US2926643A

US2926643A - Engine distributor and cylinder arrangement

Info

Publication number: US2926643A
Application number: US439569A
Authority: US
Inventors: Robert R Hutchison
Original assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
Current assignee: Motors Liquidation Co
Priority date: 1954-06-28
Filing date: 1954-06-28
Publication date: 1960-03-01
Anticipated expiration: 1977-03-01

Description

March 1, 1960 R. R. HUTCHISON 2,926,643

ENGINE DISTRIBUTOR AND CYLINDER ARRANGEMENT Filed June 28, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEY March 1, 1960 i Filed June 22;. 19,54

R. R; HUTCHISON 2,926,643 ENGINE DISTRIBUTOR AND CYLJINDER ARRANGEMENT 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY ENGINE DISTRIBUTOR CYLINDE ARRANGEMENT r v Robert R. Hutchison, Birmingham, Mich., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application June 28, 1954, Serial No. 439,569

4 Claims. Cl. 123 -55) This invention relates to engines and has particular relation toa fuelpump, distributor and cylinder bank arrangement for internal combustion engines for automotive and other uses.

In the installation of engines in motor vehicles it is preferable to have the exhaust conduit on one side of the vehicle and the fuel line on the other, it being par ticularlydesirable to have the fuel line on the left-hand side ofthe vehicle where it is customary to have the filler tube for the fuel tank for supplying the engine fuel. With V type engines heretofore designed it has not been easy to make this kind of installation due to the practice heretofore followed of designing V type engines in such manner that the left-hand bank of cylinders is closer to the front of the engine than the right-hand bank of cylinders. .It has been difficult to locate the fuel pump on the left-hand side of the engine without in some -manner increasing the length or width of the engine. Under such circumstances the fuel pump has usually been located on the right-hand side of the engine where in order to have the fuel line extend down the left-hand side of the vehicle it was necessary to have the fuel line cross over the engine from the right-hand to the left'hand side. Also with engines in which the left-hand bank of cylinders extends forwardly farther than the right-hand ba'nkof cylinders it has been necessary. to install the distributorof the engine with the shaft thereof on the left-hand side of the camshaft. With the camshaft rotating in a counterclockwise direction when considering the camshaft from the rear of the engine it will be apparent that rotation of the camshaft has created a thrust on the gear employed in driving the distributor shaft which tended to move the gear toward the lower end of the distributor shaft. It has therefore been necessary to provide a thrust bearing for the gear which had to be located on the lower end of the shaft and awa from the main bearing supporting the shaft.

It isnow proposed to place the distributor shaft on the right hand side of the camshaft where the rotation of the camshaft which results in drivingthe gear on the distributor shaft tends to produce an axial thrust on the gear in the direction of the bearing supporting the distributor. shaft. It is possible to so locate the distributor shaft when the right-hand bank of cylinders leads the left-hand bank of cylinders of the engine.

This arrangement of the component parts of the engine makes it possible to build the engine more economically and to install the engine in a vehicle in a more satisfactory manner.

In the drawingf y l it Figure l is redress elevational view ofaV type engine embracing the principles of the invention. In the structure as disclosed by Figure 1 certain external parts of the engine are broken away to better illustrate the interior construction thereof.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary enlarged view of the distributor drive means employed in the structure disclosed by Figure 1.

'ice

Figure 3 is a diagrammatical illustration of an engine such as that disclosed by Figure l and an arrangement of the exhaust and fuel systems for the engine that may be employed in installing the engine in a motor vehicle or other structure.

