What is a Cylinder Head?
An engine cylinder head is an integral part of any internal combustion engine. One function of it is to close the top of the combustion chamber. Bolted to the engine block’s top, the cylinder head’s gasket seals off the combustion chamber. The spark plugs are usually in the cylinder head and ignite the air/fuel mixture. Cylinder head The engine cylinder head has intake and exhaust runners, valves, oiling passages, and cooling passages. It also has rockers to open and close the valves, valve springs and may hold the camshaft(s). The cylinder head function allows the engine to breathe the air it needs for combustion and expel the exhaust gasses. History of Cylinder Heads Some engines from the late 1800s through the 1950s had flathead cylinder heads. Flathead engines, or flathead cylinder heads, were widely used internationally by automobile manufacturers until they got replaced by more efficient overhead valve OHV and overhead camshaft OHC engines. Types o...