If you have a bit of an understanding of your car’s various parts and how they work, then you will feel more comfortable driving it and taking it in for service and maintenance. Perhaps you have realized you need to take your car in for an engine service in McKinney but stopped to ponder what parts make up a car’s engine and how do they work? This knowledge will only benefit you when it comes to taking care of your car, saving you time, effort, and money as well as ensuring your vehicle maintains its value.
The engine is the heart of your car. It is what keeps it alive and running. Gas and diesel vehicles utilize internal combustion engines. The name comes from how the engine works, the fuel and air work together to combust inside the engine which then generates an energy that moves the pistons. The core part of your engine is the cylinder. Inside the cylinder is where the pistons move up and down. Keep reading to learn more about these parts and how they work together.
The different parts that make up your car’s engine consist of: the engine block (cylinder block), the combustion chamber, the cylinder head, pistons, the crankshaft, the camshaft, the timing chain, the valve train, valves, rocker arms, pushrods/lifters, fuel injectors, and spark plugs.
The engine block is the core of your engine. It is usually made of aluminum alloy, and on rare occasion iron. It is also called a cylinder block because of the cylinder tubes that help make it up. The cylinder block is the home for the pistons (where they move up and down). Often cars have more than one cylinder (usually four, six, or eight). The more cylinders that the engine has the more powerful it is.
The combustion chamber is where the energy is transformed in the combustion process. This is the area of the engine in which the fuel, air, electricity, and pressure have an explosive reaction that causes the pistons to move up and down. The movement of the pistons gives the car the power to move.
The cylinder head sits above the engine’s cylinders creating a space at the top of the chamber for combustion. It is also the home for various other parts such as intake and outtake valves, the spark plugs, and the fuel injectors.
As explained before, when the energy is created the pistons then move up in down to give the vehicle power to move. They look similar to cans and are connected to the crankshaft. Pistons also consist of compression rings and oil rings which help to seal the combustion chamber and prevent oil from leaking into that area.
The crankshaft is the part of the engine that rounds out the up and down motion of the pistons. It is connected to rubber belts which are connected to the camshaft allowing for power to be delivered to various parts of the car. The camshaft is connected to the drive train which is the part that transfers power to the wheels.
The camshaft works with the crankshaft, connected by a timing chain, allowing the intake and outtake valves to open and close according to a specific timeline.
The camshaft and crankshaft, as mentioned above, are connected by a timing chain. These parts work together to make sure certain actions take place at certain times, which is vital for the functioning of the engine.
The valvetrain is the part of the engine that controls the movement of the valves. It is made up of the valves, as well as the pushrods and lifters, and rocker arms. It is connected to the cylinder head.
The valves in an engine are the intake valves and the outtake valves. Intake valves work to transfer the air and fuel levels into the combustion chamber. The outtake valves work to move the exhaust that is created from the combustion out of the chamber.
The rocker arms work with the cams (from the camshaft) to press down on the valve system and let the needed air into the chamber or the exhaust out.
In engines (overhead valve engines) in which the camshaft lobes don’t touch the rocker arms, the pushrods/lifters are used in place in the valve system.
For the combustion process to occur, fuel is necessary. The fuel injectors work to move fuel into the cylinders. There are three different fuel injection systems: direct fuel injection, ported fuel injection, and throttle body fuel injection.
There is a spark plugs that resides above each of the cylinders. During the combustion process, the spark plugs spark which ignites the compressed fuel and air and therefore causing the “explosive” process that pushes the piston down.
Having a bit of knowledge of the different parts of your car and how they work is highly beneficial for you as the driver. This especially comes in handy when taking your car into the shop. Having a McKinney car shop that you can trust makes all the difference. Here at Nortex Lube & Tune, you can rely on us. We will happily help explain any services your car needs and why, as we pride ourselves in being a trustworthy business. If you have any questions or would like to schedule an appointment with our expert mechanics, contact us today.
This 3D model shows all major internal components associated with a typical four stroke combustion engine as well as reference marks indicating areas of interest. A summary list is given below, followed by a detailed description of each engine component.
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Rocker Arm
Lifting of the cam lobe causes the rocker arm to push down upon the valve stem. This movement opens the associated valve.
Tappet Clearance
The space between the valve stem and rocker arms. The tappet clearance allows for thermal expansion of the engine parts when warming up, this ensures the valves open and close correctly. Tappet clearance is also known as valve lash.
