Abstract:
A tell-tale system is provided for an outboard motor in which the tell-tale fluid conduit is connectable to an external water source, such as a water hose, and is extendable away from the cowl of the outboard motor in order to facilitate its use during a flushing operation. When not being used in the flushing procedure, the connector of the fluid conduit is snapped into position in connection with the cowl to maintain its position when used as a tell-tale port.

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     The present invention is generally related to a flushing system for an outboard motor and, more particularly, to a flushing system that comprises a modified tell-tale system. 
     2. Description of the Prior Art 
     Tell-tale ports are well known to those skilled in the art and are used to provide a visual indication to the operator that the water cooling system of an outboard motor is operating satisfactorily. The tell-tale port is connected in fluid communication with a pressurized portion of the cooling system for an internal combustion engine and is configured to divert a small, but visual, stream of water from the outboard motor. As long as the diverted stream of water is visible, it is assumed that the cooling system of the internal combustion engine is operating properly. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,987, which issued to Watanabe et al on Aug. 29, 2000, describes a coolant flushing system for an outboard motor. A water cooled four cycle outboard motor has an improved flushing system that permits flushing of the cooling system without removal of even the protective cowling and which permits flushing to be accomplished with a minimum of water usage. The flushing connection is coupled with a tell-tale connection to provide a simple, but highly effective construction. In addition, the system effectively cools the engine and a temperature sensor is positioned in an area where it will be protected from overheating. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,823,835, which issued to Takahashi et al on Oct. 20, 1998, describes an outboard motor throttle control system. The system provides an outboard motor for use in powering a watercraft of the type having an operator station positioned along a starboard side of the watercraft. The motor has a water propulsion device powered by an engine having an exhaust system generally positioned along the right side thereof. A cooling system is provided for cooling the engine and the exhaust system. Preferably, the motor includes a cooling water tell-tale acting as a visual identifier to the operator of the craft that the cooling system for the engine is operating. The tell-tale is created by diverting coolant from a portion of the cooling system for cooling the exhaust system to a pilot port in the side of the cowling corresponding to the starboard side of the watercraft. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,617, which issued to Broughton et al on Jan. 14, 1992, describes a marine propulsion device with a direct able telltale discharge. The marine propulsion device comprises a propulsion unit adapted to be mounted on the transom of a boat for pivotal movement relative thereto about a generally vertical steering axis, the propulsion unit comprising a lower unit rotatably supporting a propeller shaft adapted to support a propeller, a conduit for providing a discharge of fluid from the propulsion unit, and a nozzle for selectively varying the direction, relative to the lower unit, of the discharge. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 5,049,101, which issued to Inverse et al on Sep. 17, 1991, describes a marine propulsion with an arrangement for flushing the engine cooling jacket. The device comprises a bracket structure adapted for connection to a boat transom and a propulsion unit connected to the bracket structure for pivotal movement about a generally vertical steering axis and for tilting movement about a generally horizontal tilt axis, which propulsion unit includes an internal combustion engine including an engine block having a cooling jacket, a lower unit supporting the engine block and including a propeller shaft drivingly connected to the engine, a cover removably supported by the propulsion unit in enclosing relation with the engine and including a portion having therein an opening, a conduit extending from the engine block and through the opening and including therein a bore communicating with the cooling jacket and having an outer end with an internal thread, and a plug removably and threadably received in the threaded outer end portion of the conduit. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 3,933,114, which issued to Horn on Jan. 20, 1976, discloses a self-purging tell-tale nozzle. A resilient rubber self-purging nozzle for the tell-tale water line of a water cooled outboard motor is disclosed. A cone shaped nozzle of soft rubber restricts discharge of tell-tale water stream and expands upon blockage to permit blocking matter to be discharged overboard. 
     U.S. Pat. No. 4,082,068, which issued to Hale on Apr. 4, 1978, discloses a V-engine cooling system particularly for outboard motors and the like. The engine includes a cooling passageway extending upwardly through the central bore and discharged into a chamber in an exhaust manifold cover between the cylinder banks. The water passes through the cover and to the lateral side edges which have inlets to cooling chambers about the opposite cylinder banks which are continuous and discharged at the uppermost end. The cylinder heads have a cooling chamber with top inlet aligned with the cylinder discharge. The cooling water flows downwardly over to a common discharge header at the lower end for both of the cylinder banks. A pressure relief valve discharges the water from the common headed. A separate thermostatic valve is secured to the uppermost end of each of the cylinder banks at the transfer connection from the cylinder cooling chamber to the head cooling chamber and thus at the uppermost end highest point in the two banks. A lower supply chamber is coupled to a pump having a small bypass opening. The chamber is located at the exhaust pipes and has small ports to spray water into the pipes. Small drains opening from the respective cooling chambers and discharge header drain to the discharge side of the pump for draining of the water from the cooling system through the pump bypass. 
     The patents described above are hereby expressly incorporated by reference in the description of the present invention. 
     SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     A water cooling system for an outboard motor made in accordance with the present invention comprises an internal combustion engine and a water passage disposed in thermal communication with the internal combustion engine. It also comprises a fluid conduit connected in fluid communication with the water passage to cause a visible stream of water to be expelled from the water passage as an indication of an acceptable flow of water through the water passage when the internal combustion engine is operating. The fluid conduit extends through an outer surface of the outboard motor. A connector is attached to a distal end of the fluid conduit and is attachable to a source of water which is external to the outboard motor. The connector is detachable from the outer surface of the cowl in order to allow a preselected length of the fluid conduit to be extending through the outer surface to allow the connector to be moved away from the outer surface. 
