Building the Atkinson Cycle Engine (1996)

Build the rare and unusual Atkinson Cycle engine. It had to be an unusual engine. After all, Atkinson was competing in the expanding small engine market against Nicolaus Otto's newly developed four stroke engine. Otto held numerous patents that virtually eliminated all competition. To avoid infringement, Atkinson was forced to create a completely new approach to internal combustion. When you build this engine you will quickly appreciate how creative Atkinson was.

We have found that wherever we show this engine people are amazed and fascinated by it. They ask. . . Where are the timing gears? What about a separate cam shaft? How does it run? How can it complete four cycles in a single revolution of the crankshaft? Are you sure it is not a two cycle engine?

We smile and explain that the secret lies in the unusual design of the crank linkage which, believe it or not, allows the exhaust, intake, compression and power strokes to be completed in a single revolution of the crankshaft. The cams are located on the crankshaft, eliminating the need for timing gears and cam shaft. Simplicity adds elegance to innovation.

Inside this book you get step by step instructions showing how to build the Atkinson Cycle engine as designed and perfected by Jim Lewis. Castings are suggested for the base, flywheel, cylinder head and crank linkage but none of these parts are so complex that they could not be made from stock material. A lathe milling machine or milling attachment and other tools one would expect to need in a project of this type are required.