Walbro Corporation

Walbro Engine Management, L.l.c.

Brp US Inc.

Kevin L Israelson

Roger N Smith

Jeffrey D Hanby

David L Speirs

Douglas W Salowitz, Jr

Kenneth J Cotton

Ronald H Roche

Elton J Fisch

Yoshiaki Douyama

Edward J Talaski

John C Woody

Eric L King

Terry O Hendrick

Albert L Sayers

David L Thomas

David D Hacker

Timothy K Grifka

Travis P Baur

Kerry E Grifka

Cyrus M Healy

Gerald J LaMarr, Jr

Robby L Linton

Nathan Blank

Justin Johnson

Paul Westhoff, Jr

Joseph M Graham

Russell R Speirs

Matthew James Young

Eric D Anderson

David Scott Soderman

Kerry E Griffka

In at least some implementations, a fuel vapor separator for an internal combustion engine includes a main body at least partially defining a chamber for holding fuel, a lid carried by the main body to close the chamber and at least partially define a vapor chamber above a level of fuel in the chamber, and a thermoelectric heat exchanger coupled to the main body. In at least some implementations, the main body is a thermally conductive polymeric material that is resistant to degradation or dimensional changes, and in some implementations, the main body may be formed from a metal.

Vapor separator with thermoelectric heat exchanger

In at least some implementations, a fuel supply module includes a reservoir and a fuel pump carried by the reservoir. The reservoir may include a body and a lid that define an internal volume to contain a supply of fuel, and the reservoir may include an inlet through which fuel enters the internal volume and an outlet from which fuel is discharged from the fuel supply module. The fuel pump is carried by the reservoir and has a first inlet communicating with the internal volume to take fuel into the fuel pump from the internal volume and a second inlet spaced above the first inlet relative to the direction of the force of gravity to take fluid or vapors into the fuel pump from the internal volume. The fuel pump includes an outlet from which fluid is discharged for delivery to an engine through the reservoir outlet.

Fuel supply module and control system

A fuel pump for a fuel system includes a nozzle, a venturi, a pump inlet and a flow controller. The nozzle has an orifice through which fuel is ejected and the venturi is downstream of the nozzle and has an inlet through which fuel discharged from the orifice flows, a passage downstream of the venturi inlet through which fuel flows to create a drop in pressure in the area of the venturi, and an outlet through which fuel is discharged from the venturi. Fuel is drawn through the pump inlet by the drop in the pressure created in the area of the venturi and the flow controller is downstream of the outlet and has a chamber in which fuel from the venturi outlet is received. The flow controller causes fuel to fill the venturi to ensure performance of the fuel pump.

Venturi fluid pump with outlet flow controller

In at least some implementations, a liquid and vapor separator includes a body and a cover, a fuel inlet, a fuel outlet and a vent passage. A fuel pump has an inlet in communication with the interior volume and an outlet in communication with the fuel outlet. A fuel pressure regulator has an inlet in communication with the fuel pump outlet, an outlet in communication with the interior volume and a valve between the fuel pressure regulator inlet and the fuel pressure regulator outlet. The fuel pressure regulator is carried by the cover and the cover defines at least part of a fuel passage between the fuel pump outlet and the fuel outlet. An inlet valve is received within the interior volume and associated with the fuel inlet. A wall at least partially separates the area of the fuel pump from the area of the inlet valve.

Liquid and vapor separator

A marine outboard engine includes an internal combustion engine including at least one fuel injector; a fuel vapor separator including: a separator body, a fuel reservoir defined by the separator body, and a first fuel pump fluidly connected between the fuel reservoir and the fuel injector; a fuel tank; and a second fuel pump fluidly connected between the fuel tank and the fuel vapor separator. The fuel vapor separator includes a heat exchanger disposed in the separator body. The heat exchanger includes at least one fuel channel defined by the heat exchanger body, the at least one fuel channel including: an inlet adapted for receiving fuel from the engine, and an outlet fluidly communicating with the fuel reservoir; and at least one coolant channel defined by the heat exchanger body, the at least one fuel channel and the at least one coolant channel being in thermal communication.

Fuel vapor separator and heat exchanger for a marine outboard engine

An in-tank fuel pump assembly may have a mounting flange with a plurality of first coupling features, a fuel pump, a carrier connected to the fuel pump, a plurality of second coupling features on at least one of the carrier and the fuel pump, and a plurality of supports each connected to one or the first and second coupling features to locate the pump relative to the mounting flange. In some embodiments, at least one coupling feature is movable.

Fuel pump assembly with removable and/or movable supports

An in-tank fuel pump assembly may have a mounting flange with a plurality of first couplings, a fuel pump, a carrier connected to the fuel pump, a plurality of second couplings on at least one of the carrier and the fuel pump, and a plurality of supports each connected to one or the first and second couplings to locate the pump relative to the mounting flange.

