Dykes rings need a special piston, are hard to seat, and accelerate cylinder-bore wear, so they're preferred for only very specialized applications.

Once the rod journal has leverage on the crank on either side of TDC, the cylinder pressure combined with that leverage may force the piston down the bore.

Proper ring selection means understanding ring function, material, piston design, and bore dynamics. Pistons, rings, and cylinder bores must have a perfect marriage to function properly.

The top ring works in a dual capacity by holding high vacuum as the piston moves down its bore and by keeping cylinder pressures high when the combustion process begins.

So keep those caps-piston assemblies paired together and make sure you know which cylinder each goes to. Sometimes, there are markings on the parts to help you keep things straight.

There are two ways to increase the displacement of the engine in your car. You could bore the cylinders to a larger diameter, which requires larger pistons and is limited by cylinder wall thickness.

The amount of tension or compression determines piston rod diameter. The amount of pull or push determines the bore diameter. Every mounting type comes with its own benefits and limitations.

The original industrial cylinder, and still the most widely used today, consists of a tube or barrel—the cylinder—closed by sealed end pieces to form the envelope. Inside is a sealed piston.

Theory suggests that an opposed-piston engine has an efficiency advantage because, since there are no cylinder heads, less heat is lost to the cooling system.

Engine building is technically a science, but the truth is that there is just as much art as there is science. Where most ...