Prepared by Mr.

Kupesan UOG trainee term 3, 2023 Page 1 of 7

What Is Engine Block? Definition, Function and Uses
Parts of an Engine
Car engines are designed around sealed, resilient metal cylinders. Most
modern vehicles have between four and eight cylinders, though some
vehicles can have as many as sixteen! The cylinders are made to open and
close at precisely the correct time to bring in fuel to combine with the
spark for burning internally and to release the exhaust gases produced.
While many of us think of the engine as one major component, it’s made
up of several individual components working simultaneously. You may
have heard of some of these car engine parts’ names but it’s important to
know what their role is and how they relate to other components within the
engine.
There are the various parts of a car engine consist of: the engine block
(cylinder block), combustion chamber, cylinder head, pistons, crankshaft,
camshaft, timing chain, valves, rocker arms, pushrods/lifters, injectors,
spark plugs, oil pan, distributor, connecting rods, piston ring, and
flywheels.
1. Engine Block
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Components of an engine block
The main structure of an engine typically consists of cylinders, coolant
passages, oil galleries, crankcase, and cylinder head(s).
1. Cylinder Blocks
A cylinder block is a structure that contains the cylinder, plus any cylinder
sleeves and coolant passages. In the earliest decades of internal
combustion engine development, cylinders were usually cast individually.
Cylinder blocks were usually produced individually for each cylinder.
Following that, engines began to combine two or three cylinders into a
single-cylinder block, with an engine combining several of these cylinder
blocks combined.
In early engines with multiple cylinder banks such as a V6, V8, or flat-6
engine each bank was typically a separate cylinder block (or multiple
blocks per bank). Since the 1930s, mass production methods have
developed to allow both banks of cylinders to be integrated into the same
cylinder block.
2. Cylinder Liners
Wet liner cylinder blocks use cylinder walls that are entirely removable,
which fit into the block by means of special gaskets. They are referred to
as “wet liners” because their outer sides come in direct contact with the
engine’s coolant. In other words, the liner is the entire wall, rather than
being merely a sleeve.
 3. Cylinders.
These are the spaces where pistons travel. They are large in size and have
Advantages of wet liners are a lower mass, a reduced space requirement,
precisely formed holes to create a seal with the piston. The size and
and that the coolant liquid is heated faster from a cold start, which reduces
number of cylinders measure the power and size of an engine.
start-up fuel consumption and provides heating for the car cabin sooner.

Dry liner cylinder blocks use either the block’s material or a discrete liner 4. Oil Passages or Galleries.
inserted into the block to form the backbone of the cylinder wall. These allow oil to reach the cylinder head and the crankshaft.
Additional sleeves are inserted within, which remain “dry” on their
outside, surrounded by the block’s material.
For either wet or dry liner designs, the liners (or sleeves) can be replaced,
potentially allowing overhaul or rebuild without replacement of the block
itself, although that is often not a practical repair option.

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5. Deck.
This is the top surface of the block where the head of the cylinder sits.
6. Crankcase.
This houses the crankshaft and is found at the bottom of modern engine
blocks. Other components include engine mounts, core plugs, coolant,
ancillary mountings, and faults.
What is crankshaft?
A crankshaft is a shaft driven by a crank mechanism, consisting of a series
of cranks and crankpins to which the connecting rods of an engine are
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attached. It is a mechanical part able to perform a conversion between
reciprocating motion and rotational motion.
The main purpose of this connecting rod is to absorb the reciprocating
motion of the piston and pass it on to the crankshaft. When the crankshaft
is moved by the connecting rod, it converts that movement into rotary
motion and turns the flywheel, which continues to move the vehicle
wheels.
Without a crank, a reciprocating piston engine is not able to transmit the
piston reciprocating movement to the drive shaft. In simple terms, a
reciprocating engine cannot move a vehicle without a crankshaft.
Various engines go through a power cycle with different numbers of
crankshaft revolutions. For example, a 2-stroke engine completes a power
cycle after one revolution of the crankshaft, while a 4-stroke engine
completes a power cycle after the completion of two revolutions of the
crankshaft.
Crankshafts can be welded, semi-integrated, or one-piece. This component
of the engine connects the output section of the engine to the input section.
The crank acts as a link that supplies the output power in the form of
rotational kinetic energy – the piston is connected to the center of the
crank via a connecting rod. The crank arm allows the piston to rotate the
crankshaft to generate force to move the vehicle.
What is connecting rod?

A connecting rod is the part of a piston engine that connects the piston to the crankshaft.
Together with the crank, the connecting rod converts the reciprocating motion of the piston
into the rotation of the crankshaft.
Small End: The end at which the connecting rod is attached to the face of the piston pin is
The connecting rod is required to transmit the compressive and tensile forces from the known as the small end of the connecting rod.
piston. In its most common form, in an internal combustion engine, it allows pivoting on
Big End: The end at which the connecting rod is attached to the side of the crank pin is
the piston end and rotation on the shaft end.
known as big end of the connecting rod.
The predecessor to the connecting rod is a mechanical linkage used by water mills to
Bush Bearing: Both ends of the connecting rod are fixed with a bush bearing. A phosphor
convert the rotating motion of the water wheel into reciprocating motion. The most
bronze bush is fitted with the solid eye is attached to the small end of the connecting rod.
common usage of connecting rods is in internal combustion engines or on steam engines.
The Big end is attached to the crankpin. The end is divided into two parts and is supported
Parts of Connecting rods over the crank bearing shell.

Following are the parts of connecting rod: Bearing Insert: In the big end of the connecting rod, there is a bearing insert that is
connected to the bearing cap, it is known as a bearing insert These are made in two parts
that fit together on the crankshaft. This is the position where the connecting rod travels
along the reverse direction.

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Bolt and Nut: After the connecting rod is fitted with the crank at the bottom, both sides of
the big ends are fastened by some bolts and nuts. Thus, by combining these all components
the connecting rod is ready to use.

Shank: Furthermore, each of the bolt and nuts are employed to connect both the connecting
rod and bearing cap. And a section beam is applied it is known as shank. The section of the
rod may be rectangular, tubular, and a circular section.

Wrist Pin: The engine piston is connected to the connecting rod with the help of a hollow
hardened steel tube called wrist pin. It is also known as gudgeon pin. Wrist pin goes
through the short end of the connecting rod and pivots on the engaged piston.

Piston: The piston is connected to the crankshaft with the help of a connecting rod, which
is usually shortened to the rod or Conrod. The purpose of the piston is to work as a movable
plug in the cylinder, which forms the bottom of the combustion chamber.

Bearing Cap: Shell bearings have an adjustment for wear, but it controls the running and
the side clearance allows the bearing cap to be tightened correctly

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