A v-arrangement has two rows of cylinders in a V-shaped block with a crankshaft at the bottom of the V. Any even number of cylinders is possible in this configuration from the V-2 that's commonly used in motorcycles up to V-12 or bigger for large trucks. The V design produces a shorter engine than an in-line cylinder configuration and allows for better air-fuel distribution.

An inline cylinder configuration places the cylinders in a single row either completely vertical or slanted. Due to this arrangement, an inline cylinder configuration makes the engine longer and, although it works well in four cylinder engines, performace suffers in larger engines due to the difficulty in evenly distributing the air-fuel mixture over the length of the engine.

In a four-stroke cycle engine there is always one piston delivering power, one exhausting gases, one drawing in the air-fuel mixture, and one compressing that mixture.

The cylindrical solenoid is a relay that safely connects the high amperage battery to the starter motor when the ignition key is turned. This current then allows the engine to turn at a high enough speed to start.

The stoichiometric ratio defines the proper ratio of air to fuel necessary so that an engine burns all fuel with no excess air. For gasoline fuel, the stoichiometric ratio is about 14.7:1 or for every one gram of fuel, 14.7 grams of air are required. Too much air results in a lean air-fuel mixture that burns more slowly and hotter while too much fuel results in a rich mixture that burns quicker and cooler.