The engine 10 comprises a frame 11 having right and left hand banks of cylinders formed therein and indicated at 12 and 13 respectively. Any number of cylinders may be formed in the banks of cylinders 12 and 13 with the cylinders in each bank interposed between or staggered with respect to the cylinders in the other bank. The cylinders have pistons therein connected by connecting rods to a common crankshaft indicated at 1.4. It is proposed to design the frame 11 in suchmanner that the right-hand bank of cylinders 12 is nearer the front or leads the left-hand bank of cylinders 13 of the engine 10. The banks of cylinders 12 and 13 have exhaust manifolds 16 and 17 respectively and on opposite sides of the engines and the two manifolds may be connected together or to a common exhaust conduit 18 by a crossover conduit 19 extending beneath the engine or around one or the other of the ends thereof. The exhaust conduit 1.8 may be on the right-hand side of the engine with the leading bank of cylinders 12. If the engine is installed in the front of a motor vehicle the conduit 18 may extend rearwardly through a mufiler 21 and terminate in an exhaust pipe 22 projecting from the rear of the vehicle.

With the cylinder bank 12 leading the cylinder bank 13 it will be apparent that room is provided in front of the cylinder bank 13 for installing the fuel pump 23 of the engine in a suitable position where there will be ample space between the fuel pump and the heated water jackets of the cylinder bank 13. With such an arrangement it is possible to service the fuel pump with convenience and the fuel pump will not be excessively heated in such manner as possibly to result in vapor lock diffieulties in the fuel system of the engine. In the present instance the fuel pump 23 is installed on the side of the timing chain cover 24 which is secured. to. the front wall of the engine and forms a part of the engine frame. in such position'it will be noted that fuel pump 23 is directly accessible from the right-hand side of the vehicle and it is therefore possible to directly connect thereto a fuel line 26 adapted to extend rearwardly of the engine along the left-hand side of the vehicle in which the engine may be installed. A fuel tank 27 may beinstalled at the rear of the vehicle with the filler tube 28 therefor projecting outwardly from the left-hand end thereof. The fuel line 26 may be connected to the fuel tank 27 for supplying fuel to the fuel pump 23 for operating the engine 10. p 7

With the cylinder banks 12 and 13 so arranged that the cylinder .bank 12 leads the cylinder bank 13 it will beapparent that it is possible to insert the ignition distributor 29 of the engine into an opening in the engine frame 11 with the distributor shaft 31 thereof disposed at the rear of the cylinder bank 12 and on the righthand side of the camshaft 32 of the engine. To 0pera tively install the distributor 29 the frame 11 is provided with a bearing support 33 in which bearing sleeve 34 may be suitably secured and in which the distributor shaft 31 may be rotatably mounted. To properly secure the distributor 29 against the frame 11 and in such manner that it is not necessary'to expend any effort in aligning the distributor shaft when installing the distributor it is proposed to provide the casing 36 of the distributor with a flanged end 37 adapted to engage the outer end of the boss in which the support 33 is formed. To secure the end 37 against the support 33 it is proposed merely to provide a bifurcated bracket 38 having the pair of ends thereof engaging the flange 37 and the opposite end thereof resting on an abutment 39 formed on the exterior surface of the frame 11. The bracket 38 may be secured against the flange 37 in such manner that the flange may move. radially with the shaft 31 by employing a bolt 41' projecting thr'ough the bracket 38 between the bifurcated ends thereof and the abutment 39 and into a threaded opening formed in the frame 11. It will be apparent that the distributor may be easily installed merely by thrusting the end of the shaft 31 into the bearing sleeve 34 and tightening thebracket 38 upon the flange 37 by manipulating the bolt 41.

The shaft 31 has a sleeve 42 secured upon and extending beyond the lower end thereof. The sleeve 42 is secured against rotation with respect to the shaft 31 but may have limited axial movement with respect thereto. Secured upon or forming a part of the sleeve 42 is a spiral gear 43 with teeth adapted to mesh with the teeth of a similar spiral gear 44 which is mounted for rotation in the frame 11 upon the rear end of the camshaft 32.

