The Engine

by Matthew

This is a diagram of a traditional automobile’s powerhouse, the engine. These impressive, fascinating pieces of machinery are a complex network of bars, pistons, chains, wires and much more.

Standard 4-stroke V8 engine

A standard engine, know as a 4-stroke engine, generates thrust by executing a 4-step cycle, step 1: the piston moves down and gasoline and oxygen are sucked in through the intake valve, creating a high-explosive mixture. Step 2: the spark plug ignites, sending electricity into the high-explosive mix, across a tiny air gap. Step 3: the burst of electricity ignites the mixture, which then combusts and burns, forcing the piston down, which turns the crankshaft. The crankshaft’s movement is then transferred to the rear axle via a set of gears. Step 4: the exhaust valve opens and the smoke, steam, gas and other waste produced by the combustion of the fuel mixture, are sucked out of the engine and to the exhaust pipe, ready for the next cycle. It’s incredible that this complex cycle happens dozens of times a second.

Some common problems with engines include: lack of oil, carbon buildup, overheating, blowout, fire due to locking and stopping counter-rotation, and much more.

For lack of oil, a simple fix is to go to an auto repair shop and get the vehicle an oil change. For the others however, I’m not sure about how to fix them. Well, I may have an obvious answer for fire because of locking counter-rotation, DON’T SPIN OUT!! If you do, I’d suggest getting out and if safe, check the engine for any signs of fire (such as smoke, oil and/or gas spill or splatter, scorch marks, burned parts etc.).

For a blowout, SAFELY exit the car and get at least 30 feet away. You should stay at least 30 feet away because you never know if and/or when the engine may explode, and that’s never a safe situation. Why? The engine exploding may send parts and other debris high into the air. The debris can be glowing red or orange because of the high temperatures. There’s also obviously going to be a fire inside of the engine. Keep your distance and call for help, they will deal with the fire.

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