Method and apparatus for inter-cylinder lubrication transfer in a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine

摘要

The present invention is directed to a lubrication system for a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine. An inter-cylinder lubricant communications system is provided to circulate lubricant from an upper-most cylinder to each successive cylinder downstream. This system includes an inlet that extends through an opening in the wall of a downstream cylinder. An outlet situated upstream relative to the inlet is also provided and includes an accumulation region to collect lubricant as it flows with the charging air from the crankcase chamber to the combustion chamber of an engine cylinder. A fluid passage is configured to fluidly interconnect the inlet to the outlet to pass lubricant from the upstream cylinder to the downstream cylinder. A passage is provided from the most downstream cylinder to the most upstream cylinder thereby allowing for re-circulation of the lubricant. The system takes advantage of a pressure differential between any two successive cylinders to draw the excess oil from one cylinder to the next.