ENGINE COMPONENTS:

The following is a list of major components found in most reciprocating internal combustion engines:
1. Engine block 11. Cylinders 21. Piston rods 31. Radiator
2. Camshaft 12. Exhaust manifold 22. Piston rings 32. Spark plug
3. Carburetor 13. Intake manifold 23. Push rods 33. Speed control
4. Catalytic converter 14. Exhaust system 24. Wrist pin 34. Starter
5. Combustion chamber 15. Fan 25. Oil pump 35. Throttle
6. Connecting rod 16. Flywheel 26. Oil sump 36. Valves
7. Connecting rod bearing 17. Fuel injector 27. Oil pan 37. Water jackets
8. Cooling fins 18. Fuel pump 28. Head gasket 38. Supercharger
9. Crankcase 19. Glow plug 29. Cylinder head 39. Turbocharger
10. Water pump 20. Piston 30. Main bearing
ENGINE COMPONENTS:
1. Block or Engine Block
- Body of engine containing the cylinders, made of cast iron or
aluminum. In many older engines, the valves and valve ports
were contained in the block. The block of water-cooled
engines includes a water jacket cast around the cylinders. On
air-cooled engines, the exterior surface of the block has
cooling fins.
2. Camshaft
- Consist of two main components the cam, and the shaft. The
rotating shaft used to push open valves at the proper time in
the engine cycle, either directly or through mechanical or
hydraulic linkage (push rods rocker arms, tappets). Most
modern automobile engines have one or more camshafts
mounted in the engine head (overhead cam).
Most older engines had camshafts in the crankcase.
Camshafts are generally made of forged steel or cast iron and
are driven off the crankshaft by means of a belt or chain (timing
chain). To reduce weight, some cams are made from a hollow
shaft with the cam lobes press-fit on. In four-stroke cycle
engines, the camshaft rotates at half engine speed. Figure courtesy of: https://www.carbibles.com/camshaft-function/
ENGINE COMPONENTS:
3. Carburetor
- Venturi flow device which meters the proper
amount of fuel into the air flow by means of a
pressure differential. For many decades it was the
basic fuel metering system on all automobile (and Figure courtesy of: http://www.speedhunters.com/2015/01/carburetor- Figure courtesy of: https://theveggiebiker.wordpress.com/2019/02/03/
the-greatest-auto-part-ever/ motorcycle-carburetor-basics/
other) engines. It is still used on low cost small
engines like lawn mowers, but is uncommon on
new automobiles.
4. Catalytic converter
- Chamber mounted in exhaust flow containing
catalytic material that promotes reduction of
emissions by chemical reaction.

Figure courtesy of: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Review-Paper-on-Improved-Exhaust-Emission-

Figure courtesy of: https://falanparts.com/products/catalytic-converter-akrapovic-vespa-gts-gts-super-125-150cc-16-20-euro4 Control-Venkadeshwaran-Naulakha/
ENGINE COMPONENTS:
5. Combustion chamber
- The end of the cylinder between the head and the piston face where
combustion occurs. The size of the combustion chamber continuously changes
from a minimum volume when the piston is at TDC to a maximum when the
piston is at BDC. The term "cylinder" is sometimes synonymous with
"combustion chamber" (e.g., "the engine was firing on all cylinders"). Some
engines have open combustion chambers which consist of one chamber for each
cylinder. Other engines have divided chambers which consist of dual chambers Figure courtesy of: https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Review-Paper-on-
Improved-Exhaust-Emission-Control-Venkadeshwaran-Naulakha/
on each cylinder connected by an orifice passage.
6. Connecting rod
- Rod connecting the piston with the rotating crankshaft, usually made
of steel or alloy forging in most engines but may be aluminum in some
small engines.
7. Connecting bearing
- Bearing where connecting rod fastens to crankshaft.

