Engine Fundamentals
Engine Classification
Engine Classification
Even
though basic parts are the
same, design differences can
change the way engines operate
and how they are repaired
For
this reason, you must be able
to classify engines
Internal Combustion Engines
An
engine, such as a gasoline or
diesel engine, in which fuel is
burned inside the engine
Designed
to be run on any fuel
that vaporizes easily or on any
flammable gas
External Combustion Engines
An
engine, such as a steam engine, in
which fuel is burned outside the engine
Fuel
is burned to produce heat to
make steam
Fuel
burning can take place within a
few feet of the engine to several miles
away
Diagram External Combustion
Engine Classification
Cylinder
arrangement
Number
of cylinders
Cooling
system type
Valve
location
Camshaft
location
Engine Classification cont.
Combustion
chamber design
Type
of fuel burned
Type
of ignition
Number
of strokes per cycle
Number
of valves per cylinder
Type
of aspiration
# 1 Cylinder Arrangement
Refers to the position of the cylinders in
relation to the crankshaft
There are five basic cylinder arrangements:
inline
V-type
slant
W-type
opposed
Cylinder Arrangement
YouTube - engine configurations
Horizontally Opposed
Pancake
Boxer
In - Line
V configuration
# 2 Number of Cylinders
Most
car and truck engines have
either 4, 6, or 8 cylinders
Some
may have 3, 5, 10, 12, or
16 cylinders
Engine
power and smoothness
are enhanced by using more
cylinders
Numbering of Cylinders
Engine
manufacturers number each
engine cylinder to help technicians make
repairs
Service
manual illustrations are usually
provided to show the number of each
cylinder
Cylinder
numbers may be cast into the
intake manifold
# 3 Firing Orders
Refers
to the sequence in which the
cylinders fire
Determined
by the position of the
crankshaft rod journals in relation to each
other
May
be cast into the intake manifold
Service
manual illustrations are usually
provided to show the firing order
Numbering and Firing Order
# 4 Method of Cooling
There are two types of cooling systems:
Liquid cooling system
surrounds the cylinder with coolant
coolant carries combustion heat out of the
cylinder head and engine block
Air cooling system
circulates air over cooling fins on the cylinders
air removes heat from the cylinders
# 5 Fuel Type
Engines
are classified by the type of fuel
used
Gasoline
Diesel
engines burn gasoline
engines burn diesel fuel
Liquefied
petroleum gas (LPG), gasohol
(10% alcohol, 90% gasoline), and pure
alcohol can also be used to power an engine
Aspiration (how does air arrive)
Normal
aspiration atmospheric pressure
Forced
induction (Turbo or Supercharger)
# 6 Method of Ignition
Two
basic methods are used
to ignite the fuel in an engine
combustion chamber:
spark
ignition (spark plug)
compression
ignition
(compressed air)
Spark Ignition
Compression Ignition
# 7 Valve Location
Engines are classified by the location of the valves:
L-head
engine
also
F-head
called a flat head engine
engine
Compromise
I-head
between I & L head engines
engine
Both
overhead valve (OHV) engines and overhead com
(OHC) are I-head
I and L Head
Both valves are in the
cylinder head
Both the intake and exhaust
valves are in the block
Flathead-Model T
F Head (1971 Jeep)
# 8 Camshaft Location
There
are two basic locations for the engine
camshaft:
Camshaft
located in the block
cam-in-block
Camshaft
engine
located in the cylinder head
overhead
cam (OHC) engine
Cam in Block (OHV)
Uses
push rods to transfer
motion to the rocker arms
and valves
Also
called an overhead
valve (OHV) engine
Diagram of OHV
Note the adjustment screw
on the end of the rocker
arm. Not all rocker arms
have this adjustment.
Check the shop manual
for adjustment
procedures.
Cam in Head
OHC
engines may use one or two camshafts per
cylinder head
Single
overhead cam (SOHC) engine
uses
Dual
only one camshaft per cylinder head
overhead cam (DOHC) engine
uses
one
two camshafts per cylinder head
cam operates the intake valves, while the
other cam operates the exhaust valves
Diagram of OHC
Notice that the pushrod
and rocker arm have
been eliminated in this
OHC engine. Less moving
parts in the transmission of
camshaft motion to open
the valve.
This not only reduces
friction points and weight
but also less points for
wear and component
breakage.
NOTE-not all OHC have
eliminated the rocker arms.
(See next slide)
Diagram of OHC with Rockers
Diagram of DOHC
# 9 Combustion Chamber Design
Four basic combustion chamber
shapes are used in most automotive
engines:
pancake
wedge
Hemispherical
pent-roof
(hemi)
Pancake
Chamber
piston head
Valve
forms a flat pocket over the
heads are almost parallel to the top
of the piston
Wedge
The
valves are placed side-by-side
The
spark plug is located next to the valves
When
the piston reaches TDC, the squish area formed
on the thin side of the chamber squirts the air-fuel
mixture out into the main part of the chamber
this
improves air-fuel mixing at low engine speeds
Hemispherical (Hemi)
Shaped
The
like a dome
valves are canted on each side of the combustion chamber
The
spark plug is located near the center of the chamber, producing
a very short flame path for combustion
The
surface area is very small, reducing heat loss
Pent Roof
Similar
to a hemispherical chamber
Has
flat, angled surfaces rather than a domed
surface
Improves
emissions
volumetric efficiency and reduces
Pent Roof Combustion Chamber
Uses two exhaust valves and two intake
valves to increase flow
Additional Combustion Chamber Designs
Swirl
Causes the air-fuel mixture to swirl as it enters
the chamber, improving combustion