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