How does a car engine work in terms of cyclinder capacity?

Question

If you have a 2 litre engine for example and the fuel tank holds 50 litres then why doesnt the engine burn up all the fuel within 25 turns? I think the cc is how much the engine holds at one time, if not then what exactly does cyclinder capacity mean?

Answer 1

Very complicated question. Simply put, the capacity of the cylinder is the space it contains. Fuel is injected into that space and an electrical charge ignites the fuel. The larger the capacity, obviously the bigger the explosion, hence the power of the engine. The cylinder is not filled with fuel only a small spray is injected into the cylinder otherwise the fuel would not explode as in all combustion three elements are required, IE Oxygen, fuel and something else, but for the life of me I can't think of at this precise moment!

Answer 2

First 'CC' stands for Cubic Centimeters'. If filled an engine was filled with fuel, it would not even turn over. A Gasoline fueled engine uses a mixture of air (compressible) and gasoline at a ratio of 14 or 15 parts air to 1 part fuel. True a 2 litre engine is 2,000 cc (cubic centimeters). So the larger the cylinder capacity, the more air&fuel the engine will use. The cylinder capacity is the (((number of cylinders) X (( PI) X (the radius of the bore squared)) x (the stroke))). And yes, after you have compressed air & fuel, the third item would be 'Spark'. Ralph

Answer 3

Although your question is a very logical one, the volume relationship between engine size and fuel tank size is not directly comparable.

Fuel tanks are simply reservoirs of a fixed size that slowly empty as air/fuel mixture is burned in the engine. Engines are actually air pumps that mix small amounts of fuel with large amounts of air for combustion. The optimum ratio of air to fuel is indeed about 14.7 to 1 by weight, not by volume. So there is vastly more air used in the 2 liter engine compared with fuel.

I think most people would say that engine volume is individual cylinder capacity multiplied by the number of cylinders.

Answer 4

CC stands for cubic capacity. In actual fact the amount of fuel that goes into the cylinder per stoke is comparable to ~ a teaspoon full.

Answer 5

CC stands for cubic capacity of the engine not cylinder capacity IE 1000cc=1 Ltr

Answer 6

Because the engine also uses air at an average ratio of 14.7 parts of air to 1 part of fuel.

Answer 7

The capacity of an engine is the volume swept by the pistons. 3.141 times half the bore diameter times the stroke. If these are in centimetres then the cubic capacity is in cc's.
RoyS

Answer 8

Unfortunately, you have a fundamental misunderstanding on how a combustion engine works. Check out http://auto.howstuffworks.com/engine.htm