Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Masatoshi Chosa

Hiroshi Nakayama

Koichi Fukuo

Tomokazu Takeda

Shoji Ohta

Mitsuo Kitada

Nobuo Anno

Toshiyuki Yumoto

Yukio Kusakabe

Akio Kazama

Toshiyuki Yomoto

An engine is disposed in a front portion of an automobile and has a crankshaft extending in a longitudinal direction of the automobile. A transmission is coupled to a rear end of the engine and a final speed reduction gear unit is disposed laterally of the engine and separate from the transmission. The output shaft of the transmission and the input shaft of the final speed reduction gear unit are interconnected by an intermediate transmission shaft. A steering mechanism for turning front wheels of the automobile includes a steering tie rod coupled to the front wheels and disposed downwardly of the intermediate shaft between the transmission and the final speed reducer gear unit. The engine includes a cylinder having an axis inclined from the vertical in a transverse direction of the automobile, the final speed reduction gear unit being disposed on the side of the engine away from which the axis of the cylinder is inclined. The transmission includes an input shaft disposed coaxially with the crankshaft for receiving drive forces from the engine, a countershaft, an output shaft, a transmission mechanism operatively coupled to and disposed between the input shaft and the countershaft, and an output gear train operatively connecting the countershaft and the output shaft and disposed in a portion of the transmission closer to the final speed reduction gear unit.

Drive system for automobile

A crankshaft supporting structure in a multicylinder internal combustion engine has a cylinder block made of a light alloy and including a cylinder housing and a crankcase having a plurality of spaced journal walls. A plurality of spaced bearing caps made of an iron alloy are coupled respectively to the journal walls. A crankshaft is rotatably supported in bearing holes defined by the journal walls and the bearing caps. A bridge made of a light alloy extends across the bearing caps and is coupled to the bearing caps. The bearing caps and the bridge are fastened together to the journal walls by connecting bolts disposed one on each side of the crankshaft. The bridge has a main portion defining a main gallery extending longitudinally therethrough and a plurality of legs coupled to the bearing caps, respectively. The bearing caps and the legs jointly define branch oil passages communicating with the main gallery and the bearing holes. In one embodiment, each of the oil passages has a longitudinal central axis displaced transversely from the central axis of the cylinder housing passing through the center of the crankshaft.

Crankshaft supporting structure for multicylinder internal combustion

A crankshaft support for a multicylinder internal combustion engine employing a plurality of bearing caps fitted in recesses in journal walls in the cylinder block and connected by pairs of bolts extending vertically through each bearing cap into the journal wall. An additional pair of bolts extend horizontally from each side of the cylinder block to connect the skirt portions to the bearing caps. A bridge extends the length the engine over the bearing caps and is connected thereto by another pair of vertical bolts.

Crankshaft supporting structure for multicylinder internal conbustion

Growing community of inventors

Saitama, Japan

Masatoshi Chosa