     In certain embodiments of the present invention, the connector is threaded to receive an end of a hose which is connected in fluid communication with the source of water. The hose can be a conventional garden hose. The connector can be removably attached to the outer surface and can comprise a female threaded hose connection. The connector can also comprise a protrusion which is shaped to be received in snap fit relation with a receptacle attached to the outer surface of the outboard motor. 
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The present invention will be more fully and completely understood from a reading of the description of the preferred embodiment in conjunction with the drawings, in which: 
     FIG. 1 shows an outboard motor with a tell-tale port and an engine cooling system; 
     FIG. 2 shows the tell-tale port of the present invention; and 
     FIG. 3 shows the tell-tale port of the present invention when it is extended away from the cowl. 
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT 
     Throughout the description of the preferred embodiment of the present invention, like components will be identified by like reference numerals. 
     FIG. 1 shows an outboard motor  10  that comprises an internal combustion engine  12  which, in turn, is provided with a water cooling jacket  14 . In FIG. 1, the components illustrated by dashed lines are schematically represented. The water jacket  14  typically comprises a plurality of internal passages formed in the engine block in order to conduct cooling water in thermal communication with the heat producing portions of the engine  12 . A protective covering of portions of the outboard motor  10  is provided by a removable upper cowl  16  and a lower cowl portion  18 . 
     With continued reference to FIG. 1, many types of outboard motor  10  are provided with an inlet screen  20  which allows water to be drawn from a body of water and conducted upward through an internal water passage  24  to the cooling jacket  14  of the engine  12 . A pump  28  causes the water to flow upward from the inlet screen  20  through the inlet passage  24  to the cooling jacket  14 . A driveshaft  30  connects the crankshaft of the engine  12  in torque transmitting relation with a propeller shaft  34  to which a propeller  36  is attached. A tell-tale port  40  is connected in fluid communication with the cooling water jacket  14  by a fluid conduit  44 . As long as the water within the water jacket  14  is pressurized, water can flow through the fluid conduit  44  and exit from the tell-tale port  40 . As a result, a visible stream  50  of water exists when the outboard motor  10  is operating properly. This visible stream  50  of cooling water allows the operator of the outboard motor to see that the water within the cooling jacket  14  is properly pressurized. 
     With continued reference to FIG. 1, it can be seen that the fluid conduit  44  is longer than necessary to traverse the distance between its connection to the water jacket  14  and its connection to the tell-tale port  40 . As will be described in greater detail below, this extra length of fluid conduit  44  allows the operator to extend a connector, which will be described below, away from the lower cowl  18  in order to facilitate connection to an external source of water, such as a garden hose, in order to allow the cooling system of the outboard motor  10  to be flushed. 
     FIGS. 2 and 3 show the present invention in two different conditions. In FIG. 2, the connector  60  is held in place relative to the cowl  16 , or protective covering, by the relationship between a protrusion  62 , formed in the connector  60 , and an opening  70 , formed in a receptacle portion of the cowl  16 . When the outboard motor is operating normally and the cooling system is functioning properly, a small portion of the cooling water is diverted through the fluid conduit  44 , as represented schematically by arrow A, and flows through the connector  60  to form a tell-tale stream  50  of water that is visible to the operator. 
     When the operator wants to flush the cooling system of the outboard motor, the connector  60  can be disconnected from the cowl  16  by pulling on the connector in a direction away from the cowl. This allows the protrusion  62  to be pulled away from its opening  70 . The operator can then move the connector  60  away from the cowl  16  by a predetermined distance that is a function of the amount of extra length of fluid conduit  44  provided between the connector  60  and its opposite end where the fluid conduit  44  is connected to the water jacket  14  as described above in conjunction with FIG.  1 . The connector  60 , in the embodiment shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, is shaped to receive the male end of a conventional water hose. In this embodiment, the connector  60  is threaded to provide a female connection to receive the water hose and can be rotatable relative to the fluid conduit  44 . Water can then be caused to flow from the water hose through the connector  60 , through the fluid conduit  44 , and into the water cooling jacket  14 . This allows the operator of the outboard motor to flush the cooling system. 
     With reference to FIGS. 1-3, it can be seen that the present invention comprises an internal combustion engine  12  and a water passage, which includes the water jacket  14 , that is disposed in thermal communication with the internal combustion engine  12 . A fluid conduit  44  is connected in fluid communication with the water passage  14  to cause a visible stream  50  of water to be expelled from the water passage  14  when the internal combustion engine  12  is operating properly. The fluid conduit  44  extends through an outer surface of the outboard motor, which is illustrated as the lower cowl  18  in FIG. 1. A connector  60  is attached to a distal end of the fluid conduit  44  and is attachable to a water source, such as a garden hose, which is external to the outboard motor  10 . The connector  60  is rotatable relative to the fluid conduit  44  and detachable from the outer surface to allow a preselected length of the fluid conduit  44  to be extended through the outer surface of the outboard motor in order to allow the connector  60  to be moved away from the outer surface. The connector is threaded, as illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3, in a preferred embodiment of the present invention for the purpose of receiving the end of a garden hose which is connected in fluid communication with an external source of water. The connecter is removably attached to the outer surface, as represented in FIGS. 2 and 3, and can comprise a female threaded hose connection. The connector  60  can also comprise a protrusion  62  which is shaped to be received in snap fit relation with a receptacle opening  70  which is attached to the outer surface. 
     Although the present invention has been described in considerable detail and illustrated to show one embodiment, it should be understood that alternative embodiments are also within its scope.