imiski:
pls Gurus wats /how do cylinders work in a car engine...

imiski:
copy..... Car engines are built around a set of "cooking
pots" called cylinders (usually anything from two
to twelve of them, but typically four, six, or eight)
inside which the fuel burns. The cylinders are
made of super-strong metal and sealed shut, but
at one end they open and close like bicycle
pumps: they have tight-fitting pistons (plungers)
that can slide up and down inside them. At the
top of each cylinder, there are two valves
(essentially "gates" letting things in or out that
can be opened and closed very quickly). The
inlet valve allows fuel and air to enter the
cylinder from a carburetor or electronic fuel-
injector; the outlet valve lets the exhaust gases
escape. At the top of the cylinder, there is also a
sparking plug (or spark plug), an electrically
controlled device that makes a spark to set fire
to the fuel. At the bottom of the cylinder, the
piston is attached to a constantly turning axle
called a crankshaft. The crankshaft powers the
car's gearbox which, in turn, drives the wheels.
How does a four-stroke
engine make power?
Watch this animation and you'll see that a
car engine makes its power by endlessly
repeating a series of four steps (called
strokes):
1. Intake: The piston (green) is pulled
down inside the cylinder (gray) by the
momentum of the crankshaft (grey
wheel at the bottom). Most of the time
the car is moving along, so the
crankshaft is always turning. The inlet
valve (left) opens, letting a mixture of
fuel and air (blue cloud) into the
cylinder through the purple pipe.
2. Compression : The inlet valve closes.
The piston moves back up the cylinder
and compresses (squeezes) the fuel-
air mixture, which makes it much
more flammable. When the piston
reaches the top of the cylinder, the
sparking plug (yellow) fires.
3. Power: The spark ignites the fuel-air
mixture causing a mini explosion. The
fuel burns immediately, giving off hot
gas that pushes the piston back down.
The energy released by the fuel is
now powering the crankshaft.
4. Exhaust: The outlet valve (right)
opens. As the crankshaft continues to
turn, the piston is forced back up the
cylinder for a second time. It forces
the exhaust gases (produced when
the fuel burned) out through the
exhaust outlet (blue pipe).
The whole cycle then repeats itself.
How many cylinders does an
engine need?
One problem with the four-stroke design is that
the crankshaft is being powered by the cylinder
for only one stage out of four. That's why cars
typically have at least four cylinders, arranged
so they fire out of step with one another. At any
moment, one cylinder is always going through
each one of the four stages—so there is always
one cylinder powering the crankshaft and
there's no loss of power. With a 12-cylinder
engine, there are at least three cylinders
powering the crankshaft at any time—and that's
why those engines are used in fast and powerful
cars.
Photo: More cylinders mean more power. Left: A
4-cylinder, 48hp Morris Minor engine from the
1960s. This engine is so incredibly tiny, it really
looks like there's something missing—but it can
still manage a top speed close to 125 km/h
(80mph). Right: A huge V12 Jaguar XJS sports
car engine from the mid/late 1970s gives a top
speed of about 240 km/h (140 mph). It's
something like 300hp (about six times more
powerful than the Mor

nedu2000:
The number of cylinders basically is a function of the strength of one's engine.
A car with v4 engine has 4 cylinders(2 on each side), a car with a V6 engine has 6 cylinders(3 on each side),a car with v8 or v12 has 8 and 12 cylinders respectively.
The higher the more powerful.simple as that,no need for stories

chillex8:


Totally wrong info

GAZZUZZ:


Yaaay chillex8 is back!! Where have you been?

[size=1pt]chillex8 tired of all your other monikers?[/size]

honmusa:

Bros no forget to add reference

chillex8:


Totally wrong info

imiski:
tnx I can't copy d link I've closed it but it was on wikipedia

lonelydora:


At least we still have a truthful Nigerian. Thought you will claim you wrote it yourself.

clemz85:
its where combustion takes place, the combustion pushes the pistons the piston pushes the cam shaft can shat to fly wheel and serpentines, the flywheel is where you have the torque or power produced and transferred the axle from axle to tires,

I stand to be corrected abeg.

clemz85:
its where combustion takes place, the combustion pushes...

I stand to be corrected abeg.

0rex:

No. Only the Piston travels through the cylinder. Combustion takes place on top of the piston during the Power Stroke of the engine.
The piston is linked to the CRANKSHAFT via a connecting rod.
The flywheel is connected to the crankshaft & power is transmitted to the wheels through the gearbox & other parts such as axle, differential, shaft, propeller...

nedu2000:
but more cylinders does mean more power...in summary

nedu2000:
The number of cylinders basically is a function of the strength of one's engine.
A car with v4 engine has 4 cylinders(2 on each side), a car with a V6 engine has 6 cylinders(3 on each side),a car with v8 or v12 has 8 and 12 cylinders respectively.
The higher the more powerful.simple as that,no need for stories

nedu2000:
but more cylinders does mean more power...in summary

kokaneprodigy:

Who's is this one? which one be V4 Oga u'll hardly come across a v4 engine what u c are in-line 4 cylinders.
Also not all 6, 8 cylinders are Vs, there are in-line 6, case in point the Volvo xc90 and some beemers.

EgunMogaji:

Still totally wrong..in summary.

Siena:


You're wrong.

clemz85:
its where combustion takes place, the combustion pushes the pistons the piston pushes the cam shaft can shat to fly wheel and serpentines, the flywheel is where you have the torque or power produced and transferred the axle from axle to tires,

I stand to be corrected abeg.

inze:


. . . now sit down, you have been corrected