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1 module · 4 narrated lessons · 1 exploded view · 1 explorable

How a Four-Stroke Car Engine Works

Watch a single cylinder breathe, compress, fire, and exhaust to see how cars turn fuel into motion.

Topic typed in: “How a four-stroke car engine works”

Lesson 1 of 4: The Four Strokes and What Each One Does · 1:56
Cylinder One, the explorable simulation from this courseCylinder OneA cutaway of a single cylinder that actually runs. The piston, valves and spark follow real crank geometry, and the pressure, torque and power readouts are worked out as it turns. Mistune the throttle or the spark advance and watch it run weak, knock or stall.Open the live explorable (opens in a new tab)
  1. A frame from lesson 1, The Four Strokes and What Each One Does

    1. The Four Strokes and What Each One Does

    1:56 narrated video

  2. A frame from lesson 2, Valves, Camshaft, and Timing

    2. Valves, Camshaft, and Timing

    2:15 narrated video

  3. A frame from lesson 3, Spark Timing and the Power Stroke

    3. Spark Timing and the Power Stroke

    2:11 narrated video

  4. A frame from lesson 4, Crankshaft and Flywheel: From Piston Push to Wheel Spin

    4. Crankshaft and Flywheel: From Piston Push to Wheel Spin

    2:07 narrated video

Taken apart

Four-stroke engine cylinder assembly (single-cylinder testbed)

Drag the slider to pull it apart, and select any part to read what it does. The parts outlined in dashes are drawn see-through so nothing behind them is hidden.

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Order follows an actual teardown: unscrew the spark plug, lift the camshaft and both valves out of the head, unbolt the head from the block, draw the piston up out of the bore, slide the ring pack off it and drive out the wrist pin, then drop the connecting rod and finally the crankshaft out of the crankcase — leaving the block as the one part that never moves.

Select a part, in the drawing or in the list, to read what it does.

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