Engine Functionning (class 5 GTHS) Chapter 1: General information on the engine

Chapter 1: GENERAL INFORMATION

ON THE ENGINE

The basic function of an engine is to convert chemical energy (the fuel) into
mechanical energy and to produce usable power and torque (this is the ability to turn the
driving wheels and move the vehicle). The spark ignition (SI) engine operates on the
principle of the Otto four-stroke cycle or the Clerk two-stroke cycle of operations. The
compression ignition engine (CIE) operates on the principle of the four-stroke cycle of
Rudolf Diesel (1858 - 1913).

1.1 Layout of components

The power units used in the light vehicle can be fitted in a number of different places
(Figure 1.1). The source of power is provided by an internal combustion engine. The petrol
or spark ignition (SI) engine is the most common, although the diesel or compression
ignition (CI) engine is becoming more widely used. These are of the conventional design,
where the pistons move up and down in the cylinders. Several other designs have been used;
for example the Wankel engine used by Mazda in the RX7 and by Norton in their motor
cycle. Another method of propulsion is electricity; the electric vehicle is gaining popularity
as there is very little pollution of the atmosphere and it can therefore meet the more stringent
regulations coming into force each year.

The layout of the main components may conform to one of the following:

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Engine Functionning (class 5 GTHS) Chapter 1: General information on the engine

- front engine front wheel drive (FWD)

- front engine rear wheel drive (RWD)
- mid-engine rear wheel drive
- rear engine rear wheel drive (Figure 1.2)
- one of the above but four wheel drive(4WD)

An engine can be constituted externally by the general followed exploded

components (figure 1.3):

1 – Timing belt cover 2 – Timing belt cover back plate 3 – Thermostat outlet
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Engine Functionning (class 5 GTHS) Chapter 1: General information on the engine

4 – Camshaft cover 5 – Coolant thermistor 6 – Thermostat

7 – Thermostat housing 8 – Cylinder head 9 – Dowel
10 – Cylinder head stud – long 11 – Cylinder head bolt 12 – Cylinder head stud – short
13 – Spark plug 14 – Alternator/water pump belt 15 – Crankshaft pulley
16 – Oil seal 17 – Oil pressure switch 18 – Oil pump
19 – Oil pump plug 20 – Plug and ‘O’ ring 21 – Oil pressure relief valve spring
22 – Oil pressure relief valve plunger 23 – Oil filter cartridge
24 – Timing belt tensioner 25 – Water pump pulley 26 – Deflector
27 – Water pump 28 – Cylinder block 29 – Cylinder head gasket
30 – Knock sensor 31 – Crankshaft rear oil seal 32 – Gearbox adapter plate
33 – Crankshaft sensor 34 – Dipstick 35 – Dipstick tube 36 – Oil filler tube
37 – Oil filler cap 38 – Sump plug 39 – Oil sump 40 – Oil sump gasket
41 – Front main bearing cap 42 – Main bearing shells 43 – Intermediate main bearing
cap 44 – Centre main bearing cap 45 – Thrust washers 46 – Intermediate main
bearing cap 47 – Rear main bearing cap 48 – Dowel 49 – Oil separator
50 – Oil strainer and ‘O’ ring

Internally we can have the following components in a four strokes engine (figure
1.5):

1 – Timing belt tensioner 2 – Timing belt 3 – Camshaft gear 4 – Camshaft front oil
seal 5 – Camshaft 6 – Camshaft rear oil seal 7 – Tappet 8 – Shim 9 – Cotters
10 – Cup 11 – Spring 12 – Valve stem seal 13 – Seat 14 – Deflector
15 – Connecting rod and piston – LH 16 – Gudgeon pin 17 – Compression rings

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Engine Functionning (class 5 GTHS) Chapter 1: General information on the engine

18 – Oil control ring 19 – Piston 20 – Exhaust valve seat insert 21 – Inlet valve
seat insert 22 – Valve guide 23 – Exhaust valve 24 – Inlet valve 25 – Crankshaft
washers 26 – Main bearing shell 27 – Connecting rod bolt 28 – Connecting rod –
RH 29 – Big-end bearing shell 30 – Pulley bolt 31 – Washer 32 – Crankshaft pulley
33 – Gear flange 34 – Crankshaft gear 35 – Gear flange 36 – Pulley and gear
key 37 – Oil pump key 38 – Crankshaft 39 – Flywheel dowel 40 – Connecting
rod nut 41 – Connecting rod cap

