Really, it is how any 4-cycle internal combustion engine works, mostly. The big difference being that a diesel doesn't rely on spark and has higher compression.

I got the .gif (right) at www.rudolfdiesel.info, that site is in German.

Of course, Wikipedia also has information on how internal combustion engines run. This illustration shows a gas-powered motor. If you watch each, you'll notice that in the diesel, fuel is injected directly into the cylinder (which means it is a direct-injection or DI motor) but that there is no spark. In the gasoline motor, the fuel enters with the air and the spark plug ignites the mixture.

In brief: it goes like this: 1) The piston goes downward, filling the cylinder with fresh air (or air/fuel), 2) the piston goes up, compressing the air (or air/fuel), 3) the compressed mixture explodes, pushing the piston down, 4) the piston rises, pushing the exhasted gasses out of the cylinder.

Then it all starts over again. The only power produced is during the 3rd cycle. The rest all takes power away from the motor. In a 1-cylinder motor, this results in surges of power. This is part of why more cylinders can make for a smoother, more responsive motor-- as the power robbing stages take place, there are more cylinders that are making power.

Labels: landcruiser