Abstract: A water drain valve for use in cooperation with a fuel filter having a water separation capability includes a valve housing, a flow-control piston disposed within the valve housing, a first sealing grommet defining a water flow path into the valve housing, a second sealing grommet defining an air flow path out of said valve housing and a spring-biased control lever assembled to the valve housing and cooperating with the flow-control piston so as to rotate the piston from a drain valve normally-closed condition to a drain valve normally-pen condition. The valve housing is a unitary casting having a sidewall defining first and second flow apertures, one of which receives the first sealing grommet and the other of which receives the second sealing grommet. The flow-control piston includes a first part-spherical portion which includes a water drain passageway therethrough leading to a drain opening which is defined by the valve housing.

Abstract: A fluid filter assembly which is constructed and arranged to threadedly mount onto an engine block mounting base includes an enclosing outer shell, a filtering element positioned within the outer shell so as to define an annular clearance space between the outer shell and the filtering element. A nutplate is assembled to the outer shell so as to close the outer shell and provide an internally-threaded mounting portion for attachment to the engine block mounting base. The sidewall which defines the threaded mounting portion is free of any flow openings therethrough. A seal arrangement including an inner seal positioned between the nutplate and the filter element and an outer seal positioned between the engine block mounting base and the nutplate is provided as part of the fluid filter assembly.

Abstract: A fuel filter constructed and arranged for fuel-water separation which is designed with an integral fuel pump includes a unitary housing designed with a fuel filter cavity for receipt of a fuel filter cartridge, and a pump receptacle cavity for receipt of a fuel pump. A separating wall is disposed between the fuel filter cavity and the fuel pump cavity and this wall defines a flow passageway for fuel flow communication between the fuel pump and the fuel filter. Included as part of the fuel filter assembly is a lid designed to attach over the fuel filter cavity of the unitary housing and a lid designed to attach over the pump receptacle cavity of the unitary housing. The combining of the fuel filter cartridge and the cooperating fuel pump within the same unitary casting provides design efficiencies and economies.

Abstract: A unitary nutplate for a fluid filter assembly provides a threaded mounting interface between an engine block mounting base and the remainder of the fluid filter assembly. The unitary nutplate is designed with an enlarged inside diameter in order to reduce the moment arm between the outer shell of the fluid filter assembly and the filtering element. With the enlarged inside diameter, the annular sidewall of the unitary nutplate does not include any flow passageways for the entering fluid and accordingly other flow passageways are created. In one arrangement, the nutplate has a generally cylindrical lower wall which cooperates with an inner seal which is designed with fluid flow passageways. In an alternate nutplate design, depending projections from the lower edge of the nutplate provide a series of flow passageways therebetween and the cooperating inner seal does not include flow passageways.

Abstract: A combined full flow and bypass oil filter for internal combustion engines includes a generally cylindrical filter body and a generally cylindrical filter head which is threadedly attached to the filter body. The filter head includes an inlet and an outlet and the flow path between the inlet and outlet extends through the filter body. Disposed within the filter body is a generally cylindrical and hollow full flow filtering element and a generally cylindrical and hollow bypass filtering element. The incoming flow of lubricating oil passes through the outer diameter surfaces of the full flow and bypass filtering elements and exits from these filtering elements through their hollow interiors. Concentrically positioned in the exiting flow path of the full flow filter is a Venturi nozzle which creates a low pressure zone.