Abstract: A clutch cover assembly, wherein a pressure plate for depressing a clutch disc is disposed in a clutch cover and an outer peripheral portion of the pressure plate is elastically connected to the clutch cover through a strap plate; characterized by that the clutch cover and the strap plate are fixed together by folding down a part of the clutch cover.

Abstract: A lamp mounting structure for a bicycle, comprising a mounting unit which includes a flanged disk and a wavy plate to firmly hold therebetween a part of a bicycle, such as a seat stay. A lamp mount is detachably connected to said mounting unit, for example, by screws and has angle adjusting means for adjusting the angular position of said lamp mount relative to said mounting unit. A lamp unit is detachably mounted on said lamp mount. Said lamp mount and said lamp unit are provided with slide coupling means for their relative sliding movement on each other.

Abstract: Carburetor air-fuel mixtures are directed to a manifold having a plurality of long, small diameter helical tubes extending upwardly therefrom. An auxiliary air inlet having an auxiliary choke and an auxiliary air throttle supplies air to mixtures entering the tubes in response to engine temperature and carburetor throttle.Heated engine coolant flows upwardly through a jacket enclosing the tubes. An outlet manifold receives air-fuel mixtures vaporized in the tubes and directs them to the engine intake manifold. The carburetor is mounted on a block having an air-fuel passageway extending from a top inlet to a side outlet. The block is mounted atop a block having a passageway having a side inlet which receives vaporized air-fuel mixtures from the tubes to a bottom outlet in communication with the intake manifold.

Abstract: In a starter motor for an internal combustion engine, the starter motor being of the type including a cranking motor, a clutch assembly rotatably connectable with the cranking motor and including a pinion gear slidably mounted on a pinion shaft for engagement with a ring gear of the internal combustion engine, and a solenoid assembly and shift lever for slidably moving the pinion gear into engagement with the ring gear and for rotatably connecting the pinion gear with the cranking motor, the starter motor includes a circumferential groove formed in the distal end of the shaft; a split ring positioned in the groove and including first and second part-annular rings which form, in combination, a circular configuration in the groove extending for an angular extent of approximately 360.degree.; and a retaining ring positioned on the shaft in abutting and surrounding relation to the split ring for maintaining the split ring in the groove.

Abstract: A power assisted steering system for a vehicle having an operator controlled steering mechanism connected directly to at least one steered wheel of the vehicle and a bidirectional electric motor. The motor is connected to the steering shaft via a gear reduction means. A clutch is interposed between the motor and the gear reduction means to connect and disconnect the motor armature from the steering shaft. The clutch includes first and second coaxial clutch halves, the first clutch half being connected to the output of the motor, the second clutch half being axially connected to the ratio reduction means. A control circuit senses rotation of the steering mechanism by the operator and controls the direction and speed of rotation of the motor. The control circuit also monitors the operation of the system, and when the system is operating properly, causes the clutch to engage so that torque from the motor is transmitted, through the ratio reduction means, to the steering shaft.

Abstract: An air temperature control device for the air intake of an internal combustion engine comprises a thermo-responsive actuator which is, in use, disposed to respond to the air temperature in said intake system, a first valve means operably connected to the actuator for progressive movement in a first chamber provided with air inlet and/or outlet ports between two positions, in the first of which positions a first bleed passage from the chamber is closed and in the second of which positions said first bleed passage is open permitting the passage of air to or from said ports from a second chamber provided with an air inlet which is connected in use to a vacuum motor operable to adjust the relative proportions of ambient and pre-heated air admitted to the intake system, and a second valve means to close said bleed passage and also operable to close a second bleed passage between said second chamber and a third chamber having a port which is connected (in use) to a vacuum source constituted by the air intake manifo

Abstract: An injection timing control device of the present invention has a timer cover opened at one end and including at the other an end wall portion. The end wall portion of the timer cover is formed with hole concentric with the axis, and a gear driven by an engine, is provided at the outside surface of the end wall portion. In the time cover is disposed a timer hub concentric to the axis. The timer hub can be inserted into the hole, and has a cam boss connected at one end to the fuel injection pump cam shaft and a flange formed integrally with the other end side of the cam boss.

