Outboard engine system

An outboard engine system comprising:

• a casing coupled to a swivel case via a swivel shaft;
• an engine mounted in an upper part of the casing such that a crankshaft of the engine is vertically arranged and a cylinder block of the engine faces in a direction opposite to the swivel shaft;
• a torque converter;
• a vertically arranged output shaft connected to the crankshaft through the torque converter;
• and
• a horizontally arranged propeller shaft provided below the output shaft;
• and
• a forward-reverse shifting gear mechanism for providing a connection between the output shaft and the propeller shaft;
• the torque converter, the output shaft, the propeller shaft and the forward-reverse shifting gear mechanism being disposed in the casing;
• wherein the torque converter includes:
• a pump impeller;
• a turbine runner arranged to be opposed to the pump impeller and connected to the output shaft;
• a stator arranged between the pump impeller and the turbine runner;
• and
• a transmission cover arranged to cover an rear surface of the turbine runner and providing a connection between the crankshaft and the pump impeller;
• and
• wherein an annular bag-shaped foreign material trap opening upward is formed in the pump impeller and an inner peripheral surface of a largest diameter portion of the transmission cover so that the trap can capture a foreign material separated from a working oil in the torque converter by centrifugation.

An outboard engine system comprising:

• a casing coupled to a swivel case via a swivel shaft;
• an engine mounted in an upper part of the casing such that a crankshaft of the engine is vertically arranged and a cylinder block of the engine faces in a direction opposite to the swivel shaft;
• a torque converter;
• a vertically arranged output shaft connected to the crankshaft through the torque converter;
• and
• a horizontally arranged propeller shaft provided below the output shaft;
• and
• a forward-reverse shifting gear mechanism for providing a connection between the output shaft and the propeller shaft;
• the torque converter, the output shaft, the propeller shaft and the forward-reverse shifting gear mechanism being disposed in the casing;
• wherein the torque converter includes:
• a pump impeller;
• a turbine runner arranged above the pump impeller so as to define a circulation circuit of a working oil between the turbine runner and the pump impeller, and connected to the output shaft;
• and
• a transmission cover arranged to cover an upper surface of the turbine runner and providing a connection between the crankshaft and the pump impeller;
• and
• wherein a clutch chamber which has a diameter larger than that of the circulation circuit is formed between the transmission cover and the turbine runner, and a lock-up clutch which has a diameter larger than that of the circulation circuit and which is capable of providing a direct connection between the transmission cover and the turbine runner is disposed in the clutch chamber.