What does 2.4 liter mean in the context of an engine?
If you have read How Car Engines Work, you know that your engine has pistons, and the pistons move up and down in their cylinders: “); //–> Your browser does not support JavaScript or it is disabled. When the piston moves from top to bottom, it sucks in a certain amount of air. How much air it can suck in depends on how big around the piston is, and how far it moves when it goes from top to bottom. Let’s say that the piston in your car is 4 inches (10.16 centimeters) in diameter (also known as the bore), and it moves 4 inches from top to bottom (also known as the stroke). That means that one piston in your engine can suck in: radius ^ 2 * pi * height = volume of a cylinder 5.08 cm (bore/2) ^ 2 * 3.14 * 10.16 cm (stroke) = 823.3 cubic centimeters If your car has 4 cylinders, then it has a has a total displacement of: 4 * 823.3 cubic centimeters = 3,292.1 cubic centimeters, or 3.292 liters A car manufacturer would round that up and say that your car has a 3.3-li