Abstract: The performance of an engine is improved by forming a magnetic field in a portion of a fuel line leading to the engine and causing fuel to be burned in the engine to traverse and interact with the magnetic field. The magnetic field is formed through use of a magnet which is oriented so that its South pole is adjacent the fuel line and its North pole is spaced apart from the fuel line. The magnet is embedded in a U-shaped body of non-magnetic material which is adopted to fit over the fuel line.

Abstract: A device used with a fuel charging system in which nitrous oxide is injected into the engine to provide a sudden burst of power to the vehicle. A pressurized cylinder of liquid nitrous oxide is connected to the engine through a delivery conduit and a solenoid valve. A jacket preferably formed of a silicone hose is placed about a portion of the delivery conduit forming a cooling chamber about the conduit. A manifold closes one end of the cooling chamber and an orifice block closes the other end. First and second solenoid valves are connected to the manifold. The first valve purges gaseous nitrous oxide from the delivery conduit and injects it into the cooling chamber where the expanding gas lowers the temperature of the nitrous oxide in the conduit to maintain it in a liquid state prior to being injected into the vehicle engine upon actuation of the second solenoid valve.

Abstract: An oil separator mounted on a cylinder head cover of an internal combustion engine to separate the lubricating oils within the blowby gases includes a buffer to intercept splashes of oil within the cylinder head cover, an inclined porous filter of foaming metal material positioned downstream of the buffer and an oil reservoir for depositing of the oil trapped by the filter.

Abstract: A cylindrical clutch drum of a clutch for an automatic transmission is formed with a plurality of spline grooves by press forming. Each spline grooves consists of a series of groove portions arranged, end to end, in a line. The width and depth of each spline groove are increased in a stepwise manner, one groove portion after another, toward one groove end. Each groove portion is made by half-blanking with a die having a width corresponding to the width of the groove portion and a length corresponding to the length of the groove portion. Instead of the spline grooves, the clutch drum may be formed with axially extending openings made by blanking. In this case, the width of each opening is increased in a stepwise manner.

Abstract: An assembly for disposing passenger compartment air outlet and reading light units in either a first exposed orientation or a second hidden orientation includes a utility unit, providing unit support means and actuating means linked via linkage means to pivoting unit support means, the actuating means actuating the linkage means to dispose the unit supporting means in either an exposed or hidden orientation about a pivot point. In the exposed orientation, the utility unit may provide light or air functions to the passenger depending on the utility provided within the supporting means. In the hidden orientation, the respective air or light unit is hidden from the view of the passenger and a substantially contiguous surface of the unit supporting means is instead presented.

Abstract: An intake air temperature control device for mixture-compressing internal combustion engines having an inlet flapper proportioning the flows of cold and preheated raw air into a duct junction and into raw air mixing duct, the flapper-adjusting wax thermostat being arranged inside a thermostat chamber into which branch flows of cold and preheated raw air are admitted through two calibrated branch inlets. A narrow annular gap through which the combined branch flows must pass assures an integrated response of the thermostat to changing temperatures and air intake speeds. A lost-motion drive connection and a biasing member produce a full-load correction of the adjusted temperature. The flapper drive members may have valve edges which cooperate with the calibrated branch inlets to open and close the latter.

Abstract: A self-aligning type clutch release apparatus includes a clutch release bearing, bearing holding means for holding and guiding the clutch release bearing and a self-aligning coupling intermediate the bearing and bearing holding means. The coupling includes an aligning auxiliary member interposed between the clutch release bearing and the bearing holding means, first means for rendering the aligning auxiliary member rockable in all directions about a first point relative to the bearing holding means, second means for rendering the clutch release bearing rockable in all directions about a different point relative to the aligning auxiliary member, and third means for damping the rocking movement of the aligning auxiliary member relative to the bearing holding means and the rocking movement of the clutch release bearing relative to the aligning auxiliary member. Following alignment of the apparatus, the auxiliary member and the clutch release bearing are maintained in dynamically stable positions.