Figure courtesy of: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/644859240365896631/?d=t&mt=signup

ENGINE COMPONENTS:
8. Cooling fins
- Metal fins on the outside surfaces of cylinders and head of an
aircooled engine. These extended surfaces cool the cylinders
by conduction and convection.
9. Crankcase
- Part of the engine block surrounding the rotating crankshaft.
In many engines, the oil pan makes up part of the crankcase
Figure courtesy of: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Natural-air-cooling-C-Fins_fig1_327352996
housing

Figure courtesy of: http://www.vcr-i.eu/english/pop_up/la_technologie_mce- Figure courtesy of: https://dir.indiamart.com/impcat/crankcase.html Figure courtesy of: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Natural-air-cooling-C-Fins_fig1_327352996
5_vcri/crankcase.html
ENGINE COMPONENTS:
10. Water pump
- Pump used to circulate engine coolant through
the engine and radiator. It is usually mechanically
run off of the engine.
11. Cylinders Figure courtesy of: https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Parts-of-cooling-
Figure courtesy of: https://dir.indiamart.com/impcat/crankcase.html
system_fig1_268369584
- The circular cylinders in the engine block in
which the pistons reciprocate back and forth. The
walls of the cylinder have highly polished hard
surfaces. Cylinders may be machined directly in
the engine block, or a hard metal (drawn steel)
sleeve may be pressed into the softer metal block.
Sleeves may be dry sleeves, which do not contact
the liquid in the water jacket, or wet sleeves,
which form part of the water jacket. In a few
engines, the cylinder walls are given a knurled
surface to help hold a lubricant film on the walls.
In some very rare cases, the cross section of the
cylinder is not round. Figure courtesy of: https://www.istockphoto.com/photos/engine-cylinder
ENGINE COMPONENTS:
12. Intake manifold
- Piping system which delivers incoming air to the
cylinders, usually made of cast metal, plastic, or composite
material. In most SI engines, fuel is added to the air in the
intake manifold system either by fuel injectors or with a
carburetor. Some intake manifolds are heated to enhance
fuel evaporation. The individual pipe to a single cylinder is
Figure courtesy of: https://www.cjponyparts.com/resources/intake-manifolds-explained
called a runner.
13. Exhaust manifold
- Piping system which carries exhaust gases away from the
engine cylinders, usually made of cast iron. It varies in size
and shape depending on the car’s engine configuration.

Figure courtesy of: https://www.marineinsight.com/naval-architecture/marine-exhaust-manifolds/

ENGINE COMPONENTS:
14. Exhaust system
- Flow system for removing exhaust gases from the
cylinders, treating them, and exhausting them to the
surroundings. It consists of an exhaust manifold which
carries the exhaust gases away from the engine, a
thermal or catalytic converter to reduce emissions, a
muffler to reduce engine noise, and a tailpipe to carry
the exhaust gases away from the passenger
compartment. Figure courtesy of: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/214835844708744594/

15. Fan
- Most engines have an engine-driven fan to increase air
flow through the radiator and through the engine
compartment, which increases waste heat removal from
the engine. Fans can be driven mechanically or
electrically, and can run continuously or be used only
when needed.
A thermostatic switch is used to control the fan or by
the engine computer, and fan only turn on when the
temperature of the coolant goes above the set point.
They turn back off when the temperature drops below
that point. Figure courtesy of: https://auto.howstuffworks.com/cooling-system9.htm
ENGINE COMPONENTS:
16. Flywheel
- Rotating mass with a large moment of inertia
connected to the crankshaft of the engine. The
purpose of the flywheel is to store energy and
furnish a large angular momentum that keeps the
engine rotating between power strokes and smooths
out engine operation. On some aircraft engines the
propeller serves as the flywheel, as does the rotating Figure courtesy of: https://www.quora.com/What-is-a-starter-flywheel
blade on many lawn mowers.
17. Fuel injector
- A pressurized nozzle that sprays fuel into the
incoming air on SI engines or into the cylinder on CI
engines. On SI engines, fuel injectors are located at
the intake valve ports on multipoint port injector
systems and upstream at the intake manifold inlet
on throttle body injector systems. In a few SI
engines, injectors spray directly into the
combustion chamber.
Figure courtesy of: https://www.chicagotribune.com/consumer-reviews/sns-bestreviews-automotive-the-best-fuel-injector-cleaner-
20191130-63n4j4fdybe7rjgmat4eff4hai-story.html
ENGINE COMPONENTS:
18. Fuel pump
- Either electrically or mechanically driven pump to used to supply fuel from
the fuel tank (reservoir) to the engine. Many modern automobiles have an
electric fuel pump mounted submerged in the fuel tank. Some small engines
and early automobiles had no fuel pump, relying on gravity feed.
19. Glow plug
- Small electrical resistance heater mounted inside the combustion chamber
Figure courtesy of: https://www.newkidscar.com/fuel-system/fuel-pump-construction/
of many diesel-powered internal combustion engines or CI engines, used to
preheat the chamber enough so that combustion will occur when first
starting a cold engine. It is only needed during the ignition process and is
turned off after the engine is started.

