In context to an engine what does 3.8 liters mean?
Is there a formula to follow?
The reason I ask is because first, I don't know what it means, second I always see 3.5, 3.8, 5.0, 6.1, etc. And I would really like to know how all this works. Any help highly appreciated, thanks.

 

 

www.howstuffworks.com

Thats very basic automotive terminology. Read up a bit and learn.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Engine_displacement

 

think coke bottles. you know the big ones you get at the grocery store for $1.00. those are 2 liters. just do the math.

 

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-liter engine. This means that the displacement of this particular engine is 3.3 liters. If you were to turn the crankshaft of this engine through two complete revolutions, the four pistons would inhale a total of 3.3 liters of air.

So why should you care, and why is there a sticker on the back of many cars telling you the engine's displacement? The displacement of the engine gives you some estimate of the maximum power that the engine can produce.

When you mix gasoline with air and burn it in an engine, you can only mix in so much gasoline. The amount of gasoline is limited by the amount of oxygen -- if you mixed in more gasoline, it would not matter because there would be no oxygen in the cylinder to burn it. The ratio is about 15 to 1 -- that's 15 parts air to one part gasoline, by weight. The displacement tells you the maximum amount of gasoline the engine can burn, and this controls the maximum power the engine can produce.

Of course, it is possible to create a 10-liter engine that has really bad performance. And it is also possible to create a 1-liter engine that is highly tweaked to give absolutely the best performance possible from the gasoline it receives. And these two engines could have the same horsepower rating even though one has 10 times more displacement than the other. As a general rule, though, a 10-liter engine should generate 10 times more power than a 1-liter engine if everything else is equal.

Pulled from how it works.com

 

this can't be a serious question, either the OP is a chick(not saying some girls wouldn't know) or a kid.

 

wow you have a long way to go my friend

 

inbHRAES

 

At least I have the ***** to ask, you never stop learning. I think everyone in here has heard dumber questions. I'm pretty sure you have asked dumb ones too. We're a Z community right? So why be a smart ***?

 

There's a difference between asking a Z specific question vs. an ANY vehicle question. I believe most of the negative responses you're getting are due to the disbelief that you didn't wiki or google your question, instead, creating the thread here.

Also, grow some thicker skin and take the responses lightly, you'll live longer.

 

as dumb as this? not really. FYI, this forum is full of smart asses

 

http://www.letmegooglethatforyou.com...e_displacement

 

While i dont agree with the smart assed comments. Its almost like your asking what type of material do I put in my gas tank. This is an enthusiasts forum, this is the internet, theres tons of info out there and most people arent nice. Next time you have a question do 2 steps.

1. Search this forum.

2. Use google.

Youll be flamed less if you follow these 2 simple steps.

 

 

Zed do you have a Z or looking into it? If you are looking into it, go buy a civic instead. If you have one, the car is already to advanced for you and you should have gotten a non sports car to learn all this stuff.

It would be like buying a mini gun and asking how it shoots bullets. Buy a 22 first.

 

3.8 litre = 3800cc X .6 = 220 cubic inches. I'll go out on a limb and guess the OP might have heard of a 327 or a 454 Chevy or something similar? American cars used to have cubic inch measurement for engines before we joined the rest of the world with the metric system (which we use only for engines and liquid refreshments, don't ask me why.)
And while we are on the subject, the 240 had a 2400 cc engine, the 260 a 2600, and so on and so forth. Impress us - what size motor is in the 370? j/k, I couldn't stop myself. There really are no stupid questions, just stupid places to ask them. This would be one of those places.

 

I found it helpful as well... Thanks for the explanation TheChineyz, I see that you are relatively new to the forums... Welcome & Thanks!

 

IBTL, . This question makes me sad for the future of car enthusiasts...

 

You asked the question once yourself... Don't let that stray too far from your memory... My .02