotive automatic transmission while the transmission is in an automotive vehicle, and which automatic transmission and automotive vehicle includes an external transmission fluid circulation loop including a vehicle coupling with two complementary parts in fluid flow communication with one another, said transmission cleaning machine comprising:

• a container for holding a supply of new automatic transmission fluid;
• a first conduit and a second conduit for respectively receiving old automatic transmission fluid from the transmission and for delivering new automatic transmission fluid to the transmission via disconnected complementary parts of the vehicle coupling;
• a pump receiving new automatic fluid from said container and supplying the new automatic transmission fluid pressurized via said second conduit to the external automatic transmission fluid circulation loop;
• said machine further including a set of adapters adapted to be connected respectively with said first and said second conduits in fluid flow connection with the external fluid circulation loop at respective disconnected parts of the vehicle coupling, said set of adapters including plural pairs of adapters in which the individual adapters of each pair are complementary to one another, and one pair of said plural pairs of adapters is also complementary to and is adapted to be connected in fluid flow connection with the two complementary vehicle coupling parts;
• whereby, the two complementary parts of the vehicle coupling are disengaged from one another to open the external fluid circulation loop, and said one pair of adapters is selected from among said plural pairs of adapters and is utilized to interconnect with the two parts of the vehicle coupling so that each individual adapter of the one pair of adapters connects one of said first conduit and said second conduit with a respective one of the two vehicle coupling parts.

A method of changing old transmission fluid out of an automotive automatic transmission on an exchange basis for new fluid simultaneously introduced to the transmission as old fluid is discharged therefrom while the transmission is installed in an automotive vehicle, the automatic transmission having an external fluid circulation loop including a vehicle coupling with two complementary parts in fluid flow connection with one another, said method comprising steps of:

• providing a machine having a conduit for conducting automatic transmission fluid from the external circulation loop to a waste receptacle;
• providing a supply of new transmission fluid;
• providing a pair of elongate primary hoses, opening the fluid circulation loop at the vehicle coupling by disconnecting the two complementary parts of the vehicle coupling, and connecting a respective one of said primary hoses each to a respective one side of the opened fluid circulation loop each at a respective disconnected one of the two complementary parts of the vehicle coupling;
• defining a respective portion of said first conduit and of said conduit each at respective distal ends thereof by use of a respective pair of substantially identical first quick-disconnected coupling portions;
• providing an intermediate pair of hoses each one including at a proximal end thereof one of a pair of substantially identical second quick-disconnect coupling portions complementary to said first quick-disconnect coupling portions and connecting in fluid flow connection with said first quick-disconnect coupling portions, and at a distal end thereof each having a respective one of pair substantially identical additional quick-disconnect coupling portions;
• and
• supplying a pair of adapters each having a substantially identical first end portion complementary to and sealingly engaged with one of said pair of additional quick-disconnect coupling portions, and also having a second end portion adapted to provide a termination feature complementary to and connecting in fluid flow connection to a respective one of the disconnected parts of the vehicle coupling of the external fluid circulation loop of the vehicle.

In combination, a machine for service of an automatic transmission in an automotive vehicle, which vehicle has an external circulation loop for transmission fluid, the loop having a vehicle coupling therein with two complementary parts connecting in fluid flow connection, and a set of plural pairs of adapters for interfacing said machine with each of the two complementary parts of the vehicle coupling when the parts of the vehicle coupling are disconnected from one another;

• said machine and a selected one pair of said plural pairs of adapters being affective for use in interrupting the external fluid flow loop by disconnection of the complementary adapters of the selected one pair of adapters, and to effect exchange of used transmission fluid from the transmission with new fluid from a supply thereof, said machine comprising:
• a first fluid flow conduit for conducting used transmission fluid from the transmission via one of the complementary parts of the vehicle coupling and one of the selected one pair of adapters to a waste container, and a second fluid flow conduit for conduit for conducting new transmission fluid from a source thereof via the other of the complementary parts of the vehicle coupling and the other of the selected one pair of adapters into the transmission;
• a pair of elongate primary hoses, each one of said pair of primary hoses defining a portion of a respective one of said first conduit and of said second conduit, each one of said pair of primary hoses including at a distal end thereof a respective one of a pair of substantially identical fir quick-disconnect coupling portions;
• an intermediate pair of hoses, each one of said intermediate pair of hoses including at a proximal end thereof one of a respective pair of substantially identical second quick-disconnect coupling portions complementary to said first quick-disconnect coupling portions, and at a distal end thereof each one of said intermediate pair of hoses having a respective one of a pair of substantially identical additional quick-disconnect coupling portions;
• and
• said plural pairs of adapters each having a substantially identical first end portion complementary to and sealingly engageable with one of said pair of additional quick-disconnect coupling portions, and a second end portion adapted to be complementary both to each other and also each being adapted to be complementary to and connecting in fluid flow connection to one part of the vehicle coupling.

A set of adapters for use to connect a transmission service machine and any one of a multitude of differing vehicles each having an automatic transmission to be serviced by use of the machine, the one vehicle having a fluid circulation loop in which transmission fluid flows during operation of the vehicle, and the fluid circulation loop including at least one vehicle coupling, each at least one vehicle coupling including two complementary vehicle coupling parts;

• and set of adapters comprising:
• plural pairs of adapters, each adapter part of a pair being adapted for connecting the transmission service machine in fluid flow connection with respective complementary parts of a vehicle coupling when the two complementary parts of the vehicle coupling are disconnected from one anther;
• each pair of said plural pairs of adapters including two adapter parts, each adapter part at a respective first end termination portion being complementary to the other adapter part of the pair and to one part of the disconnected vehicle coupling, and each adapter part of also including a second and termination portion, which second end termination portion is substantially similar to respective individual second end termination portions of each adapter part of said plural pairs of adapters, and said second end termination portion being configured to connect in fluid flow connection with a quick-disconnect coupling.