Basic Parts of a Car Engine

What's the part of your vehicle that provides power by burning fuel? The part that turns on when you turn the keys in the ignition? The part that without your car would be nothing more than a shell on wheels? If you answered the car engine to any of those questions, you're correct! The engine is one of the most crucial and complex parts of your car and there's a lot to it. 

It takes a considerable amount of hours and efforts to understand the engine like one of our auto service experts here at Toyota of Orlando. But, in the spirit of knowledge and being a better vehicle owner, we're here to give you a break down of the basic parts of the engine. Check it out!

The Car Engine Made Simple

Like we said, there's a lot to dissect when it comes to your vehicle's engine. To keep things simple and short, let's go over a few of the basic parts you'll find in the auto part. 

Engine Block

The Orlando car engine block is the main and one of the largest parts. It's made of specific metals and houses all other parts within or on it. It's also referred to as a cylinder block or just block. 

Pistons

Pistons are key components in your car engine. They move and compress air/fuel mix as it passes through the engine block. This, in conjunction with spark plugs, create the spark that ignites fuel and generates power. The power generated translates to rotary motion that the transmission sends to the tires through the driveshaft. This drives your Orlando Toyota vehicle. 

Cylinder Head

Cylinder heads are designed to seal in the gaseous fuel mixture. This prevents fires from occuring in other parts of the engine and/or loss of fuel economy. They also house the spark plugs. 

Crankshaft

The Orlando Toyota crankshaft is the part of your car engine that rotates the cylinders to create reciprocating motion. They're joined together and to cylinders by connecting rods. 

Camshaft

Camshafts are rotating objects that convert motion further in the combustion process. They're round-ish shaped metal objects with a pointed "cam" included. They operate the Orlando Toyota intake and exhaust valves. 

Valves

Valves are key in the car engine as they regulate the flow of air/fuel mixture that enters the combustion chamber. There's a set of intake valves that allow fuel to enter the chamber and exhaust valves that allow spent exhaust to escape the chamber after successful ignition. 

Oil Pan

Also called a sump, oil pans collect cycled oil from your Orlando Toyota car engine. It also collects substances like water and other chemicals exhausted during the ignition process. 

That was a lot! If you still have questions about your car engine or need top quality auto service, Toyota of Orlando is here to help. Give us a call at (407) 298 0001 today.