Why drivers benefit from understanding engine design, and how internal combustion engines are classified by cylinder layout, displacement and cooling type.
MSG Equipment begins by explaining why understanding the engine matters: a driver who knows the car’s components can notice a knock from the steering rack or a whining alternator belt and deal with the fault in time.
An engine converts one form of energy into mechanical energy. The most common type in cars is the internal combustion engine, which burns fuel inside its cylinders. These engines come in piston, rotary-piston, gas turbine and other variants.
- Number and arrangement of cylinders
- Weight and displacement
- Liquid or air cooling