If you’re like many car owners, you probably don’t give much thought to how your vehicle’s engine works until something goes wrong and you find yourself needing engine repair. Knowing what the parts of a car engine are and how they all work together can help you understand what your mechanic is talking about next time you take your car to the auto repair shop. Read on to learn the basics about them.

Parts and How They Work Together

The Main Parts of a Car Engine

The foundation of your car’s engine is the engine block, which contains ducts that allow oil and coolant to travel through the engine, as well as cylinders where pistons slide up and down. The cylinders, pistons, and cylinder head make up the combustion chamber.

Beneath the block is the crankcase, which contains the car’s oil and crankshaft. The camshaft extends through the top of the block and coordinates intake and outtake valves with the help of the crankshaft and timing system.

The valvetrain, which is mounted to the block, controls the valves and contains rocker arms, pushrods, and lifters. To create combustion, the engine also needs fuel injectors and spark plugs.

How All of the Parts Work Together

For your car to move, the parts of the engine need to work together in a four-stroke cycle. First, the piston slides down into the cylinder, introducing air into the cylinder via the intake valve. At the same time, the fuel injector sprays fuel into the cylinder. Then, the valves close, and the crankshaft raises the piston into the cylinder, so the mixture of fuel and air becomes compressed. At the top of this stroke, the spark plug creates a spark and ignites the compressed fuel-air mixture.

The resulting mini-explosion pushes the piston back down to the bottom of the cylinder, and the outtake valve opens. The cylinder then moves back up and forces exhaust out of the cylinder. This whole sequence happens about a thousand times per minute in each cylinder. If any of the parts fail to operate correctly, take your car to an engine repair shop.

Mullanphy Tire & Automotive in Florissant, MO, is a full-service auto repair shop that has been serving St. Louis County for over 29 years. Their team offers reliable service at reasonable prices for everything from oil changes to tire rotation to engine repair. Call (314) 921-4961 to schedule service or request an estimate, or visit their website to learn more about their services and to view their current specials.