Basic Parts of your Engine

Your engine provides the power that drive the wheels of your car. Your engine is considered an internal combustion engine because this power is produced inside the engine. When a mixture of air and fuel is burned, this is called combustion.
Your engine has to be robust enough to handle the enormous amount of pressure and heat created during combustion. Your engine has a few basic parts. Let's take a look at them:
Cylinder Block
The largest part of your engine is called the engine block or cylinder block. The engine block is a large casting of cast iron or aluminum.
It is drilled with holes in order to allow coolants, lubricants and mechanical parts, like cylinders, to pass though and within. A cylinder is round cylindrical passageway which contains a piston. It resembles the inside of a smooth soup can.
Cylinder Head
The cylinder head sit on top of the engine block or cylinder block in order to close off and seal the top of the cylinders. The area where the air and fuel mixture is burned is called the combustion chamber.
The cylinder head contains all or most of these chambers. Your cylinder head contains ports. Ports are passageways which allow the air and fuel mixture to enter and allow the burned mixture to exit. In other words, intake ports and exhaust ports.
The cylinder head is also a large casting of cast iron or aluminum.
Piston
The piston resembles the outside of a smooth soup can and fits inside a cylinder. The air and fuel mixture is burned between the cylinder head and the top of the piston. See 'Four Stroke Engine Cycle' below this article.
Connecting Rods and Crankshaft
The top of the connecting rod is connected to the bottom of the piston. The the bottom of the connecting rod is connect to the crankshaft. When the power stroke occurs between the cylinder head and the top of the piston, it causes the piston to move up and down.
As the piston move down, the connecting rod pushes the crankshaft which make it rotate. The crankshaft turns the transmission, which powers the drive train and wheels. The drivetrain is composed of all components that transfer power from the engine to the driving wheels of the car.
Valve Train
A valve train is compose of all components used to used to open the intake and exhaust ports. A valve opens and closes a passageway.
The camshaft controls the valve movement. The valves are closed by springs.
Manifolds
A manifold is a metallic assembly of ducts that direct gases into or out of the combustion chamber.
The intake manifold directs the air and fuel mixture into the intake ports. The exhaust manifold directs the burned air and fuel mixture away from the cylinder.

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