ByUtkarsh 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.

The information in this report will give you the most

fundamental working knowledge about yours car
Engine
Fuel System
Exhaust System
Cooling System

Drivetrain
Suspension
Electrical System

Body Brakes
Heat /AC
Oil

Your Cars 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. Lets 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
The crankshaft is connected to piston by a rod. As the piston moves up and
down, the crankshaft rotates and converts the up and the down motion into rotatory
motion. In other words, it helps turn the wheels.

3. Valvetrain
The valvetrain is made up of valves, rocker arms, pushrods, lifters and the
cam shaft.The job of the valvetrain is to let the air and fuel in and out of the engine at
the appropriate time.This is accomplished by synchronizing the cam shaft to the
crankshaft with a belt or a chain.

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
An intake valve is opened by the camshaft, and the piston moves
down inside the cylinder creating a vacuum which sucks air and fuel into the
combustion chamber.

2. Compression stroke
The intake valve closes as the piston moves up the cylinder.This creates
a seal that allows the air and fuel to be compressed.

3. Power stroke
As the piston nears the top of the cylinder, the spark plug fires and
ignites the compressed air and fuel.The force of ignition drives the piston back
down into the cylinder again, turning the crankshaft..

4. Exhaust stroke
Once the piston reaches the bottom of the cylinder again, the exhaust
valves opens. Leftover air and gas are sent out to the exhaust system.

Your Cars Fuel System

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.

Lets look at the parts:

1.

Fuel tank

2.

Fuel pump

3.

Fuel filter

4.

Fuel injectors (newer cars)

5.

Carbonator (older cars)

1. Fuel Tank
Pretty self-explanatory!The fuel tank is where your cars fuel is stored.
Inside the tank is a sending unit which tells your gas gauge how much fuel is left in
the tank.

2. Fuel Pump
On newer model cars, the fuel pump is usually installed inside the fuel tank.
On older model cars, the fuel pump may be attached to the engine or on the
frame rail between the tank and engine.

3. Fuel Filter
Fuel filters may be located before or after the fuel pump (and in some cars,
there are two fuel filters one before the pump, and one after). Intake valves tend
to get clogged and fuel filters serve to clean this build up out of the gasoline.

4. Fuel Injectors
Fuel injection is used in the majority foreign and domestic cars produced
after 1986.The fuel injector is a small, electric valve.The opening and closing of this
valve is controlled by a computer.

5. Carburetor
On older model cars, a carburetor is used to help mix air and fuel. Its a
very inefficient process , and carburetors are notorious for breaking down.This is
why most manufactures switched to fuel injection.

Your Cars 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.

Catalytic Converter

4.

Muffler

5.

Exhaust Pipe

1. Exhaust Manifold
The exhaust manifold attaches to the cylinder head, taking the exhaust
from each piston, and routing it through one pipe.

2. Oxygen Sensor
A component of fuel-injection system, the oxygen sensor monitors the
level of oxygen present in the exhaust and makes adjustment to fuel input in order
to maximize fuel economy. An oxygen sensor is usually mounted near the exhaust
manifold.

3.Catalytic Converter
The catalytic converter acts somewhat like a filter in that its job is to convert
harmful byproducts of the process into less harmful ones. Namely, carbon monoxide and
hydrocarbons are converted to water vapor and carbon dioxide.
Your catalytic converter should be located between your exhaust manifold and
muffler.

4.Muffler
The muffler muffles the sound of your engines combustion and exhaust process.
Sound is reduced by bouncing the exhaust against internal baffles to reduce its energy.

5.Exhaust Pipe
Once your gas has turned to vapor within the exhaust system, it is carried out of
your car through the exhaust pipe.

Your Cars Engine-Cooling System

As you can imagine, your cars 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. Its not enough to
protect the pistons and cylinders.

Most automobiles use what is known as a liquid-cooling system. In other words, a

liquid coolant is circulated to absorb and carry away heat from the engine.
This liquid is then sent o the radiator, where it is re-cooled again and sent back
out for another pass through the engine.

Lets look at the parts involved in the cooling system:

1. Hoses
2. Fan Belt
3. Radiator

4. Water Pump

1. Hoses
Hoses are used to carry the liquid coolant.

2. Fan Belt
A Fan belt is used to drive the water pump, which circulates the coolant
through the system.

3. Radiator
The radiator cools your coolant.

4. Water Pump
The water pump, which is driven by your engine via fan belt, is responsible
for pushing the coolant to circulate

Your cars Drive Train

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
The transmission is used to adjust gear ratio.This is similar to (but more
complex than) the gear-switching of a bicycle. Automotive transmission require
multiple ratio gearboxes to maintain the same engine RPMs at different speeds.

Differential
The differential is used to help the wheels turn at different speeds.
Now , we can break the transmission down even further because there are 2 types
of transmission you are probably familiar with:
1.. Manual
2. Automatic.

Manual Transmission
Manual transmission usually have 4 or 5 speeds. Most use manual
clutches, but there are a few models out there that actually use an electric clutch
with a manual stick shift. Manual transmissions require the driver to shift the gears.

Automatic Transmissions
Automatic transmissions typically use 3 forward gears. Each gear is
intended to balance speed and torque for the current driving conditions (starting,
acceleration, driving up hill, etc).
In automatic transmissions, though, is that the gear-shifting process is
controlled by oil pressure. A shift valve, controlled by oil pressure, is employed to
shift the gears to meet the immediate driving conditions.
Your AXLE may be located at the either the front or the rear depending
on whether you have front or rear wheel drive. Power from the engine is delivered
to the axle by DRIVESHAFT.

Your Cars Suspension System

Suspension in this case refers to the front and rear springs that suspend
your cars weight. Todays 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.

Your Cars Electrical System

The electrical system in todays 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 Big Three things that you need to pay attention to are:
1.

The Battery

2.

The Starter Motor

3.

The Alternator

The Battery
Your battery stores power to start your car, as well as run all the
secondary devices like radios and clocks.

The starter Motor

The starter motor is a DC solenoid used to start the cars engine.

The Alternator
The alternator manages current to keep your car charged while running
(it is powered by the engine), and to restore charge to the battery.

Your Cars Body

In old days, car bodys 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, were 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.

Your Cars Brakes System

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 drums and rotors

2. Friction pads
3. Master cylinder and brake cylinders
4. Brake Fluid
The master cylinder connects to your brake pedal via a push rod. This push rod is
then connected to each brakes cylinder by steel brake lines and the rubber hoses that
carry the hydraulic brake fluid. Pressure applied to the brake pedal activates the
master cylinder pistons which pump brake fluid through the system.

Your Cars Heat and AC

The first thing to note is that your heating and AC 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.

Your Cars heating and AC system consist of the following:

1. Heater core or secondary radiator
2. Compressor
3. Evaporator
4. Condenser
5. Fan
6. Hoses
7. Liquid refrigerant (Freon, usually R-12 or R-134)
In order to heat your car, the system circulates air around the heater core then
return it back into the interior of the vehicle. Simple enough, right?
The AC system is more elaborate. It starts with the evaporator, which receives the
air pulled from the interior of the car via a fan. Meanwhile, your compressor is
moving refrigerant through a condenser and back to the evaporator.
In other words, your AC removes heat from the air by removing the water vapor it
on a continual basis as it circulates through the system and back into car.

Your Cars 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. Everything Youve Always

Wanted to Ask Your 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