Automotive Module 3 PDF

What is a Car Engine? The engine is the heart of your car. It is a complex machine built to convert heat from burning gas into the force that turns the road wheels. The chain of reactions which achieve that objective is set in motion by a spark, which ignites a mixture of petrol vapor and compresse...

What is a Car Engine? The engine is the heart of your car. It is a complex machine built to convert heat from burning gas into the force that turns the road wheels. The chain of reactions which achieve that objective is set in motion by a spark, which ignites a mixture of petrol vapor and compressed air inside a momentarily sealed cylinder and causes it to burn rapidly. That is why the machine is called an internal combustion engine. As the mixture burns it expands, providing power to drive the car. To withstand its heavy workload, the engine must be a robust structure. It consists of two basic parts: the lower, heavier section is the cylinder block, a casing for the engine’s main moving parts; the detachable upper cover is the cylinder head. The cylinder head contains valve-controlled passages through which the air and fuel mixture enter the cylinders, and others through which the gases produced by their combustion are expelled. The block houses the crankshaft, which converts the reciprocating motion of the pistons into rotary motion at the crankshaft. Often the block also houses the camshaft, which operates mechanisms that open and close the valves in the cylinder head. Sometimes the camshaft is in the head or mounted above it. How Does a Car Engine Work? Specifically, an internal combustion engine is a heat engine in that it converts energy from the heat of burning gasoline into mechanical work, or torque. That torque is applied to the wheels to make the car move. And unless you are driving an ancient two-stroke Saab (which sounds like an old chainsaw and belches oily smoke out its exhaust), your engine works on the same basic principles whether you’re wheeling a Ford or a Ferrari. Engines have pistons that move up and down inside metal tubes called cylinders. Imagine riding a bicycle: Your legs move up and down to turn the pedals. Pistons are connected via rods (they’re like your shins) to a crankshaft, and they move up and down to spin the engine’s crankshaft, the same way your legs spin the bike’s—which in turn powers the bike’s drive wheel or car’s drive wheels. Depending on the vehicle, there are typically between two and 12 cylinders in its engine, with a piston moving up and down in each. But, where does Engine Power come from? The internal combustion engine consists of cylinders, pistons, fuel injectors, and spark plugs. Combined, these components burn fuel and let the exhaust gas out of the cylinders. By repeating the process, it creates energy that powers the car. But what powers those pistons up and down are thousands of tiny controlled explosions occurring each minute, created by mixing fuel with oxygen and igniting the mixture. Each time the fuel ignites is called the combustion, or power, stroke. The heat and expanding gases from this mini-explosion push the piston down in the cylinder. Almost all of today’s internal combustion engines (to keep it simple, we’ll focus on gasoline powerplants here) are of the four-stroke variety. Beyond the combustion stroke, which pushes the piston down from the top of the cylinder, there are three other strokes: intake, compression, and exhaust. What Is an Engine? An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy. Most modern vehicles use internal combustion engines (ICE), which ignite the fuel and use the reaction to move mechanical parts. How Does a Car Engine Work? The engine consists of a fixed cylinder and a moving piston. The expanding combustion gases push the piston, which in turn rotates the crankshaft. Ultimately, through a system of gears in the powertrain, this motion drives the vehicle’s wheels. How many parts are in a car engine? A common internal combustion engine has around 200 parts that need to be maintained and possibly replaced if they wear out. An electric vehicle takes that number down to around 20 parts. What Engine Does My Car Have? You can identify your car’s engine type by the VIN found in the owner’s manual or under the hood. The eighth digit contains the information on the engine. https://www.mendmotor.com/parts-of-a-car- engine/