Engine Top End

© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.
Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only

• Cylinder head construction
• Valve train construction
• Intake manifold construction
• Exhaust manifold construction
© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only
Engine Top End
Includes the cylinder head, valve train, valve cover, and intake
and exhaust manifolds
• A cylinder head is located over the cylinder
block.
• The cylinder head must be able to withstand
extremely the high temperature and
preusser that occur during engine
operation .
• Cylinder head is made of cast iron
• Some recent engine have cylinder heads
that are made of aluminum alloy, as this has
a greater cooling capacity than cast iron.
Cylinder Head
and Parts
Cylinder Head Construction
This cast aluminum head has four-valve

combustion chambers
Valve Guide Construction
• There are two basic types of valve

guides:
– integral valve guides
– pressed-in valve guides
Integral Valve Guide
• Part of the cylinder head casting
• Simply a hole machined through the
cylinder head
• Very common because of its low
production cost
Pressed-In Valve Guide
• Separate sleeve forced into a hole
machined in the cylinder head
• Made of cast iron or bronze
• During repair, a worn guide can be
pressed out and a new guide can be
quickly pressed in
Valve Seat Construction
• Valve seats can be integral or pressed-in
• Integral valve seat
– machined portion of the cylinder head
casting
• Pressed-in valve seat
– separate part that is forced into a recess
cut into the head
– commonly used in aluminum heads
Valve Seats and Guides
Valve Seat Angle
• Angle formed by the face of the seat

• Most engines use a 45º angle
• Some high-performance engines use
seat angles of 30º
• The valve train controls the opening
and closing of the cylinder head ports
• Construction will vary with engine
design
• To be able to work on any type of
valve train, you must understand these
differences
Valve Construction
• Automotive engines commonly use
poppet valves
• Some valve stems are chrome plated to
better resist wear
• Grooves are cut into the valve stem tops
for the keepers
Valve Face Angle
• Angle formed between the valve face and
valve head
• Normal valve face angles are 45º and 30º
Valve Seal Construction
• Valve seals come in two basic types:

– umbrella valve seals
– O-ring valve seals
Umbrella Valve Seal
• Shaped like a cup
• Made of rubber or plastic
• Slides down over the valve stem before
the spring and retainer
• Covers the small clearance between the
valve stem and guide
• Keeps oil from being drawn into the
cylinder head port and combustion
chamber
Umbrella Valve Seal
A. Synthetic rubber seal with plastic shedder

insert
B. All synthetic rubber seal
C. Plastic valve seal
O-Ring Valve Seal
• Small round seal that fits into an extra
groove cut in the valve stem
• Seals the gap between the retainer and
valve stem
• Stops oil from flowing though the retainer,
down the stem, and into the guide
• Fits onto the valve stem after the spring
and retainer
O-Ring Valve Seal
Valve Spring Construction
This dual coil spring is designed to

increase spring pressure
Valve Spring Terminology
• Spring tension
– stiffness of a valve spring
– service manual will give the tension in
pounds or kilograms for specific
compressed lengths
• Spring free length
– length of the spring when removed
from the engine
Valve Spring Shim
• Very thin, accurately machined washer
used to increase spring tension
• When a shim is placed under a spring,
the open and closed lengths of the
spring are reduced
• Provides a means of restoring full
spring pressure without spring
replacement
Valve Retainers and Keepers
Used to lock the

valve spring
onto the valve
Valve Spring Seat
• Cup-shaped washer installed between
the cylinder head and the bottom of the
valve spring
• Provides a pocket to hold the bottom of
the valve spring
Camshaft
• Controls when the valves open and
close
• May be driven by gears, a chain, or a
belt
• There may be one or two camshafts per
cylinder head
Camshaft
In dual overhead
cam engines, there
are two camshafts
per cylinder head
Camshaft
Located in the engine block or in the

cylinder head
Camshaft Terminology
• Camshaft lift
– how far the valve opens
• Camshaft duration
– how long the valve stays open
• Valve timing
– valve opening and closing in relation to the
position of the pistons
Push Rods
• Metal tubes or rods with specially
formed ends
• Used in cam-in-block engines to
transfer motion from the lifters to the
rocker arms
Push Rods
An inline engine
using a pivot ball to
hold the rocker arm
Rocker Arms
Transfer valve train motion to the

valve stem tips
Adjustable Rocker Arms
• Used to change the valve train
clearance
• Either a screw is provided on the
rocker arm or the rocker arm pivot
point can be changed
• Must be used with mechanical lifters
Valve clearance adjustment
Valve clearance measurement
Nonadjustable Rocker Arms
• Have no means of changing valve

clearance
• Used only with some hydraulic lifters
• The rocker arm assembly is tightened to
a specified torque
Intake Manifold construction
• Holds the throttle body and has
passages, called runners, going to each
cylinder head port
• Made of Cast iron, aluminum, or
plastic
• Intake manifold often induced fresh air
, it does not exposed to high
temperature
Manifold Runners
• Carry either the air-fuel mixture or air
to the cylinder head ports
Exhaust Manifold
• Removes burned exhaust gases from
the cylinder head exhaust port to the
exhaust pipe
• Made of cast iron or steel having good
wear resistances.

Engine Top End

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© Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Permission granted to reproduce for educational use only

This cast aluminum head has four-valve

• There are two basic types of valve

• Angle formed by the face of the seat

• Valve seals come in two basic types:

A. Synthetic rubber seal with plastic shedder

This dual coil spring is designed to

Used to lock the

Located in the engine block or in the

Transfer valve train motion to the

Valve clearance measurement

• Have no means of changing valve

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