CCCTC Diesel Equipment Maintenance and Repair students learning about pistons

The a.m. students in the Diesel Equipment Maintenance and Repair program at the Clearfield County Career & Technology Center (CCCTC) are learning how to take pistons out of diesel engines.

Mason Buck, Diesel student from Clearfield Area High School, explained that the piston is used in the four strokes of a diesel engine, which include the intake, compression, power, and exhaust stroke. Mason also explained that the intake stroke pulls in air by opening the intake valve which then allows air into the piston. The compression stroke is when the piston goes up, heating the air that was just pulled in. The power stroke is after the fuel is ignited and the piston is going back down, and the exhaust stroke is the exhaust from the burnt fuel that is pushed out through the exhaust valve and out the exhaust pipe.