Steering was effected by having each cylinder receive power from a separate clutch which, depending on the position of the steering gear, engages and disengages; this results in a vehicle that is relatively maneuverable.

A significant disadvantage of this configuration for air-cooled engines is that the two cylinders receive different air-flows and cooling of the rear cylinder tends to be restricted.

As a result, the charge density is reduced and the cylinders receive less air than the system's boost pressure prescribes.

During a full rotation of the driving wheel, steam provides four power strokes; each cylinder receives two injections of steam per revolution.

Early Mallet locomotives had compound cylinders, so high pressure steam was provided to the rigid power unit, while the front cylinders (requiring flexible steam pipes) received low pressure steam.

Under light load, the throttle is not fully open, and the cylinders receive less than a full charge of air on each intake stroke.

If just one of the three circuits failed, all three cylinders still received sparks, and even if two circuits were to fail, the remaining circuit would keep the engine running on two cylinders.

In the first half of a cycle the 1st cylinder receives air from the compressor.

Simple direct ducting would give problems where the nearest cylinders received more airflow.

The engine is timed so that only one cylinder receives a spark from the distributor at a time.