Fuel pump assembly with removable supports

In at least some implementations, a retainer for a fuel system component having an electrically conductive portion accessible from the exterior of the component includes a retaining feature and a grounding feature. The retaining feature is adapted to maintain the location of the fuel system component and the grounding feature electrically couples a ground wire to the electrically conductive portion of the fuel system component. The fuel system component is grounded through a path including the grounding feature and ground wire.

Retainer with grounding feature for fuel system component

In at least some implementations, a seal for a wire includes a body having at least one opening adapted to receive at least one wire therethrough, and an axially extending engagement surface disposed around at least a portion of each of said at least one openings. The engagement surface has at least a portion that is not parallel to an axis of the opening and is disposed at an acute included angle relative to the axis so that, when the engagement surface is contacted by another component, the size of the adjacent opening tends to be reduced.

Wire seal assembly

A mount for a level sensor assembly in a fuel tank may include an interconnect member adapted to couple a first tube to a second tube to permit fuel flow through the first tube, the interconnect member and the second tube. The first tube is adapted to be in fluid communication with a fuel pump and the second tube is in fluid communication with fuel in the fuel tank. A bracket is coupled to the interconnect member and adapted to carry at least a portion of the level sensor assembly. In this way, the level sensor assembly may be coupled to fluid tubes associated with the fuel pump, or other tubes, as desired.

Level sensor mount

A fuel pump assembly may include a housing and a fuel pump within a fuel pump cavity. The fuel pump may include a motor, a pumping element driven for rotation by the motor, a pump body that maintains the position of the pumping element relative to the motor and the housing, and a flexible seal. The seal may be disposed between the pump body and the housing to provide a fluid tight seal between them. A portion of the seal may be disposed radially outwardly of a distal end of the pump body to radially position the pump body within the fuel pump cavity and a portion of the seal may be disposed axially outwardly of the distal end of the pump body to axially position the pump body within the fuel pump cavity.

Fuel pump assembly

A pass-through electrical connector assembly with a body having at least one through-hole formed therein. A pin is forced into the through-hole and held by the body. The pin has a shank with opposed ends, each with a blind hole to receive a wire and a solid center portion that seals the wires and the pin. The pin has a tip with a barb at one end and a head with a shoulder at the other end which captures the pin in the body after the pin is forced into the through-hole when the shoulder engages the body. The shank has a circumferential surface that is press-fit within the through-hole to form a seal between the pin and the body. The body can then be sealed to a mating flange of a fluid-holding tank.

Sealed pass-through electrical connector

A fuel delivery system for a combustion engine has a fuel tank which defines an access hole preferably communicating through either the top wall or bottom wall of the tank. An associated top or bottom flange, both having a fuel channel for flowing fuel out of the tank, sealably covers the access hole. A fuel pump module is located in the fuel chamber of the tank and has a universal, structural, pod which engages either the top or bottom flange while preferably maintaining an axial upright position. The pod defines an axially extending first bore for housing a fuel pump and preferably an electric pump motor and a second bore defined by a cylindrical inner face and spaced radially outward from the first chamber for housing a reversible filter cartridge of the module. The pod also has a fuel discharge nozzle which generally defines a counter bore that communicates axially with the second bore. Fuel flows into the pump through an inlet defined by the pod and pressurized fuel flows from the pump and into the second bore via a fuel passage preferably defined by the pod. The filter cartridge preferably has a filter element generally spaced from the pod within the second bore for filtration efficiency by a primary end retainer and an opposite secondary end retainer. The end retainers generally seal to the pod within the second bore thus flowing all of the pressurized fuel from the fuel passage and through the filter element before being discharged from the second bore as supply fuel and/or bypass fuel. Preferably, filtered fuel flows through the primary end retainer as system supply fuel to a combustion engine and the remaining filtered fuel flows through the secondary end retainer as bypass fuel back into the fuel tank chamber.

Integrated fuel delivery system

A fluid pump includes an electric motor with a casing and a drive shaft extending from the casing, a pumping element coupled to the drive shaft for rotation with the shaft to take in fluid and discharge it under pressure. The fuel pump casing may be sealed and a housing coupled to the casing may provide the inlet and outlet passages for fluid flow to and from the pumping element. The housing may be received in or communicated with other housing or module assemblies to provide a wide array of fuel pump assemblies. The pumping element may include one or more gear rotors, a turbine pumping element, or other pumping element, as desired.

Fluid pump assembly

A low cost bypass pressure regulator preferably for a returnless fuel system supplying liquid fuel to a fuel injector of the combustion engine. The pressure regulator preferably has a valve head disposed at least in part in a valve chamber defined by a circumferentially continuous inner surface carried by a valve body and which transitions radially outward with respect to a center axis and in a downstream direction. The valve head preferably tapers radially inward from a downstream peripheral outer edge of the head. In a closed position, the valve head engages a seat carried by the body with the peripheral outer edge downstream of the seat and radially spaced from and fitted closely to the valve chamber continuous inner surface thus defining a close fit region therebetween. As the valve head opens, the flow cross-section enlarges which reduces or eliminates oscillation of the valve head.

Growing community of inventors

Cass City, MI, United States of America

Kevin L Israelson