Variable stroke engine assembly

A variable stroke engine assembly for a front engine, front wheel drive vehicle, comprising:

• a piston slidably received in a cylinder;
• a crankshaft rotatably support by an engine main body;
• an output shaft extending along a rear side of the engine main body substantially in parallel with the crankshaft to transmit an engine output to front wheels of a vehicle carrying the engine assembly;
• a connecting mechanism functionally connecting the piston with the crankshaft, the connecting mechanism including a lower link pivotally supported by a crankpin of the crankshaft, an upper link connecting one end of the lower link to a piston pin of the piston, and a control link connected to another end of the lower link and an eccentric portion of the control link so that a piston stroke may be varied by turning the control shaft;
• a control shaft rotatably supported by the engine main body and coupled to the connecting mechanism for varying a configuration of the connecting mechanism, the control shaft located at a lower elevation than a connecting point between the lower link and the control link;
• a starter motor mounted on the engine main body at a higher elevation than the connecting point between the lower link and the control link with respect to a reference line passing through an axial center of the crankshaft and extending in parallel with a cylinder axial line, the distance from the connecting point between the lower link and control link to an axial center of the crankshaft always being smaller than the distance from an axial center of the control shaft to an axial center of the crankshaft;
• and an actuator coupled to the control shaft for driving the control shaft;
• wherein the engine main body is tilted rearward and the control shaft and the actuator are disposed on a different side of the crankshaft than the output shaft as seen in plain view, the actuator being located in front of the engine at a substantially same elevation as the output shaft.