By-

Utkarsh Kushwah
UPES
Introduction

Welcome to Car Basics! Here you will embark on great

adventure i.e. learning all about the basics of the major system
that power your car.
Theinformationin thisreportwillgiveyouthemost
fundamentalworkingknowledgeabout your’scar

 Engine
 Fuel System
 Exhaust System
 Cooling System
 Drivetrain
 Suspension
 Electrical System
 Body Brakes
 Heat /AC
 Oil
YourCar’s Engine
There are three main components that make up a combustion
engine:

1. Piston
2. Crankshaft
3. Valvetrain

These three components work in concert to pump air and fuel

and turn your wheel. Let’s look at each on in a little more detail.
1.Piston

Your average car engine will have 4,6 or 8 pistons.You can think of piston as
similar to “plungers” moving up and down within their cylinders. On the top
side of the piston is the combustion chamber, where fuel and air are mixed
together before being ignited.

On the other side of the piston is the crankcase, which is full of oil.Your air and
fuel are kept separate from the oil by “O-Ring” style rubber seals
2.Crankshaft
Thecrankshaftisconnectedtopistonbyarod.As thepistonmovesupand
down,the crankshaftrotatesandconvertstheup andthedownmotionintorotatory
motion.Inotherwords,ithelpsturnthewheels.

3.Valvetrain

Thevalvetrainismadeupofvalves,rockerarms,pushrods,liftersandthe
camshaft.Thejobofthe valvetrainistoletthe airandfuel inandoutofthe engineat
theappropriatetime.Thisisaccomplishedbysynchronizingthecamshafttothe
crankshaftwithabelt orachain.
How it all works
The average car today uses what is known as a “4-stroke” or “4 cycle” engine.
What this means is that there are four separate events that happen in your
engine as it runs:
1. Intake stroke
2. Compression stroke
3. Power stroke
4. Exhaust stroke
1. Intake stroke

Anintakevalveisopenedby the camshaft,andthepistonmoves

downinsidethecylindercreatinga vacuumwhichsucksairandfuelintothe
combustionchamber.
2.Compression stroke

Theintakevalveclosesasthe pistonmovesupthe cylinder.Thiscreates

asealthatallowstheairandfuel tobe compressed.
3. Power stroke

As thepistonnearsthetopof the cylinder,thesparkplugfiresand

ignitesthecompressedairandfuel.Theforceofignitiondrivesthe pistonback
downintothe cylinderagain,turningthecrankshaft..
4. Exhaust stroke

Oncethepistonreachesthebottomofthecylinderagain,theexhaust
valvesopens.Leftoverairandgasaresentout tothe exhaustsystem.
YourCar’s FuelSystem
If any part of your fuel system breaks down, your engine will not.
Therefore it is very important to keep your fuel system well-maintained and
address any problem that come up soon as possible.

Let’s look at the parts:

1. Fuel tank
2. Fuel pump
3. Fuel filter
4. Fuel injectors (newer cars)
5. Carbonator (older cars)
1. FuelTank
Pretty self-explanatory!Thefueltankiswhereyourcar’sfuelisstored.
Insidethetankisasendingunitwhichtellsyourgasgaugehowmuchfuelisleftin
thetank.

2. Fuel Pump
Onnewer model cars,thefuelpumpisusuallyinstalledinsidethefuel tank.
Onoldermodelcars,thefuel pumpmaybe attachedtothe engineoronthe
framerailbetweenthe tankandengine.

3. Fuel Filter
Fuel filtersmaybe locatedbeforeorafterthefuel pump(andinsome
cars,therearetwofuelfilters–onebefore thepump,andoneafter).Intakevalves
tendto getcloggedandfuelfiltersservetocleanthisbuildup outofthegasoline.
4. Fuel Injectors
Fuel injectionis used in the majority foreignand domesticcars produced
after 1986.The fuel injector is a small,electricvalve.The openingand closingof this
valveiscontrolledbyacomputer.

5.Carburetor
Onolder modelcars,acarburetorisusedtohelpmix airandfuel.It’sa
very inefficientprocess,andcarburetorsare notoriousforbreakingdown.Thisis
whymostmanufacturesswitchedtofuelinjection.
Your Car’s Exhaust System
Your exhaust system carries away the gasses created by engine combustion.
The whole system consist of five components:

1. Exhausted Manifold
2. Oxygen Sensor
3. CatalyticConverter
4. Muffler
5. Exhaust Pipe
1. Exhaust Manifold
Theexhaustmanifoldattachestothe cylinderhead,takingthe exhaust
fromeachpiston,androutingitthroughonepipe.

