How Does A Car Engine Piston Work? (Jarrod Curry)

A car engine piston is the heart of a car engine. The pumping up and down action of the piston is the starting point for powering any car motor. In order to understand how a car engine piston works we need to take a look at the four important cycles the piston runs through. All car engines use what is called a four stroke combustion cycle. What this means is that a cycle of four pumped strokes is required to generate power. The four strokes are known as intake, compression, combustion and exhaust. The car piston pumps in an up and down motion inside of a cylinder, which begins the four stroke cycle. Let's look at each cycle stroke in more depth.

Intake stroke

On the intake stroke the piston descents from the top of the cylinder, to the bottom. This motion creates a pressure which forces a mixture of fuel and air into the cylinder. This volume of fuel and air mixture is forced into the cylinder section, known as the intake port. An intake valve on the cylinder then closes. This is stroke starts the process.

Compression stroke

When the intake valve closes, the piston returns to the top of the cylinder. In doing so, it compresses the fuel and air mixture into the combustion chamber of the cylinder head. During this compression stroke process, the temperature of the fuel and air mixture rises significantly. In fact, the temperate rises by several hundred degrees.

Power stroke

When the piston reaches the top of the cylinder, the compressed fuel and air mixture ignites, via a spark plug. The spark plug releases a spark which explodes the fuel and air mix. The explosion generated from the spark then forces the piston back down the cylinder shaft. The spark plug plays a very important role in this process. If the spark does not occur at the right moment, the necessary explosion will not happen.

Exhaust stroke

With the exhaust stroke, a valve opens to allow the waste fuel and air mix from the explosion to leave the engine. The fuel and air mix is moved down through the pressure of the explosion to the catalytic converter and muffler. Once this stroke cycle is complete, the piston returns again to the top of the cylinder, whist the valve is open, expelling the spent fuel and air mixture through the exhaust valve.

This combination of strokes is then repeated continuously, powering the car engine. The speed of this cycle of strokes determines the speed of the vehicle. The more fuel and air mix that flows through the engine, the faster the pistons increase their movement. In turn, the faster pace increases the speed of the combustion cycle, and the speed of the vehicle.

Make sure you have your engine regularly checked, to keep it in good working order. Regular checks will ensure that if you require any replacement parts for your vehicle, they will be replaced swiftly, keeping you safe on the roads. A car service center will have access to the parts you require, including parts for other kinds of vehicles such as excavator parts, machinery parts, and track parts.

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