Tunnel Type Sump With Oil Intake Valve Assembly

An internal combustion engine including:

• a plurality of combustion chambers spaced apart along a length axis of the engine,
• at least one pump,
• a sump for collecting oil,
• a first flowpath having a first valve with a first valve element, and
• a second flowpath having a second valve with a second valve element;
• each flowpath having a respective inlet in the sump and extending from the respective inlet to the at least one pump;
• the at least one pump being arranged to draw oil from the sump via each of the floe paths;
• each valve element being biased to an open, rest position in a normal use position of the engine, and movable from the rest position to a closed position to block the respective flowpath by tilting of the engine about its length axis;
• wherein
• the sump is divided into first and second sump portions arranged on opposite, first and second sides of a reference plane containing the length axis and bisecting the engine, the reference plane being vertical in the normal use position of the engine;
• the inlets of the first and second flowpaths are arranged respectively in the first and second sump portions;
• the first valve element is movable from the rest position to the closed position by movement of the first sump portion upwardly in rotation about the length axis relative to the second sump portion;
• and
• the second valve element is movable from the rest position to the closed position by movement of the second sump portion upwardly in rotation about the length axis relative to the first sump portion.