2.OxygenSensor
A componentoffuel-injectionsystem,the oxygensensormonitorsthe
levelofoxygenpresentintheexhaustandmakesadjustmenttofuelinputinorder
tomaximizefueleconomy.Anoxygensensorisusuallymountednearthe exhaust
manifold.
3.CatalyticConverter
Thecatalyticconverteractssomewhatlikeafilterinthatit’sjobistoconvert
harmfulbyproductsoftheprocessintolessharmfulones.Namely,carbonmonoxideand
hydrocarbonsareconvertedtowatervaporandcarbondioxide.
Yourcatalyticconvertershouldbelocatedbetween yourexhaustmanifoldand
muffler.

4.Muffler
Themuffler“muffles”thesoundofyourengine’scombustionandexhaustprocess.
Soundisreduced by “bouncing”theexhaustagainstinternalbafflestoreduce itsenergy.

5.Exhaust Pipe
Onceyourgashasturnedto vaporwithintheexhaustsystem,itiscarriedout of
yourcarthroughthe exhaustpipe.
YourCar’s Engine-Cooling System
As you can imagine, your car’s engine gets super hot while running. Normal
operating temperature for the average fuel burning engine is around 2,000
degrees Fahrenheit, but temperatures may go up as high as 4,000 degrees F.
during the combustion process.

A cooling system is necessary for a couple of reason:

1. To prevent temperature high enough to melt engine parts.
2. To stabilize engine temperature at the most efficient level regardless of
environmental conditions.
3. While some heat is carried away by the exhaust system. It’s not enough to
protect the pistons and cylinders.
Mostautomobilesusewhatisknownasa“liquid-cooling”system.Inotherwords,a
liquid‘coolant’iscirculatedtoabsorbandcarryawayheatfromthe engine.

Thisliquidisthensentothe radiator,where itis“re-cooled”againandsentback

outforanotherpassthroughtheengine.

Let’s lookat the parts involved in the coolingsystem:

1. Hoses

2. FanBelt

3. Radiator

4. WaterPump
1. Hoses
Hoses areusedtocarrythe liquidcoolant.

2. Fan Belt
A Fanbeltisusedtodrive thewaterpump,whichcirculatesthecoolant
throughthesystem.

3. Radiator
Theradiatorcoolsyourcoolant.

4. Water Pump
Thewaterpump,whichisdrivenby yourengineviafanbelt, isresponsible
forpushingthecoolanttocirculate
Your car’s DriveTrain
The drive train (also sometimes referred to as the ‘power point’) serves two
functions:
1. Drive power from the engine to the drive wheel.
2. Vary the amount of torque.

We use the expression “drive wheel” to refer to the actual “driven wheels”
of a vehicle. For instance, an automobile with 2-wheel drive is designed to
power 2 drive wheels (either the two front wheels or the back
wheels), while the remaining wheels on the vehicle roll out but do not
actually power the car forward.

There are two sets of gears in the drive train:

1. Transmission
2. Differential
Transmission
Thetransmissionisusedto adjustgearratio.Thisissimilarto(but more
complexthan)thegear-switchingof a bicycle.Automotivetransmissionrequire
multipleratiogearboxestomaintainthesameengineRPM’satdifferentspeeds.

Differential
The differentialisusedtohelpthewheelsturnatdifferentspeeds.

Now,we canbreakthe transmissiondownevenfurther becausethere are2types

oftransmissionyouareprobablyfamiliarwith:

1..Manual

2.Automatic.
ManualTransmission
Manualtransmissionusuallyhave4or 5speeds.Mostusemanual
clutches,but there areafewmodelsout there thatactuallyuseanelectricclutch
withamanualstickshift.Manualtransmissionsrequirethedriver toshiftthegears.

AutomaticTransmissions
Automatictransmissionstypicallyuse3 “forward”gears.Eachgearis
intendedtobalancespeedandtorque forthecurrent drivingconditions
(starting,acceleration,drivinguphill,etc).

Inautomatic transmissions,though,isthatthegear-shiftingprocessis
controlledby oil pressure.A“shiftvalve”,controlledbyoilpressure,isemployedto
shiftthegearstomeet the immediatedrivingconditions.

