Patent ID: 7530868

Claim:
A vertical power unit comprising: an engine which has a vertically arranged crankshaft; a vertically arranged output shaft provided below the crankshaft; and a torque converter disposed between the crankshaft and the output shaft, the torque converter including: a pump impeller connected to the crankshaft; a turbine runner connected to the output shaft so as to be opposed to the pump impeller; a stator arranged between the pump impeller and the turbine runner; and a circulation circuit of a power transmission oil, the circuit being defined between the pump impeller, turbine runner and stator, wherein the output shaft comprises an upper output shaft connected to the turbine runner and a lower output shaft arranged coaxially with the upper output shaft and separably connected to a lower end portion of the upper output shaft; wherein the vertical power unit further comprises, outside the torque converter, an oil tank, and an oil pump for drawing up oil in the oil tank; and wherein the upper output shaft is provided with a vertical hole which communicates at an upper end with the circulation circuit so as to introduce the oil discharged by the oil pump into the circulation circuit, and a bottom wall which closes a lower end of the vertical hole.