Figure courtesy of: https://www.newkidscar.com/fuel-system/fuel-pump-construction/

Figure courtesy of: https://www.carparts.com/blog/glow-plug-vs-spark-plug-whats-the-difference/

ENGINE COMPONENTS:
20. Piston
-The cylindrical-shaped mass that reciprocates back and forth in the
cylinder, transmitting the pressure forces in the combustion chamber to
the rotating crankshaft. The top of the piston is called the crown and the
sides are called the skirt. The face on the crown makes up one wall of the
combustion chamber and may be a flat or highly contoured surface. Some
pistons contain an indented bowl in the crown, which makes up a large
percent of the clearance volume. Pistons are made of cast iron, steel, or
aluminum. Iron and steel pistons can have sharper corners because of
their higher strength. They also have lower thermal expansion, which Figure courtesy of: https://www.quora.com/What-is-a-starter-flywheel
allows for tighter tolerances and less crevice volume. Aluminum pistons
are lighter and have less mass inertia. Sometimes synthetic or composite
materials are used for the body of the piston, with only the crown made
of metal. Some pistons have a ceramic coating on the face.
21. Piston rod
- a rod which connects the piston to the crankshaft through a crosshead
in large reciprocating engines.

Figure courtesy of: https://wiac.info/docview

ENGINE COMPONENTS:
22. Piston rings
- Metal rings that fit into circumferential grooves around the piston
and form a sliding surface against the cylinder walls. Near the top of
the piston are usually two or more compression rings made of highly
polished hard chrome steel. The purpose of these is to form a seal
between the piston and cylinder walls and to restrict the high-pressure
gases in the combustion chamber from leaking past the piston into the
crankcase (blowby). Below the compression rings on the piston is at
least one oil ring, which assists in lubricating the cylinder walls and
scrapes away excess oil to reduce oil consumption.
23. Push rods
- Mechanical linkage between the camshaft and valves on overhead Figure courtesy of: https://www.quora.com/How-are-pistons-engineered-so-
that-thermal-expansion-doesnt-cause-too-much-friction-or-break-the-pistons-
valve engines with the camshaft in the crankcase. Many push rods airtight-seal

have oil passages through their length as part of a pressurized

lubrication system.
ENGINE COMPONENTS:
24. Wrist pin
- Pin fastening the connecting rod to the piston (also called the piston pin).

25. Oil pump

- Pump used to distribute oil from the oil sump to required lubrication points. The oil pump can be electrically driven, but is most
commonly mechanically driven by the engine. Some small engines do not have an oil pump and are lubricated by splash distribution.

Figure courtesy of: https://www.chicagotribune.com/consumer-reviews/sns-bestreviews-automotive-

Figure courtesy of: https://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/how-to/a7623/why-does-your-cars-oil-light-come-on-8657725/
the-best-fuel-injector-cleaner-20191130-63n4j4fdybe7rjgmat4eff4hai-story.html
ENGINE COMPONENTS:
26. Oil sump
- Reservoir for the oil system of the engine, commonly part of the crankcase. Some engines (aircraft) have a separate
closed reservoir called a dry sump.
27. Oil pan
- Oil reservoir usually bolted to the bottom of the engine block, making up part of the crankcase. Acts as the oil sump for
most engines.

Image courtesy of: http://me-resetsg.blogspot.com/2015/12/car-engine-parts.html Image courtesy of: https://mannysmechanicalrepairs.com.au/engine-oil-changes-critical-never-ever-neglect-go-cheap/

ENGINE COMPONENTS:
28. Head gasket
- Gasket which serves as a sealant between the engine block
and head where they bolt together to avoid coolant or engine
oil leaking into the cylinders . They are usually made in sandwich
construction of metal and composite materials. Some engines
use liquid head gaskets.
29. Cylinder head
- The piece which closes the end of the cylinders, usually
containing part of the clearance volume of the combustion
chamber. The head is usually cast iron or aluminum, and bolts to
the engine block. In some less common engines, the head is one
piece with the block. The head contains the spark plugs in SI
engines and the fuel injectors in CI engines and some SI engines.
Most modern engines have the valves in the head, and many
have the camshaft(s) positioned there also (overhead valves and
overhead cam).

