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The Ford Model A engine – primarily developed for the popular Ford Model A automobile (1927–1931, 4.8 million built) – was one of the most mass-produced automobile engines of the 1920s and 1930s, widely used in automobiles, trucks, tractors, and a wide variety of other vehicles and machinery.A four-cylinder, carbureted, gasoline-fueled, piston engine, derived from the Ford Model T engine, the Ford Model A engine – with a bigger bore and stroke, and higher compression ratio – was twice as powerful as the Model T engine. Some derivatives, with improvements, were produced until 1958. Tens of thousands of the original design remain active even in the 21st century. Design and development Development and production history The Ford Model A engine was an evolution of the Ford Model T engine, but with double the power. It was developed in secret at Ford's Rouge Plant, in Michigan, and unveiled – with the Ford Model A automobile – December 2, 1927. The first Model A engine was completed earlier, October 20, 1927, and eventually installed in a 1928 Model A Fordor sedan, which Henry Ford gave to his friend, inventor Thomas A. Edison. There was immediate market demand for the Model A, but by January 1, 1928, just 5,275 Model A engines had been built – some not yet installed in a chassis, let alone shipped to a dealer.However, by February 1929, production of the engines reached 1,000,000 units. At the end of Model A production in March 1932, 4,849,340 Model As had been built. (Several hundred thousand Model AA trucks had also been built, typically with the same Model A engine.) Model A historian Steve Plucker, using Ford company records, calculates that 4,830,806 production engines were built between October 1927 and November 1931.All Model A engines built in the U.S. were built in the Rouge plant, however some were built at Ford plants in Canada and Europe. During that time, the Model A and AA engine cylinder block (part number A-6010), went through various external and internal changes.The Model A was replaced by the 1932 Ford Model B, with an updated 4-cylinder engine, and by the 1932 Ford Model 18, with its new Ford V8 engine. Basic design and characteristics Like the Model T engine, the Model A engine was a water-cooled L-head inline-four (four vertical cylinders in line), "cast-en-bloc"-type piston engine. It had a displacement of 200.5 cu in (3.3 L) (compared to the Model T's 177 cu in (2.9 L)).This engine provides 40 hp (30 kW; 41 PS) (brake horsepower) at 2,200 RPM – but at 1,000 RPM produces substantially more torque: 128 lb⋅ft (174 N⋅m). SAE-rated horsepower is 24.03, and compression ratio is 4.22:1.The cylinder bore and piston stroke were also enlarged from the original Model T engine; they measured 3.876 in × 4.125 in (98.5 mm × 104.8 mm). Cylinder firing order is 1-2-4-3. The engine has a 5-quart oil capacity. The crankcase is filled through an engine fill/breather tube mounted on the engine's left side. Modern 10W30 oils are recommended for newly rebuilt engines. The recommended oil change interval is 500 miles. Comparison to modern designs The Model A's engine has three main bearings (versus five found in modern 4-cylinder engines), and they are smaller diameter, and longer, than bearings in a modern engine. The bearings are poured babbitt bearings, rather than modern replaceable insert bearings.Rather than a full pressure oil system typical of a modern engine, the Model A engine's oil system lubricates the main bearings by gravity feed, and lubricates the piston connecting rods by them dipping into the oil during motion.A Model A engine has no crankshaft counterweights. There are no cam bearings. The Model A engine lacks valve seats, versus steel ring seats typical in a modern engine. The engine has a rather restricted intake port design, as compared to a modern engine. Equipment, accessories, and drivetrain Intake, injection, and fuel Normally, the Model A engine was supplied with a Zenith one-barrel, up-draft, float-type carburetor, which was gravity-fed from a tank in the engine cowl (between firewall and dash). The carburetor underwent many modifications during its relatively short (four-year) production run.The Zenith has features, advanced for that era, that solved some early engine performance problems. The carburetor is designed to run lean, to allow for high-altitude driving. To allow better performance at low altitudes, and in cold weather, the fuel/air mixture ratio is controlled by a manual choke and "Gas Adjusting Valve" (GAV). To ensure adequate fuel flow during starting or acceleration, a secondary well momentarily provides an extra supply of fuel. A manual fuel shut-off valve is also supplied, and some also have a manual throttle.Although the Zenith Model A carburetor was fitted to the engines in the vast majority of Ford Model A cars (reportedly to 3.5 million of the approximately 4.8 million built), it was not the only carburetor used. Another 19 brands were fitted to various Model A engines – either as original equipment or aftermarket retrofits – and some Model A engines were retrofitted with the slightly larger, more sophisticated Zenith designed for the Ford Model B engine. The engine works with modern unleaded regular gasoline.In rare instances, the Model A engine has been powered by wood gas, produced in a wood gas generator, such as a "Gazogene," typically a large, sealed, stove-like cylinder mounted on the vehicle, or towed, which heated or burned wood (or charcoal), to produce fumes of flammable wood gas, as a minimal substitute for gasoline. The resulting gas was routed to the engine's intake manifold, via a duct and special induction system. Engine electrical system The electrical system supporting the engine typically consisted of a 6-volt battery, a 6-volt DC generator (driven by a belt connected to the crankshaft pulley), starter, lights, ammeter, and ignition system (ignition coil, distributor, spark plugs) with connecting wires. A manual spark lever advances or retards the ignition, particularly retarding the spark plug ignition during engine starting.The Model A was configured with a positive-ground system (positive battery terminal connected to vehicle frame and engine block) – opposite of the norm in modern "negative-ground" vehicles, often causing technical confusion. Engine cooling system The Model A engine uses a centrifugal water pump, mounted to the engine cylinder head, and it works with the engine fan. The Model A engine uses plain water to cool the engine; antifreeze coolant is not recommended because the original Model A radiator is not a pressurized system. The pump circulates radiator-cooled water into the lower engine, and as the water becomes heated in the block's water jacket, it is forced out of the water jacket through the upper radiator hose, and back into the radiator, where it cools, and settles, and the cycle repeats. Drivetrain Model A automobile When implemented in the Ford Model A automobile, the Mode.... Discover the Kip Tabb popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Kip Tabb books.