1.2 Cylinder arrangements and firing orders

1.2.1 Firing orders

When considering multi-cylinder engines and firing orders, the power strokes should
be spaced at equal intervals to give the smoothest possible running of the engine. Each
interval is equal to the number of degrees per cycle of operation. This will be 720° for a
four-stroke engine. This is then divided by the number of cylinders, e.g. 720=4 ¼ 180°.
Therefore the firing interval for a four-cylinder in-line engine will be 180° and that for a six-
cylinder in-line engine will be 720=6 ¼ 120°
 The firing order is determined by two things.
 The position of the cylinders and the cranks on the crankshaft (this determines the
possible firing orders).
 The arrangement of the cams on the camshaft (this must be in accordance with one of
the possible firing orders).
The arrangements on the crankshaft are such that the pistons on a four-cylinder in-
line engine are moved in pairs, e.g. numbers 1 and 4 form one pair and 2 and 3 form the
other pair. This means that when number 1 is moving down, on its power stroke, number 4
will also be moving down, but on its induction stroke. Depending on the firing order, when
number 2 piston moves upwards it will either be on its exhaust or compression stroke,
number 3 will be on its compression or exhaust stroke.
From this then we can see that there are two possible firing orders for a four-cylinder
in-line engine. These are 1342 or 1243, both of which are in common use today. Table 1.3
below shows the events in each of the cylinders for the two firing orders. The reasons for
using more than one cylinder are very complex but in simple terms they are as follows.
 A multi-cylinder engine has a higher power-to-weight ratio than a single-cylinder
engine.
 With multi-cylinder engines there are more power strokes for the same number of
engine revolutions. This gives fewer fluctuations in torque and a smoother power
output.
 A better acceleration is achieved due to smaller moving parts and more firing
impulses.
 The crankshaft is balanced better; the crankshaft of a single-cylinder engine cannot
be perfectly balanced. Very good balance is obtained with six or more cylinders.
 The piston crown cannot be adequately cooled on large single-cylinder engines; as
the piston gets larger the centre of the crown becomes more difficult to keep cool.
Figure 1.13 shows firing orders for a range of different engines.

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Engine Functionning (class 5 GTHS) Chapter 1: General information on the engine

Speed relationship between crankshaft and camshaft

The movement ratio between the crankshaft and the camshaft is always 2:1 on all
four-stroke engines. This can be simply determined either by counting the number of teeth
on each gear or by measuring the diameter of the gears and dividing the driven gear by the
driving gear. From this it will be seen that the camshaft gear is always twice as large as the
crankshaft gear.

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Engine Functionning (class 5 GTHS) Chapter 1: General information on the engine

1.2.2 Cylinder arrangements

There are three arrangements which may be used for an engine.

a) In-line cylinders
The cylinders are arranged in a single row, one behind the other. They may be
vertical, as in most modern light vehicles, horizontal as used in coaches where the engine is
positioned under the floor, or inclined at an angle to allow for a lower bonnet line.
The four-cylinder in-line is the most popular design in Europe. It has the advantages
of having easy access for its size and providing enough power for most applications. The
larger six-cylinder engines provide for better acceleration and give better engine balance,
and smoother running.

b) Horizontally opposed cylinders

This is where the cylinders are at an angle of 180° apart and usually positioned
horizontally (see Fig. 1.12). In this layout the engine has little secondary imbalance giving
very smooth running and long engine life. It also has a lower centre of gravity allowing for a
lower bonnet line.

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Engine Functionning (class 5 GTHS) Chapter 1: General information on the engine

c) Vee cylinder arrangements

The cylinders are arranged in two rows at an angle to one another. The angle for
two-, four- and eight-cylinder engines is usually 90°, for six- and twelve-cylinder engines
the angle is usually 60°. This is illustrated in Fig. 1.11.

With this layout the engine is more compact than an in-line engine of the same
number of cylinders and the vee 6, 8 and 12 are well balanced.

1.3 Other types of engines

Rotary engines
The rot or in this type of engine (Fig. 1.12) replaces the piston and crank of the
reciprocating engine. The housing in which the rotor moves has a shape which is called an
epitrochoid and it permits the four steps of the Otto cycle to be completed in one revolution
of the rotor. On the inside of the rotor is a gear that engages with a smaller gear on the
output shaft and this is the medium through which the energy from combustion is
transmitted to the engine flywheel.

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Engine Functionning (class 5 GTHS) Chapter 1: General information on the engine

Fig. 1.12: The Wankel-type rotary engine

The Atkinson engine cycle

The theoretic al Akinson cycle is shown in the pressure volume diagram of Fig. 1.13.
There are four processes.
The first start s at point 3 on the diagram, where a mass of air is com pressed up to
point 4. At point 4 the air is heated and the pressure rises while the volume remains
constant. At point 1 the hot air expands on the power stroke. The power stroke ends at point
2 and the gas is exhausted at constant pressure up to point 3, where the cycle starts again.

Fig. 1.13: Pressure volume diagram for the ideal Atkinson cycle

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