Figure courtesy of: https://www.kennokyos.xyz/ProductDetail.aspx?iid=189068422&pr=74.99

ENGINE COMPONENTS:
30. Main bearing
- The bearings connected to the engine block in which the
crankshaft rotates. The maximum number of main bearings
would be equal to the number of pistons plus one, or one
between each set of pistons plus the two ends. On some less
powerful engines, the number of main bearings is less than
this maximum.
Figure courtesy of: https://what-when-how.com/automobile/engine-bearings-automobile/
31. Radiator
- Liquid-to-air heat exchanger of honeycomb construction
used to remove heat from the engine coolant after the engine
has been cooled. The radiator is usually mounted in front of
the engine in the flow of air as the automobile moves
forward. An engine-driven fan is often used to increase air
flow through the radiator.

Figure courtesy of: https://www.carmag.co.za/technical-blog/care-of-the-cooling-system/

ENGINE COMPONENTS:
32. Spark plug
- Electrical device used to initiate combustion in an SI engine by creating a high-voltage discharge across an electrode
gap. Spark plugs are usually made of metal surrounded with ceramic insulation. Some modern spark plugs have built-in
pressure sensors which supply one of the inputs into engine control.

Figure courtesy of: https://www.thedrive.com/maintenance-repair/37246/when-to-change-spark-plugs Figure courtesy of: https://www.mechanicalbooster.com/2017/05/spark-plug.html

ENGINE COMPONENTS:
33. Speed control
- Automatic electric-mechanical control system that keeps the
automobile operating at a constant speed by controlling engine
speed. The system takes over the throttle of the car to maintain a
steady speed as set by the driver.
34. Starter
- Several methods are used to start IC engines. Most are started
by use of an electric motor (starter) geared to the engine flywheel. Figure courtesy of: http://what-when-how.com/automobile/cruise-control-systems-automobile/

Energy is supplied from an electric battery.

Figure courtesy of: https://www.emanualonline.com/blog/how-start-car-bad-starter/ Figure courtesy of: https://www.hsmagnets.com/blog/starter-control-circuit-components/

ENGINE COMPONENTS:
35. Throttle
- A butterfly valve mounted at the upstream end of the intake system used to control the amount of air flow into an SI engine. Outside
air enters through the air intake at the front of vehicle and then travels through the engine air cleaner element which helps remove dust
and debris so that it doesn’t enter the combustion chamber and cause trouble. The air then flows through a tube to the throttle where it
controls the airflow into the engine. The assembly that houses and works with the throttle is known as the “throttle body”.
36. Valves
- Used to allow flow into and out of the cylinder at the proper time in the cycle. Most engines use poppet valves, which are spring loaded
closed and pushed open by camshaft action (Fig. 1-12). Valves are mostly made of forged steel. Surfaces against which valves close are
called valve seats and are made of hardened steel or ceramic. Rotary valves and sleeve valves are sometimes used, but are much less
common. Many two-stroke cycle engines have ports (slots) in the side of the cylinder walls instead of mechanical valves.

Figure courtesy of: https://bestride.com/news/technology/where-is-my-throttle-body-and-why-does-it-need-cleaning Figure courtesy of: http://what-when-how.com/automobile/cruise-control-systems-automobile/

ENGINE COMPONENTS:
37. Water jackets
System of liquid flow passages surrounding the cylinders, usually constructed as part of the engine block and head.
Engine coolant flows through the water jacket and keeps the cylinder walls from overheating. The coolant is usually a
water-ethylene glycol mixture. The coolant carries the heat from the hot parts to the radiator.

Figure courtesy of: https://mechdiesel.blogspot.com/2018/08/engine-cooling-system-works-water-jacket.html

ENGINE COMPONENTS:
38. Supercharger
- A mechanical compressor which uses the crankshaft as its power source and in turn provides additional power to the
engine nearly instantly by compressing the incoming air of the engine. It is directly connected by a belt to the engine, the
Roots supercharger being the most common type of supercharger. Other types include the twin screw and centrifugal
superchargers.

Figure courtesy of: https://www.mechanicalbooster.com/2017/08/comparison-between-roots-twin-screw-and-centrifugal-supercharger.html

ENGINE COMPONENTS:
39. Turbocharger
- Turbine-compressor used to compress incoming
air into the engine. The turbine is powered by the
exhaust flow of the engine and thus takes very little
useful work from the engine.

Figure courtesy of: https://aamcominnesota.com/how-turbochargers-work/ Figure courtesy of: https://www.howacarworks.com/modifications/installing-a-turbocharger