Basic Car Parts

Parts Of Your Car

Air cleaner/filter: Air is drawn through it. Contains a filter that blocks dirt before it can enter the engine.
Air intake manifold: Air is distributed into the combustion chamber.
Alternator: Takes over from the battery when the engine is running. Recharges the battery and supplies power to all electrical components.
Battery: Supplies the initial electrical power that starts the engine.
Carburetor: Most new cars now have fuel injected engines. Older vehicles have carburetors. This gadget mixes air and fuel in the proper ratio for burning in the engine’s combustion chambers.
Coolant reservoir (tank): Holds hot coolant (antifreeze) that overflows from the radiator and also draws back into the radiator as it is needed.
Distributor: Distributes high voltage electricity to the spark plugs, one at a time.
Exhaust manifold: Set of pipes, one for each cylinder that conducts exhaust away from cylinders.
Fuel injection system: Sprays controlled amount of fuel directly into either the intake manifold or combustion chambers, resulting in a very precise air to fuel ratio that improves fuel economy.
Muffler: The interior “baffles” and tubes quiet the explosive release of exhaust.

Suspension system: This system receives a great deal of punishment from the roads. This system consists of shock absorbers, Struts, springs, and motor mounts, tires, tie rods, ball joints, control arms, torsion bar, strut rods, spindle, axles.
Power steering reservoir: This reservoir contains fluid for your power steering system. Once the reservoir cap is unscrewed the cap will consist of a dip stick. This will identify the fluid levels.
Brake fluid reservoir: The brake fluid level can be inspected by the plastic box or bottle by the fire wall on the driver side.
Disc brakes: A metal disk that spins with the wheel that the brake pad uses to pressure against to stop.
Oil dip stick: The stick that’s used to check the level of the motor oil.
Rear Axle: A shaft that connects the power from the transmission to the wheels.
Radiator: The device that helps to remove heat from the cooling system as coolant passes through it.

Basic Engine Parts

The core of the engine is the cylinder, with the piston moving up and down inside the cylinder. The engine described above has one cylinder. That is typical of most lawn mowers, but most cars have more than one cylinder (four, six and eight cylinders are common). In a multi-cylinder engine, the cylinders usually are arranged in one of three ways: inline, V or flat (also known as horizontally opposed or boxer), as shown in the following figures.
Different configurations have different advantages and disadvantages in terms of smoothness, manufacturing cost and shape characteristics. These advantages and disadvantages make them more suitable for certain vehicles.

 Figure 1. Inline - The cylinders are arranged in a line in a single bank.

Figure 2. V - The cylinders are arranged in two banks set at an angle to one another.

Figure 3. Flat - The cylinders are arranged in two banks on opposite sides of the engine.

Let's look at some key engine parts in more detail.
Spark plugThe spark plug supplies the spark that ignites the air/fuel mixture so that combustion can occur. The spark must happen at just the right moment for things to work properly.
ValvesThe intake and exhaust valves open at the proper time to let in air and fuel and to let out exhaust. Note that both valves are closed during compression and combustion so that the combustion chamber is sealed.
PistonA piston is a cylindrical piece of metal that moves up and down inside the cylinder.
Piston ringsPiston rings provide a sliding seal between the outer edge of the piston and the inner edge of the cylinder. The rings serve two purposes:

• They prevent the fuel/air mixture and exhaust in the combustion chamber from leaking into the sump during compression and combustion.
• They keep oil in the sump from leaking into the combustion area, where it would be burned and lost.

Most cars that "burn oil" and have to have a quart added every 1,000 miles are burning it because the engine is old and the rings no longer seal things properly.
Connecting rodThe connecting rod connects the piston to the crankshaft. It can rotate at both ends so that its angle can change as the piston moves and the crankshaft rotates.
CrankshaftThe crankshaft turns the piston's up and down motion into circular motion just like a crank on a jack-in-the-box does.
SumpThe sump surrounds the crankshaft. It contains some amount of oil, which collects in the bottom of the sump (the oil pan).