A snowmobile includes a frame, a tunnel, a seat, an endless track, at least one ski, a handlebar, a cowling defining an engine compartment, an engine, a continuously variable transmission (CVT) operatively connecting the engine to the endless track, and a pulley guard assembly disposed over at least a portion of the CVT. The CVT includes a primary pulley, a secondary pulley, and an endless flexible member operatively connecting the primary pulley to the secondary pulley. The pulley guard assembly is disposed between the CVT and a lateral side of the cowling, and defines an air inlet. The air inlet fluidly communicates with a space defined between the pulley guard assembly and the lateral side. In some implementations, the cowling defines an air inlet. In some implementations, an air duct fluidly connects the air inlet of the cowling to the air inlet of the pulley guard assembly.

A continuously variable transmission includes a primary pulley, a secondary pulley, a metal belt wound around the primary pulley and the secondary pulley, and a controller. The metal belt includes a ring and a plurality of elements. The elements have respective receiving portions opening in a radial direction of the belt and receive the ring in the receiving portions. The controller executes a preliminary determined falling-off countermeasure control of the element when the end play larger than the predetermined length is detected to be generated or the continuously variable transmission is detected to be under the operation condition in which the end plays concentrate.

Greasable idler pulleys and related kits and methods are disclosed. The greasable idler pulley has a rotating body, a bearing, to enable the rotating body to rotate with respect to a shaft, and grease fitting defined through the rotating body. The rotating body may have a bearing seal cap having an orifice and a rotator. The grease fitting may be in fluid communication with the bearing through the orifice in the bearing seal cap. Kits are also contemplated, such as a kit for retrofitting a non-regreasable idler pulley including a rotator to a regreasable idler pulley. Methods may include methods of producing a regreasable idler pulley from a non-regreasable idler pulley.

A washing machine appliance includes a wash basket rotatably mounted within a wash tub for receiving of a load of articles for washing and a drive motor having a motor shaft for selectively rotating the wash basket and an agitation element. A cooling fan is mechanically coupled to the motor shaft for urging a flow of air as the drive motor rotates the motor shaft and a fan cover is positioned over the cooling fan. The fan cover includes an endcap positioned opposite the cooling fan relative to the drive motor along an axial direction, a peripheral portion defining a plurality of ventilation openings spaced apart along a circumferential direction, and a plurality of louvers positioned over the plurality of ventilation openings for directing the flow of air away from the drive motor.

A utility vehicle has a CVT, an engine providing power to the CVT, a CVT case accommodating the CVT, front and rear wheels supporting the vehicle body frame on the ground surface and an exterior side panel supported to the vehicle body frame. The exterior side panel includes an inner wall located inside a vehicle cabin and an outer wall located outside the vehicle cabin. An intake chamber is formed between the inner wall and the outer wall of the exterior side panel. An intake opening portion is provided in the exterior side panel for introducing ambient air present around the exterior side panel to the intake chamber. The intake chamber and the CVT case are connected and communicated to each other via an intake hose.

Methods, systems, and vehicles that control the temperature of a device included in the vehicle are presented herein. The temperature of the device is controlled by ventilating the device with drivetrain air, such as transmission cooling air. In some embodiments, the device is at a greater temperature than the drivetrain air, which cools the device. In other embodiments, the device is at a lesser temperature than the drivetrain air, which heats the device. The drivetrain air is provided to the device through an exhaust duct coupled to the vehicle’s transmission. The drivetrain exhaust air is preferably circulated by the transmission. The transmission may be a continuously variable transmission. The device may be an oxygen sensor that is coupled to an engine exhaust pipe. The oxygen sensor is thermally coupled to the engine exhaust and the engine exhaust pipe, which are at greater temperatures than the transmission exhaust air.

A continuously variable transmission includes a transmission belt including a plurality of elements each including a pair of pillar portions and a ring arranged between the pair of pillar portions of each of the plurality of elements, and a lubricant supply portion arranged on an inner side of the transmission belt in a radial direction. Each of the plurality of elements further includes a pair of rocking edge portions formed away from each other in a width direction, and a non-contact portion extending between the pair of rocking edge portions in the width direction along a saddle surface. A clearance that communicates the non-contact portion and a region on an inner side in the radial direction with respect to the transmission belt is formed between the elements included in a looped portion of the transmission belt around a first or second pulley.

A fluid conveyance device that conveys a fluid in a low gravity and high vacuum environment, includes: an endless belt member having an uneven surface on an outer peripheral side of the endless belt; a belt driving gear that meshes with the uneven surface and rotationally drives the belt member; a fluid supplying portion that supplies the fluid to a fluid supply target; and a fluid storage portion that stores the fluid. Further, the belt member captures the fluid stored in the fluid storage portion by the uneven surface and conveys the fluid to the fluid supplying portion.

There is provided a lubricating structure for a power transmission mechanism in which a crankshaft is coupled to a piston disposed in a cylinder bore and in which power is transmitted from the crankshaft to a camshaft. The lubricating structure includes: an idler gear that is configured to transmit power from the crankshaft to the camshaft; and an idler gear shaft that supports the idler gear via a bearing. One end portion of the idler gear shaft protrudes into the cylinder bore, and an oil passage configured to guide oil from the cylinder bore to the bearing is formed in the idler gear shaft.

A utility vehicle comprises a traveling driving power source which generates rotational driving power for driving a drive wheel; a continuously variable transmission including an input shaft to which the rotational driving power transmitted from the traveling driving power source is input, an output shaft which outputs the rotational driving power toward the drive wheel, a drive pulley provided at the input shaft, a driven pulley provided at the output shaft, and a belt wrapped around the drive pulley and the driven pulley; a clutch which is disposed in a driving power transmission path at a location that is between the belt and the drive wheel and is capable of disconnecting the driving power transmission path; and a clutch actuator which operates the clutch.