Abstract: A fuel pump for supplying diesel fuel to an engine includes a pump housing, a motor mounted within the housing, a shaft extending from the motor, an impeller slidably attached to the shaft which has a prime number of vanes spaced unevenly about its circumference, a chamber body, and a chamber cover with a bleed orifice. The chamber body and cover form a chamber for the impeller and are held together by the housing. The chamber body and cover have pump channels of constant depth and are made of phenolic with fiberglass fill. The impeller is made of phenolic with fiberglass fill and granular fill.

Abstract: A robotic system for inserting cylinder liners into the cylinder block from an internal combustion engine includes an articulated robot arm for cycling an end effector between a dunnage unloading position and a cylinder insertion position. The end effector, which is attached to the robot arm, picks liners from dunnage and places the liners in the cylinder bores of the cylinder block. The end effector includes remotely deployable combination teeth for gripping the liners to permit removal from their dunnage and for aligning the end effector and liner into the cylinder bores to permit insertion of the liners.

Abstract: A multi-cylinder internal combustion engine cylinder block is formed with communication ports allowing communication between cylinders that, when assembled with pistons and a crankshaft, are 180.degree. out of phase. This allows the trapped mass of air beneath a piston to flow beneath a piston in a different cylinder 180.degree. out of phase. As a result, advancing and returning pistons are matched to effectively balance pressures.