Abstract: A diesel engine (2) having a charge air cooler (34) is liquid cooled and employs a single heat exchanger (28) for cooling the coolant for both the cylinder block (4) and the charge air cooler (34). The engine block (4) is connected in a first cooling circuit which includes a pump (8) and a thermostatic valve (12), while the charge air cooler 34 is connected in a second circuit including the heat exchanger (28) and pump (30). When the coolant in the first circuit is below the operating temperature, the two circuits operate independently. When operating temperature is reached, the valve (12) opens to bring the two circuits partly in series, with the second circuit between the heat exchanger (28) and the first circuit at the downstream side of the heat exchanger, so that the charge air cooler (34) operates at a lower temperature than the engine cylinder block (4).

Abstract: A hydroelectric illumination source powered by a small alternator designed to provide underwater illumination or in-stream illumination such as for a shower head, fountain, or swimming pool. The water pressure from a direct line or recirculation pump is used to drive a small armature that produces an alternating current which illuminates a bulb operatively connected thereto.

Abstract: An apparatus for vaporizing liquid gasoline for use in a carburation system includes a centrifugal pump which pumps liquid gasoline from a tank through a check valve into an inlet of the pump. The rotor of the centrifugal pump is operated at a sufficiently high rate to cause a substantial amount of cavitation of liquid gasoline within the centrifugal pump. The liquid gasoline is preheated by exhaust heat from the engine before it enters the inlet from the centrifugal pump, and vaporizes rapidly in the cavitation region. The vaporized gasoline and some liquid gasoline are fed back into the tank, wherein the liquid portion recombines with gasoline already in the tank and the gasoline vapor accumulates above the liquid gasoline in the tank. Gasoline vapors are conducted from within the tank through a check valve into a carburation apparatus which mixes the gasoline vapors with a controlled amount of air and feeds it into the intake manifold of the engine.

Abstract: A smog control system for automotive internal combustion engines has a self-cleaning smog control filter including a movable coil spring filter inside a housing. The filter is connected to the engine crankcase in combination with an air filter connected to the carburetor induction system to recycle all gaseous fuels from the engine crankcase through the filter and back to the engine to prevent non-combustible matter from entering the exhaust manifold of the engine and being discharged to the atmosphere. The device includes means for applying tension to the top of the coil spring filter to maintain a preset filtering space between adjacent filter coils during the life of the filter. An inertial lever arm connected to the coil spring filter senses acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle to rotate the filter about its axis for producing a self-cleaning action.

Abstract: A four-stroke internal combustion engine is supercharged by admitting fuel-air mixture into the engine crankcase and compressing the mixture on the down stroke of the piston. The engine cylinder, and the piston disposed therewithin, are of stepped configuration defining a combustion chamber above a smaller, top piston portion, and an annular chamber above a larger, lower piston portion. Compressed mixture from the crankcase is admitted to a pressure reservoir for supply to the combustion chamber via an intake valve and a throttle valve. The crankcase is either supplied with fuel-air mixture from the annular chamber, or supplies fuel-air mixture to the reservoir via the annular chamber, so as to provide two stages of compression.

Abstract: Stratification of charge in a four stroke internal combustion engine in which a stream of air issues from a duct (46) and is directed tangentially into a cylinder (2) to circulate about the cylinder adjacent to the cylinder walls. The air is admitted to the cylinder only while the exhaust valve (42) is open. The air circulates adjacent to the cylinder walls during the exhaust stroke and at least a portion thereof remains adjacent the cylinder walls during the subsequent induction and compression strokes. The combustible charge is admitted generally centrally of the cylinder and remains stratified with respect to the circulating air which contains the combustible mixture as a relatively concentrated central core whereby reliable ignition is achieved. The method may also be applied to two-stroke engines and to diesel engines.