* Firing Order: Engines are designed with a specific firing order to create smooth and balanced power delivery. Missing a cylinder completely disrupts this order, leading to severe vibration and uneven power.
* Compression Ratio: A 3-cylinder engine is balanced for its specific number of cylinders. Running on 2 cylinders would significantly alter the compression ratio, making it difficult to achieve proper combustion and potentially causing damage.
* Fuel/Air Mixture: The engine's fuel injection system is calibrated for a 3-cylinder setup. Running on 2 cylinders would create an overly rich fuel mixture, resulting in poor performance and potential damage.
* Engine Management System: The engine's computer (ECU) controls various functions like ignition timing and fuel delivery based on the number of cylinders. With two cylinders inactive, the ECU wouldn't be able to properly adjust these settings, causing misfires and other issues.
In summary: Trying to run a 3-cylinder engine on 2 cylinders will likely result in:
* Poor performance: The engine will lack power and experience significant vibration.
* Damage: The engine could be damaged due to the improper combustion and misfires.
It's crucial to address any issues causing a cylinder to fail rather than attempting to run the engine on a reduced number of cylinders.
