The piston rides up and down inside the cylinder on a connecting rod that attaches to the crankshaft, causing the crankshaft to turn. Each movement of the piston is called a stroke. Four strokes — ...

starts with the piston at the top of the cylinder (TDC) and the intake valve open to admit air and fuel. At bottom-dead-center (BDC) the inlet valve is closed and the compression stroke (b) starts.

Q:I have a 327 in my '31 Ford that features nearly the same cam and components as the one you referenced recently in Pit Stop (Nov. '12). Since a 1.6:1-ratio rocker arm will push the valve a little ...

As we begin the last article in this series on the basics of the internal combustion engine, let's stop to review what we've covered during the last five articles. We began last May by detailIing the ...