Engine to a car is like a heart to a human person. It functions by the principle of combustion or burning the fuel. There are different methods of classifying car engines. This classification is usually done according to the number of cylinders, the type of fuel used, and the arrangement of cylinders.
Type of fuel used
A car engine may either use petrol (gasoline) or diesel. Petrol engines use spark plugs for ignition. Diesel engines on the other hand use compression for ignition. The diesel engine is quite heavier than the gasoline engine. The gasoline (petroleum) engines are more common than diesel engines.
Number of cylinders
A car engine can have from three to twelve cylinders. The number of cylinders affects the power of the car. An eight-cylinder engine would be more powerful than a four-cylinder engine, though it would also consume a lot more fuel.
Arrangement of cylinders
In a car engine, you will find the cylinders are usually arranged in one of two ways. The cylinders could be inclined in a “V” shape or in a straight row. In that case, V-8 engine is an engine with eight cylinders inclined in a V shape. The earliest form of engine was known as the rotary cylinder engine. The cylinders in a rotary engine are arranged in a round manner with the crankshaft surrounded by a revolving block of cylinders. However, the rotary engines are quite rare today.
Other classifications
Engines may also be classified as to how they cool. A car may either use liquid coolant or air coolant. A car engine may also be classified according to the number of strokes, that is, four stroke, eight stroke and so on. Final thing to add here is that car engines can also have either a timing chain or a timing belt. Timing belt serves to regulate the timing of the valves of the engine. Timing chains may last longer than timing belts as they do not stretch and wear out due to tension.
