1. Field of the invention
The present invention relates to cooling system flush kits for engine winterization and, more particularly, to a portable pressurized flush kit specifically adapted for flushing the cooling system of personal watercraft (PWC) for engine winterization and corrosion protection.
2. Description of the Background
When the outside temperature falls below freezing, any residual water inside a PWC or other marine engine can result in a cracked engine block or housing, and a repair bill running to thousands of dollars. This unhappy circumstance can be avoided with routine engine maintenance, especially by winterizing a PWC engine at the end of the boating season. It is also considered regular and necessary maintenance to flush a PWC engine after each use to remove salt water and sediment and to prevent corrosion. Typically, water-cooled PWC marine engines are flushed by connecting a garden hose to a water supply and to the engine through an integrated flush kit connection installed by the manufacturer or by the owner after market. Winterization of a PWC engine often involves disconnecting various cooling water hoses and pouring anti-freeze into the cooling system via a funnel or other similar device.
There are a variety of flush kits and methods available for this purpose. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,350,329 to Haman issued on Sep. 27, 1994 shows a flushing system, for an outboard marine motor, that allows the flow of fluid (controlled by a valve) through a cooling jacket.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,776,677 to Knapp, Jr. issued Aug. 17, 2004 discloses an engine flushing device and a method of using this device for purging trapped water within the cooling chamber of an engine. The device includes a connector attachable to an output of a garden hose, a conduit, a shutoff valve having a shutoff gate, a fluid entry valve with a fluid entry gate, and a tube that can be attached to the intake port of the engine.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,980,342 to Logan issued Nov. 9, 1999 shows a flushing system that uses a pair of check valves in combination with each other. One check valve is attached to a circulating pump hose of the engine and another valve is attached to a hose that provides fresh water which is pumped through the engine to remove seawater residue from the inside of the engine.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,121,948 issued to Guhlin on Oct. 24, 1978 shows a universal flushing apparatus that can be mounted on boat motors of any size. This apparatus has features that allow a stream of fluid to be controlled and introduced into the cooling intake of the boat motor.
All the forgoing systems are bulky, require mounting to the boat motor, and are not practically suited for use on a PWC marine engine. It would be much more useful to provide a portable consumer-oriented device that can be taken to the PWC, and readily deployed for frequent flushing, even without the availability of a water hose. More recent devices such as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,482,483 to Rice, issued on Jan. 9, 1996, shows a portable flushing device for a marine engine with a reservoir for temporary water storage and a delivery system to the marine engine. Gravity is the power source for this system.
It would be greatly advantageous to provide a like system for personal watercraft (PWC), but PWC engines are different because they do not have an engine driven water pump integrated into the cooling system and require some type of pressurized flow. Marinas and PWC dealers often have large (stationery) pressurized fluid tanks and other systems for accomplishing flushing and winterizing of PWC engines, but many consumers would much rather do it themselves at the dock, at the boat ramp or in their driveway rather than trailer their PWCs to a marina or PWC dealer. This commands a more portable user-friendly approach that can easily be used for frequent flushing, as frequent as after each day's operation of the PWC, and for easy winterization at the end of the boating season. For this class of consumer, it would be greatly advantageous to provide a simple and inexpensive kit for winterizing and/or protecting a PWC's cooling system by flushing anti-freeze, fresh water or other treatment solution through the engine and cooling system while the PWC is out of the water. The kit would preferably connect to the standard flush couplings already included on most PWCs by the factory or installed after market (presently, those flush connections are designed to be attached to a standard water hose to flush fresh water through the engine and cooling system after each use).