Four-Stroke Engine Basics

Lecture 3

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 Orientation
• Throughout this lesson on four-stroke engines,
learner will self-navigate through this
PowerPoint presentation
• Be sure to click on every link
• Learner will be quizzed at the end of the
lesson
• Click on Next to move on, or Back to go back.

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 Orientation Continued
• Material that will be covered:
– Four-stroke engine basics
– Other engine types
– Basic components of a four-stroke engine
– The four-stroke cycle

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Back Next
 The Basics
• A four-stroke engine:
– Is an internal combustion engine
– Converts gasoline into motion
– Is the most common car engine type
– Is relatively efficient
– Is relatively inexpensive

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 Other Engine Types
• Two-stroke engines
• Diesel engines
• Rotary engines
• Turbine engines
• Steam engines

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Basic Components of Four-Stroke
Engines
Camshaft

Intake Valve
Exhaust Valve

Valve Cover
Spark Plug
Intake Port
Exhaust Port

Head
Piston

Connecting Rod
Coolant

Rod Bearings

Engine Block
Crankshaft
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Diagram

Oil Pan
Oil Sump
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• A. Intake Valve- opens at the proper time to
let in air and fuel.

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• B. Valve Cover- Protects the valves and the
valve springs. Keeps dirt out and lubricating
oil in.

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• C. Intake Port- the passageway in a cylinder
head for the fuel and air to pass through.

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• D. Head- a platform containing most of the
parts of the combustion chamber.

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• E. Coolant- circulating water and antifreeze to
keep the temperature regulated.

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• F. Engine Block- cast in one piece. The basis
for most of the parts of the engine.

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• G. Oil Pan- where the oil is collected and
recirculated.

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• H. Oil Sump- the collected oil primarily for
lubricating the crankshaft and rod bearing

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• I. Camshaft- a round shaft with lobes, that
rotates to open and close the fuel and exhaust
valves.

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• J. Exhaust Valve- open at the proper time to
release the exhaust

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• K. Spark Plug- a device, inserted into the
combustion chamber for firing an electrical
spark to ignite air-fuel mixture

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• L. Exhaust Port- the passageway in a cylinder
head, for the exhaust to pass through

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• M. Piston- the part of the engine that moves
up and down in the cylinder converting the
gasoline into motion

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• N. Connecting Rod- links the piston to the
crankshaft.

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• O. Rod Bearing- used to reduce friction to the
rod and crankshaft

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• P. Crankshaft- converts the up and down
motion of the piston into a turning, or rotating
motion

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The 4-Stroke Cycle
• 1. Intake
• 2. Compression
• 3. Combustion
• 4. Exhaust

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• Intake- process of
filling the cylinder
with the proper air-
fuel mixture through
the intake valve.

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• Compression- the
process of
compressing the
air-fuel mixture in
the cylinder to
make it more
combustible

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• Combustion-the
process of igniting
the compressed air-
fuel mixture to
create motion and
the over all power of
the engine.

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• Exhaust- the
process of
releasing the
exhaust out of the
cylinder through
the exhaust valve.

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 Application
• Now that you understand the basics of four-
stroke engines, how can you use this
information in the real world?

Back Quiz
• Lets take a quiz to see what you have learned!

Back Quiz
1. The ____ controls the amount of intake and
the release of exhaust.
a. head
b. valves
c. coolant
d. connecting rod
2. The _____ Cycle is the ignition of the
compressed fuel-air mixture.
a. Exhaust
b. Combustion
c. Compression
d. Intake
3. The most common type of engine?
a. diesel engines
b. 2-stroke engines
c. rotary engines
d. 4-stroke engines
4. What part of the engine converts up and
down motion into a rotation motion?
a. crankshaft
b. piston
c. valve cover
d. camshaft
5. What is the name of
the part listed?
a. intake valve
b. piston
c. oil pan
d. spark plug
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• Congratulations! That is the end of your quiz,
and the end of your lesson on four-stroke
engines.

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 References
• www.howstuffworks.com/
• www.mda.org.uk/railway/railobjv.htm

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