What does exactly means when an engine is 1.6L, or 2.0L? I mean, what is 1.6L? A receptacle? A bottle of coke inside the engine?
In: Engineering
It is a reference to the total displacement of an engine. Displacement is simply a measure of the total volume all combustion chambers. The combustion chamber is the volume of a
cylinder measured from the top of the cylinder to to the top of the piston at its lowest point.
So, a 1.5L engine means that the total volume of the combustion chambers in the engine is 1.5 liters. The reason this measurement is quoted is because there is a general correlation between displacement and power. More displacement means more room for fuel & air, which means a bigger bang, which is more power.
That being said, just because there is more displacement doesn’t mean the engine is necessarily more powerful. Technology like turbochargers and superchargers pressurize the incoming air, allowing for more fuel to be added for a bigger bang without having to increase displacement. Also, just because you have more displacement, doesn’t mean you have to use it. You can reduce the air and fuel for better fuel efficiency, but get less power in doing so.
As far as older vehicles, they tend to have higher displacement and less power. This is because the materials they used were not as strong and could not be machined to tight enough tolerance to withstand added power in a smaller package. By having a larger displacement, you have a larger area to spread the force of the explosion, meaning less wear and tear on the components, and hence a more reliable engine.
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