Air turbine starter and method for venting without loss of oil

Abstract

A clutch assembly includes a shaft, vent plug and oil guide sleeve. The shaft includes an internal cavity, first passages for allowing oil to lubricate clutch components, and second passages for allowing excess oil to drain from the internal cavity. The vent plug has a radial passage in communication with the internal cavity for venting the cavity with an external source of air. The oil guide sleeve directs oil into the internal cavity. A method for lubricating and venting an air turbine starter includes delivering lubricating oil to an internal cavity of a clutch via an oil guide sleeve. The oil guide sleeve prevents oil from exiting the cavity through excess oil drainage passages before it lubricates the clutch components. The method also includes draining excess oil from the cavity through excess oil drainage passages so that excess oil does not substantially impede air flow through a vent plug passage.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.