Patent ID: 6848723

Claim:
A coupling for connecting a fluid conduit to the header tank of a heat exchanger by relative axial movement, comprising: a first coupling part on one of said header tank and said conduit; a second coupling part on the other of said header tank and said conduit and sealingly coupled to said first coupling part; said first coupling part including a radially inner, hollow cylindrical wall defining an axis and a radially outer surface, diametrically opposite, axially directed fingers spaced radially outward of said cylindrical wall and attached thereto, and radially outwardly opening grooves or slots in sides of said fingers remote from said cylindrical wall and generally transverse to said axis; said second coupling part including a generally circular radially inner wall sized to be axially received between said cylindrical wall and said fingers and having an interior surface facing the radially outer surface of said cylindrical wall, a radially inwardly opening groove in said interior surface, a circular seal in said radially inwardly opening groove and sealingly engageable with the radially outer surface of said cylindrical wall when said coupling is assembled, a radially outer wall sized to fit about said sides of said fingers, and slots in said radially outer wall generally transverse to said axis and alignable with said radially outwardly opening grooves; and a retaining clip disposed in said slots and entering said circumferentially directed grooves when said coupling is assembled.