Author Biography

Ethan was raised working on old Ford cars from a young age. He and his Father always have an unfinished car, or two, maybe even three, in the garage waiting to be worked on.

He appreciates the ride of modern vehicles and the distinction of classic automobiles.

Ethan is the Founder and Chief Editor of TorqueBoss.com

Introduction

Man has always dreamed.

We dreamed to one day flay, we dreamed to visit outer space, and we dreamed of a way to move faster than our two feet could take us.

It took many years but these dreams eventually became reality.

History of the Internal Combustion Engine

Leonardo Da Vinci was one of the first people to dream about an engine and how it works. His drawings and ideas illustrate one of the first engines.

It wasn’t until the late 1800’s that man created the first combustion engine. Man finally engineered how to capture the power of small explosions.

Combustion

If you light a mixture of fuel and oxygen it will create an explosion. This process is called combustion.

Nikolaus Otto, among others, helped to make the first combustion engine. Many people were involved and improved on each other’s ideas.

The Four Cycle Engine

Henry Ford was responsible for making the automobile affordable for most people back in the early 1900’s. His Model T and Model A car’s were very successful and helped to change the face of the world.

His engines and the engines of today still function the same. This process is called a four stroke cycle.

Intake Stroke

The intake stroke is when air and fuel enter the combustion chamber.

Compression Stroke

The piston moves up the chamber and compresses the air. This increases the pressure of the air and fuel mixture.

Power Stroke

The power stroke is when the explosion occurs. This explosion is very powerful and forces the piston back down the combustion chamber.

Exhaust Stroke

The exhaust stroke pushes the left over fumes out of the combustion chamber.

Parts of the Engine

Engine Block

The engine block needs to be very strong. It’s made out of either iron or an aluminum alloy for strength. It will get very hot and needs to be cooled.

Cylinder Head

The heads cover where the explosion occurs. They need to be bolted tightly to the engine block.

Pistons

The pistons move up and down the cylinder as the explosions occur. They harness the power of the explosion to turn the crankshaft.

Crankshaft

The pistons have rods at the bottom which connect to the crankshaft. The crankshaft turns as each piston goes up and down the cylinder.

Valves

There are two types of valves. Intake valves and exhaust valves. Intake valves open to let the air and fuel mixture in the combustion chamber. Exhaust valves open to let the burnt fuel and fumes leave the combustion chamber.

Timing Chain

This is what keeps the engine in sync. All the parts need to turn at the right time for everything to work correctly.

Spark Plugs

This is what gives the spark to light the fire. Each one will spark at just the right moment.

Distributor

The distributor sends electricity to the spark plug. It controls when the spark plug ignites the fire.