Patent ID: 7578713

Claim:
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; 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 and connected to the output shaft; a stator arranged between the pump impeller and the turbine runner; and a transmission cover integrally connected to an outer periphery of the pump impeller so as to cover an upper surface of the turbine runner; wherein a drive plate is secured at a central portion thereof to a lower end of the crankshaft by a first bolt, and an outer peripheral portion of the drive plate is secured to the transmission cover by a second bolt; and wherein an upper end portion of the torque converter is suspended from the crankshaft via the drive plate and a lower end portion of the torque converter is free, such that an overall weight of the torque converter is borne by the crankshaft.