Patent ID: 8899190

Claim:
An engine assembly comprising: an engine block defining a cylinder bore; a piston disposed in the cylinder bore, the piston having a first side that cooperates with the engine block to partially define a combustion chamber, and having a second side that is opposite the first side; a piston squirter disposed adjacent to the second side of the piston and configured to expel a received flow of engine oil onto the piston; and a thermal fluid valve in fluid communication with the piston squirter and configured to selectively restrict the flow of engine oil to the piston squirter in response to a temperature of the engine oil, the thermal fluid valve including: a housing defining an inlet, an outlet, and an internal volume in fluid communication with the inlet and the outlet, wherein the housing includes a control surface abutting and partially defining the internal volume, and adjacent to the outlet, and wherein the control surface defines an annular land circumferentially disposed about the outlet; a bi-metallic valve element disposed within the internal volume and between the inlet and the outlet; wherein the bi-metallic valve element is configured to contact the annular land when in a closed state; wherein the bi-metallic valve element is transitionable between an open state and a closed state in response to a temperature of the bi-metallic valve element; wherein the thermal fluid valve is configured to restrict the flow of engine oil to the piston squirter when the bi-metallic valve element is in a closed state; and wherein the thermal fluid valve is configured to permit the flow of engine oil to the piston squirter when the bi-metallic valve element is in an open state.