Your AXLE maybe locatedatthe eitherthe frontorthe reardepending

onwhetheryouhavefrontorrearwheeldrive.Powerfromthe engineisdelivered
tothe axleby DRIVESHAFT.
Your Car’s SuspensionSystem
Suspension in this case refers to the front and rear springs that suspend
your car’s weight.Today’s suspension system may be constructed from a
variety of spring types, shapes and sizes, such as:

Leaf springs
Coil springs
Air springs
Torsion springs

Also include in the suspension system: shocks, struts and sway bars.
YourCar’s ElectricalSystem
The electrical system in today’s cars are complex, and there are dozens of
things that can go wrong at any times with the major devices as well as
auxiliary devices such as radios, chargers, defrosters, power windows and so
on.

The BigThree things that you need to pay attention to are:

1. The Battery
2. The Starter Motor
3. The Alternator
The Battery
Yourbattery storespowertostartyourcar,aswellasrunallthe
secondarydeviceslikeradiosandclocks.

The starter Motor

ThestartermotorisaDCsolenoidusedto startthecar’sengine.

TheAlternator
Thealternatormanagescurrenttokeepyour carchargedwhilerunning
(itispoweredby the engine),andtorestore chargetothe battery.
YourCar’s Body
In old days, car body’s were almost entirely metal.These days, however, most
car bodies are composite of fiberglass and plastic around a metal frame.

Common body problem may include:

1. Rust – In this case, we’re talking about rust from the inside out. This is a
bigger problem with older model cars.
2. Accidents – Repairs can get pricey on newer model cars due to their
construction.A metal bumper, for example, can be ‘banged’ back into
some cases. Plastic bumpers, however, usually have to be replaced in full.
3. Paint – UV rays from the sun can damage paint over time. Scratches and
dings from rocks, hail or other debris can create chips in the paint leading
to further deterioration.
YourCar’s BrakesSystem
If you have a newer model car or truck, it is likely that you have disc brakes on
all braking wheels, rather than drums. Older models braking system typically
employ disc brakes on the front wheels and drum brakes on the back wheels.

Why disk brakes?

Disc brakes are lighter and perform better than drums in terms of
wear and tear.This is because the disc brakes are gripped on either side by the
brake pads, similar to the brakes on a cycle.The wear form the heat and
friction is distributed evenly.
A standard brake system consist of 4 main components:

1.. Disc and or drumsand rotors

2. Friction pads
3. Master cylinder and brake cylinders
4. BrakeFluid

Themaster cylinderconnectstoyourbrakepedalviaa“pushrod”.Thispushrodis
thenconnectedto eachbrakescylinderby steelbrakelinesandthe rubber hosesthat
carrythehydraulicbrakefluid.Pressureappliedtothebrake pedalactivatesthe
mastercylinderpistonswhichpumpbrakefluidthroughthesystem.
Your Car’s Heat and AC
The first thing to note is that your heating andAC system is designed to:
1. Add heat to the inside environment, or
2. Remove heat from the inside environment

In other words, the cooling of your AC is not achieved by “creating

cold”, but by removing heat and moisture from the air until the desired
temperature is achieved.
YourCar’s heating andAC system consist of the following:
1.Heatercoreor‘secondary’radiator
2.Compressor
3.Evaporator
4.Condenser
5.Fan
6.Hoses
7.Liquidrefrigerant(Freon,usuallyR-12orR-134)

Inorder toheatyourcar,thesystemcirculatesairaroundtheheatercorethen
return itbackintothe interiorofthe vehicle.Simpleenough,right?
TheACsystemismoreelaborate.Itstartswiththe evaporator,whichreceives the
airpulledfromtheinteriorofthecarviaafan.Meanwhile,your compressoris
movingrefrigerantthroughacondenserandbacktothe evaporator.

Inotherwords,yourAC removes heatfromtheairby removingthewatervaporit

onacontinualbasisasitcirculatesthroughthesystemandbackintocar.
YourCar’s Oil

Oil lubricates the moving parts of your engine, protecting them from the wear
of friction and high temperatures.

What is important here , though, is nit any of the parts of the system but itself.
The biggest thing you can do to extend the life of your vehicle is to have the oil
changed on regular basis. Most manufactures recommend you get an oil
changed every 2 to 3 months or every 2,000 to 3,000 miles.

It is vitally important that you use the correct grade and viscosity of oil for your
driving conditions.Very cold driving conditions require a thinner viscosity ( the
thinner the oil, the faster it heats up) while very hot conditions may require
multi-grade or higher viscosity oil
Reference

Car Basics for Beginners. EverythingYou’ve Always

Wanted to AskYour Mechanic. Retrieved January
26, 2010, from http://automobile.for-beginners-
only.com
Prepared by:

Utkarsh Kushwah
B-Tech (Automotive Design)
2009-13
University of Petroleum & Energy
Studies