Car Care
Have you ever opened the hood of your car and wonÂdered what was going on in there? A car engine can look like a big conÂfusÂing jumÂble of metÂal, tubes and wires to the uniniÂtiÂatÂed. You might want to know whatâs going on simÂply out of curiosÂiÂty. Or perÂhaps you are buyÂing a new car, and you hear things like â2.5âliter incline fourâ and âturÂbochargedâ and âstart/stop techÂnolÂoÂgy.â What does all of that mean? n this artiÂcle, weâll disÂcuss the basic idea behind an engine and then go into detail about how all the pieces fit togethÂer, what can go wrong and how to increase performance.
- There are difÂferÂent kinds of interÂnal comÂbusÂtion engines
- Diesel engines are one type and gas turÂbine engines are another
- Each has its own advanÂtages and disadvantages
- The steam engine in old-fashÂioned trains and steam boats
The purÂpose of a gasoÂline car engine is to conÂvert gasoÂline into motion so that your car can move. CurÂrentÂly the easÂiÂest way to creÂate motion from gasoÂline is to burn the gasoÂline inside an engine. ThereÂfore, a car engine is an interÂnal comÂbusÂtion engine â comÂbusÂtion takes place interÂnalÂly. Letâs look at the interÂnal comÂbusÂtion process in more detail in the next secÂtion. Engines are also clasÂsiÂfied by their size.
The Different Types of Engines
There are of course excepÂtions and minute difÂferÂences among the interÂnal-comÂbusÂtion engines on the marÂket. AtkinÂson-cycle engines, for examÂple, change the valve timÂing to make a more effiÂcient but less powÂerÂful engine. TurÂbochargÂing and superÂchargÂing, grouped togethÂer under the forced-inducÂtion options, pump addiÂtionÂal air into the engine, which increasÂes the availÂable oxyÂgen and thus the amount of fuel that can be burnedâresulting in more powÂer when you want it and more effiÂcienÂcy when you donât need the powÂer. Diesel engines do all this withÂout spark plugs. But no matÂter the engine, as long as itâs of the interÂnal-comÂbusÂtion variÂety, the basics of how it works remain the same. And now you know them.
How Your Cars Engine Work
In a mulÂtiÂcylinÂder car engine, the indiÂvidÂual cylinÂdersâ cycles are offÂset from each othÂer and evenÂly spaced so that the comÂbusÂtion strokes do not occur simulÂtaÂneÂousÂly and so that the engine is as balÂanced and smooth as posÂsiÂble. But not all engines are creÂatÂed equal. They come in many shapes and sizes. Most autoÂmoÂbile engines arrange their cylinÂders in a straight line, such as an inline-four, or comÂbine two banks of inline cylinÂders in a vee, as in a Vâ6 or a Vâ8. Engines are also clasÂsiÂfied by their size, or disÂplaceÂment, which is the comÂbined volÂume of an engineâs cylinders.
