Patent ID: 7178500

Claim:
A marine engine, comprising: a lubricating oil conduit formed within said engine and configured to conduct a flow of lubricating oil through a portion of a block of said engine, said lubricating oil conduit having an internal dimension extending from a first point on an internal surface of said lubricating oil conduit to a second point on an opposite internal surface of said lubricating oil conduit; a coolant conduit formed within said engine and configured to conduct a flow of coolant through said engine and in thermal communication with heat producing portions of said engine, said lubricating oil conduit being spaced apart from said coolant conduit by a distance which is less than the magnitude of said internal dimension; and an internal bulge formed in said coolant conduit at a region of said engine at which said bulge reduces said distance by which said lubricating oil and coolant conduits are spaced apart, said bulge extending, in a direction generally parallel to a central axis of said lubricating oil conduit, a distance which is at least twice the magnitude of said internal dimension, said lubricating oil conduit having a cross section defined by a major axis and a minor axis.