The upper end of the sleeve 42 with the gear 43 secured thereon is adapted to engage the lower end of the bearing sleeve 34, the bearing sleeve thereupon providing a thrust bearing for the gear 43. With the shaft 32 rotating in a counterclockwise direction it will be apparent that the gear 43 will develop an axial thrust tending to cause the sleeve 42 to engage the lower end of the sleeve 34.

The lower end of the shaft 31 may be provided with a tongue for engaging a groove in the end of shaft as which may be employed in driving the lubricating pump of the engine 10. The shaft 46 may be guided in an enlarged opening formed in a boss 47 projecting laterally from a part of the engine frame 11. It will be apparent that the distributor shaft 31 may be connected to the pump shaft 46 merely by projecting the sleeve 42 downwardly upon the upper end of the shaft 46.

With the arrangement of the components of the engine in the configuration illustrated it will be apparent that the engine will be economical to construct and to install in a vehicle chassis. The installation of such an engine will conserve space desirable for installing the steering gear and the heating and ventilating and other equipment with which motor vehicles for automotive and other uses are now provided.

I claim:

1. An internal combustion engine comprising an en gine frame having a pair of rows of cylinders formed therein with one of said rows of cylinders being arranged in said frame in advance of the other of said rows of cylinders, a camshaft for said engine and mounted in said frame and rotating in a direction tending to roll said camshaft toward said other of said rows of cylinder a drive shaft in said engine and mounted in said frame said rows of cylinders being arranged in said frame with. the right-hand row of said cylinders extending forwardly of the left-hand row of said cylinders and with respect to one end of said engine, a camshaft for said engine and driven by said crankshaft and rotated by said crank- 4 shaft in a counterclockwise direction with respect to said end of said engine, an ignition distributor for said engine having a drive shaft extending into said frame on the right-hand side of said camshaft from said end of said engine and extending across said frame and behind said right-hand row of cylinders of said engine, a bearing mounted in said frame for supporting said drive shaft, a gear on said camshaft for driving said drive shaft, a gear on said drive shaft operative'ly associated with said gear on said camshaft and rotating said drive shaft in response'to the rotation of said camshaft, said drive shaft gear when rotated by said camshaft developing an axial thrust with respect to said drive shaft and directing said thrust against said bearing.

3. An internal combustion engine comprising an engine frame having a camshaft mounted therein, a row of cylinders formed in said frame along said camshaft, an ignition distributor having a drive shaft extending into said name at thei'end ofjsaid row of cylinders and at one side" of said camshaft, a bearing mounted in said frame supporting s'aid drive shaft, a gear mounted on said drive shaft beyond said bearing and in axial engagement with the adjacent end of said bearing, means associated with said camshaft and rotating said gear for driving said distributor, said shaft and said gear being mounted for rotation and support in said bearing throughout the length of said shaft within said frame, and means rotating said camshaft in a direction to thrust said gear axially against said adjacent end of said bearing.

4. An internal combustion engine comprising an engine frame having a row of cylinders formed therein, an ignition distributor for said engine and having a drive shaft projecting from said distributor and into said frame, a collar formed on said distributor and engaging said frame around said shaft, a bracket formed to engage said collar and having an end adapted to engage said frame, means securing said bracket to said frame between said end engaging said frame and said collar, a bearing in said frame and supporting said shaft and centering said collar and aligning said collar upon said frame by radial movement of said collar between said bracket and said frame, gear means mounted on said shaft inwardly of said bearing and having a thrust face formed at one end thereof and engaging the end of said bearing, and means rotating said gear for rotating said shaft in a direction to urge said thrust face on said gear into engagement with said end of said bearing.

References Cited in the tile of this patent- OTHER REFERENCES 1949- -51-Ford Passenger Car Shop Manual, Ford Motor Company, Nov. 24, 1950, Dearborn, Michigan,

1953 Ford Truck Shop Manual, Ford Motor Company, March 1953, Dearborn, Michigan, page 61.

1956 Ford Car Shop Manual," Ford Motor Company, September 1955, DearbormfMichigan, pages 48 and 111.