10 Engine parts all car owners should know

Your vehicle’s engine is a masterpiece of engineering. This massive machine’s many parts combine to create the heart of your car. Like any other machine, it requires regular maintenance to keep it in good working condition. Whether you own a car, truck, or SUV, engine maintenance is crucial, as its parts will eventually wear out and need replacement. Most parts rely on a clean, fresh supply of fluid circulating through them to perform optimally. Like parts, these fluids have a lifespan, after which you’ll need to flush and refill them.

It’s important to take the time to understand these parts and components by their physical appearance and function. To help you do that successfully, read below as the #1 Cochran Buick GMC Youngstown team covers the most common engine parts everyone should know, their functions, why they’re essential, and how often you should check or replace them.

Engine Block

The engine block is the backbone of your vehicle’s engine. It’s made of iron or aluminum and houses all the engine’s core components, such as the crankshaft, pistons, and connecting rods. The engine block has three fixed sections: the crankcase, block, and cylinder head. The holes in the engine block are called cylinders. The engine primarily contains four to 16 cylinders, depending on the size of the vehicle you own. The block can be constructed in many ways.

The cylinder head comprises air, a spark plug, and fuel injection. The crankcase provides housing to the crank and acts as a sump for lubricating oil. Every joint allows heat conduction between different parts. The inner surface of the cylinder block is a cylindrical shape known as a face or bore. Regular oil changes and other maintenance help prevent cracks in the block. Ignoring a cracked engine block can lead to overheating, poor engine performance, and smoke.

Pistons

A piston is a cylindrical-shaped component that fits inside the cylinder to form a movable boundary. Proper lubrication ensures it can move smoothly inside the cylinder. For example, when the engine rotates at 3,000 revolutions per minute (RPM), the pistons travel up and down 5,000 RPM. Pistons transfer energy created from the combustion process in the crankshaft using a piston rod and connecting rods. The transferred energy propels your vehicle forward. With time, your vehicle’s pistons wear out and require replacement.

Piston Rings

Piston rings are as crucial as pistons, as they seal the pistons’ outer and cylinders’ inner edges. Piston rings have two primary functions:

• To prevent the air/fuel mixture and exhaust from entering the sump tank during combustion and compression.
• To prevent oil inside the sump tank from entering the combustion chamber so that it’s not lost and burned.

Piston rings can cause massive damage to the entire engine system without correct installation and frequent checks. Fortunately, modern cars use advanced materials to ensure piston rings last longer.

Crankshaft

The crankshaft is a critical engine part that travels in the engine block’s lower section and converts the vertical motion of the pistons to a rotational motion with the help of a connecting rod. If your mechanic spots any issue with the crankshaft, you need to replace it immediately to avoid further engine issues.

Camshaft

The camshaft controls the timing and operation of inlet and exhaust valves. It has mechanisms consisting of timing gears. Because of manufacturing processes, repairing a faulty camshaft isn’t always advisable. It’s better to replace it with a new one.

Flywheel

The engine’s torque isn’t uniform and keeps fluctuating. Such fluctuating power can cause discomfort to you and decrease the life of most engine parts. Vehicles have a flywheel on the camshaft to deal with this issue that stores torque when its value is high and releases it when it’s low.

A flywheel rarely needs replacement. You’ll only need to replace it if it wears out or if you replace the clutch disc.

Spark Plugs

Spark ignition engines — those that use gasoline as fuel — have spark plugs. Spark plugs provide the spark needed to ignite the mixture of air and fuel for combustion. This spark must happen at the correct time for things to work properly. It starts a controlled sequence of explosions within the engine, generating the power needed to drive your car. Over time, spark plugs wear out and require replacement. How often you’ll need to replace them varies from one vehicle to another. Most vehicles will exceed 60,000 miles or more without requiring a replacement.

High-performance vehicles or cars subjected to severe use may need frequent spark plug checks and replacements. You can check your vehicle’s owners manual to learn when to replace the spark plugs. Remember, you can’t service spark plugs; you can only remove and replace them. Failing to change the spark plugs on time can result in increased fuel use, poor performance, and rough idling.

Sump

The sump at the bottom of the engine holds the oil when it’s not circulating through the engine. Since it doesn’t wear out too fast, you can replace it every seven to 10 years.

Valves

The exhaust and intake valve opens periodically to let fuel and airflow into the cylinder and to let exhaust gas flow out to the exhaust chamber. If the valves are damaged or worn out, you must replace them.

Connecting Rod

The connecting rod connects the piston and crankshaft. It can rotate at two ends for its angle to change as the crankshaft rotates and the pistons move up and down. You must immediately repair any damage to this part or replace defective rods to avoid damaging the engine.

So, now we’ve shared some of the most common engine parts. Most mobile parts generally wear out faster than immobile ones. If you’re unsure when to replace a part in your vehicle, Contact us today or visit our #1 Cochran Market Street dealership for any questions or concerns you may have.

Image by Garett Mizunaka is licensed with Unsplash License