When the pistons reach their respective bottoms, fresh air flows in from ports at the bottom, while exhaust is rejected through ports at the top. That fresh air is squeezed into a small pocket in the ...

In a conventional application, there are three rings per piston. The top ring is called the compression ring. Its purpose is to seal the combustion gas pressure, transfer heat from the piston to the ...

Horizontally-opposed engines are often referred to as "boxer" engines because the motion of the pistons sort of resembles a boxer, punching. Really, though, if any engine should be named for a boxer, ...

There's more to piston shapes than you might think. Whether it's domed, flat, or dished, all pistons have their fair share of pros and cons when it comes to performance and efficiency. Understand that ...

Most pickup trucks sold today have internal combustion engines. Passenger vehicles are powered by two main types of engines: compression, aka diesel, and spark ignition, aka gasoline. Besides the type ...

Rotary engines (also known as Wankel engines and Wankel rotary engines) are quite different from piston or "reciprocating" engines. One of the distinguishing features is that they don't need valves to ...

The original concept of combustion engines as we understand them dates as far back as the late 1800s. And while they are more or less a solved science today, they definitely didn't start that way.

Gilbert Smith is an automotive journalist with over five years of specialized research and writing experience. Before joining CarBuzz in 2024, he produced in-depth buyer’s guides and feature articles ...

Have you ever wondered why you need to add oil to your chainsaw’s fuel supply? Or why some dirt bikes have a higher pitched exhaust note than others? We’ve all been burdened with yard work or been ...

If asked what you wanted for piston rings in your engine build, would you know how to answer? Piston rings have the most important job in your engine. We will get arguments on this one because there ...