How a Four-Stroke Engine Operates

A four-stroke engine is an internal combustion engine that utilizes four distinct piston
strokes to complete one full operating cycle. A stroke refers to the travel of the piston along the
cylinder in either direction. It can be the movement of the piston from 'top dead center', which is
the farthest position of the piston from the crankshaft to bottom dead center, which is the
closest position of the piston to the crankshaft. The movement can also be reversed from bottom
dead center to top dead center. The four stroke engine is the most common engine type and
powers many different mechanisms including:

Motorcycles
Automobiles
Boats
Trucks

Aircrafts
Ships
Heavy duty machinery
Power generators

Internal Engine Components

There are 8 primary components located inside the engine block needed for the
assembly of a four-stroke engine, which are displayed in Figure 1.

Crankshaft A mechanical part with the ability to perform a conversion between

reciprocating motion and rotational motion.
Connecting Rod A long solid cylinder connecting the piston(s) to the crankshaft.
Fly Wheel A rotating mechanical device that is used to store rotational energy.
Cylinders The central working part of a reciprocating engine and the space in which a
piston travels.
Inlet Valves The intake system that controls the timing of the fuel/air mixture flowing
into the cylinder.
Outlet Valves The exhaust system that expels the exhaust gasses out of the cylinder.
Timing Belt A part that synchronizes the rotation of the crankshaft and the camshaft in
order for the engines valves to open and close at the proper times during each cylinders
intake and exhaust strokes.
Camshaft The top component driven by the crankshaft to operate the inlet and outlet
valves.
The engine block is the metal housing enclosing all of these listed dynamic
components. Inside the engine block, there are X amount of piston rods attached to the
crankshaft and piston cylinders are attached to the top of each piston rod. The crankshaft
rotates in a circular motion about a fixed point, shown in figure 2, which causes the lifter
to make each piston move up and down vertically. The camshaft is located above the
crankshaft and is connected with a timing belt. While the crankshaft is moving the pistons
up and down vertically, it is simultaneously turning the camshaft with the timing belt
allowing the valves to open and close. The assembled four-stroke engine only then needs

three elements present in order to run. These elements include, a burnable mixture
(gasoline, starting fluid, carb cleaner, etc.), compression, and ignition/spark.

Figure 1: Engine Components

Stroke Stages

As one may guess, there are four separate strokes that take place in a fourstroke engine, which means the engine completes a cycle of tasks that is separated into
four stages. These four strokes take place in the following order and are termed:

Intake Stroke
Compression Stroke

Combustion/Power Stroke
Exhaust Stroke

Figure 2: Stroke Stages

1. The Intake Stroke

a. The first stroke in the cycle sequence is the intake stroke. During the intake
stroke, the piston moves downwards and the intake valve opens up to fill the
chamber with the fuel/air mixture. This mixture is forced downwards by the
atmospheric pressure into the cylinder through the intake port. At the start of each
new cycle, the intake stroke draws a fresh charge of the vaporized fuel/air mixture
from the intake valve.

2. The Compression Stroke

a. The compression stroke takes place as the piston rises back to the top. When the
crankshaft makes a full revolution and reaches the very top position, both the
intake and exhaust valves close. The piston simultaneously is forced to the top of
the cylinder compressing the fuel/air mixture into the cylinder head.

3. The Combustion/Power Stroke

a. The combustion/power stroke takes place during the start of the second revolution
of the cycle. While the piston is in its furthest position away from the crankshaft
(the top), the compressed fuel/air mixture is ignited. In gasoline engines the
fuel/air mixture is ignited by a spark plug, while in a diesel engine the fuel/air
mixture ignites due to the heat generated by the compression. As the fuel/air
mixture burns it expands, driving the piston downward.

4. The Exhaust Stroke

a. During the exhaust stroke the piston returns again to its closest position to the
crankshaft. The exhaust valve is opened due to the position of the camshaft/lifter
mechanism. This action expels the spent fuel/air mixture through the exhaust
valve and out of the cylinder.

Cycle Summary

In summary, the combustion is able to cause piston motion through the four
separate strokes described above. First, during the intake stroke the intake valve is opened and
the fuel/air mixture is drawn in as the piston travels downward. Second, during the compression
stroke the intake and exhaust valves are closed and the piston travels back up the cylinder
compressing the fuel/air mixture. Just before the piston reaches the top of its compression stroke,
the spark plug emits a spark to combust the fuel/air mixture. Third, during the combustion/power
stroke the piston is now forced down by the pressure wave of the combustion of the fuel/air
mixture. The engines power is derived from this particular stroke. Lastly, during the exhaust
stroke the exhaust valve is opened and the piston travels back up the cylinder expelling the
exhaust gasses through the oultet valve. At the top of the stroke the exhaust valve is closed and
this process is repeated continuously. This summary describes the cycle of operation of one
cylinder of a four-stroke engine. Generally, engines have two or more cylinders acting in concert
with each other to produce the engines power.