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SESK: Stuff Everyone Should Know · sesk.info/eng-four-stroke-cycle-order

What is the correct order of a four-stroke engine cycle?

The order is intake, compression, power, exhaust.

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  1. Intake, compression, power, exhaust ✔
  2. Compression, exhaust, intake, power
  3. Power, intake, exhaust, compression

Why: The cylinder first draws in a charge, compresses it, extracts work from expanding combustion gas, then expels exhaust. Four piston strokes require two crankshaft revolutions.

Huh, didn't know that: Gasoline engines usually ignite a compressed fuel-air mixture with a spark, while diesel engines inject fuel into hot compressed air.

The dad joke
The engine remembered its routine by taking four steps at a time.
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References

Answer: Intake, compression, power, exhaust. The cylinder first draws in a charge, compresses it, extracts work from expanding combustion gas, then expels exhaust. Four piston strokes require two crankshaft revolutions.

  1. US Department of Energy, Internal Combustion Engine Basics www.energy.gov/cmei/vehicles/articles/internal-combustion-engine-basics
    The cycle includes four distinct processes: intake, compression, combustion and power stroke, and exhaust.
    Checked 2026-10-10.

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