Providing lubricant to an engine

摘要

A method is disclosed of providing a supply of lubricant to working components (22) of an engine (20), the engine including a reservoir (25) for lubricant to which the lubricant returns after use, under gravity, at least when the engine (20) is in a normal operating orientation, the method utilising a pumping apparatus (24) including a pump housing (34) having main and auxiliary pumping chambers (56), a main pumping device (30a, 30b) which together with the main pumping chamber provides a main pump (30), and an auxiliary pumping device (32a, 32b) which together with the auxiliary pumping chamber provides an auxiliary pump (32), the main and auxiliary pumps (30, 31) being driven simultaneously, and the pumping apparatus (24) further including a main inlet (26) extending from a regular location in the lubricant reservoir (25) to the main pumping chamber and an auxiliary inlet (33) which extends from an alternative location to which lubricant may pass in the event that the engine is at an extreme attitude, to the auxiliary pumping chamber, and a control valve (40) including a valve member (71), the method including moving the valve member (71) between a first position in which lubricant pumped from the regular location (26) by the main pump (30) is delivered to a pumping apparatus outlet (27) for supply to the working components (22) of the engine (20) when the engine (20) is in a normal operating orientation, and a second position in which lubricant pumped from the alternative location (33) by the auxiliary pump (32) is delivered to the pumping apparatus outlet (27) when the engine (20) is at an extreme attitude.