Valve Spring
Springs used for returning the valves back to the closed position and maintaining the valves in their closed position when force from the rocker arms is absent.
Fuel Injector
Fuel is pumped to the fuel injector and then through the injector nozzle into the engine cylinder.
The top of this injector connects to an electrical solenoid which is used for more accurate injection timing.
Fuel Inlet Pipe
Fuel is supplied to the injector through this pipe.
Valve
On this model there are two suction inlet valves and two exhaust discharge valves.The suction valves supply air whilst the discharge valves discharge the exhaust gas. This type of valve is often referred to as a poppet valve.
Fuel Injector Nozzle
Fuel is sprayed into the engine cylinder through the fuel injector nozzle. It is important that the fuel injection ports do not become blocked. Any blockage of the nozzle will change the injection spray pattern and reduce engine efficiency.
Clearance Volume
The clearance volume is the distance from the top dead centre of the stroke and the top of the cylinder liner.
Cylinder Bore
The cylinder bore represents the internal diameter of the cylinder liner. It is possible to calculate the cylinder displacement by calculating the cylinder bore and piston stroke.
Top Dead Centre (TDC)
TDC represents the maximum transit of the piston in the direction of the cylinder valves. Push Rod The push rod transfers radial movement from the cam lobe to the rocker arms.
Piston Crown
Due to its location, the piston crown encounters significant pressures and temperatures. The design of the crown varies considerably, as many crowns have a unique topography to distribute the exhaust gasses created by the combustion process.
Piston Ring Grooves
The piston rings are located in the piston ring grooves. Note that the piston rings for this model are not displayed.
Stroke
The stroke represents a measurement of the total distance travelled by the piston (TDC to BDC). The reference point is measured from the top of the piston crown.
Piston
The force generated by combustion is transferred to the piston. The piston is split into many parts, this includes a piston skirt, piston crown, piston rod and piston pin. See our 3D piston model for more information.
Piston Skirt
The type of skirt shown here is a ‘full’ skirt.
Piston Pin / Gudgeon Pin
The pin joins the piston skirt to the piston rod.
Cylinder Wall
An arrow indicating the cylinder wall, also referred to as the ‘cylinder liner’. The cylinder liner forms the combustion chamber.
Camshaft
The camshaft is used to control the timing of the engine. This includes when fuel is injected and when the air inlet and exhaust valves open and close.
Cam
Cams are used to open and close the inlet and exhaust valves. On larger engines cams are also used to operate fuel pumps. A cam is also referred to as a ‘cam lobe’.
Cam Follower
The cam follower is lowered and raised by the cam lobe. The follower transfers movement from the camshaft to the load (valve, pump etc.).
Bottom Dead Centre (BDC)
BDC represents the piston’s point of maximum transit in the direction of the cylinder base. In other words, the piston will not travel further towards the cylinder base than the BDC reference point.
Connecting Rod
Note that the term ‘connecting rod’ and ‘piston rod’ are sometimes used intermittently. Large two stroke engines have both, with the piston rod always being the rod between the crosshead and piston pin.
Reciprocating Motion
Rotary motion is converted by the engine design into a reciprocating linear motion. This conversion allows the piston skirt to move up and down the cylinder rather than rotating.
Crank Web
The crankshaft is connected to the piston rod via the crank webs and crank pins. Crank webs allow the reciprocating piston motion to be converted to a rotary motion.
Crankpin Journal Bearing
The crankpin journal bearing is installed between the connecting rod and crankpin. Bearing materials vary although softer metals such as white metal (babbit metal) are often used.
Main Journal Bearing
Main journal bearings are plain metal bearing that seat upon the crankshaft. Unlike crankpin journal bearings, main journal bearings align with the crankshaft centre axis of rotation.
Crankshaft
The crankshaft is not a single straight shaft as it is separated at intervals by the crank webs. The alignment of the crankshaft though is constant throughout the engine.
Rotary Motion
This engine is an internal combustion engine. The force created by the combustion process is transferred to the piston and then the crankshaft. The process causes the crankshaft to rotate and the piston to reciprocate linearly.
Flange
The flange often connects to a flywheel although it can connect to any load requiring rotary motion.
https://www.engineeringchoice.com/the-car-engine-parts
https://mechtech55.wordpress.com/2015/09/21/ic-engine-major-parts-and-its-functions
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Component_parts_of_internal_combustion_engines
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