In order to undertake proper diagnostics, maintenance and repairs in Automotive engines and automobiles in general, one needs to understand the various types of engines available because there are countless numbers of engines designs in the automotive industry today.
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Now Engines comes in different classifications. It could either be classified according to
Shape; such as inline engines (L4, L5, L6), V-engines (V6, V8, V12, V16 etc.) with the figures signifying the numbers of cylinder.
Governing; which are
a. Qualitative governing (diesel engines) and
b. Quantitative governing (petrol engine)
Aspiration; that is
a. Supercharge
b. Turbo
c. Saturated (common in most petrol vehicles)
Number of stroke:
a. 4-stroke engine and
b. 2-stroke engine
mode of cooling;
a. Air cooled and
b. Water cooled
There are also several other classifications of engines, so putting all these together these classifications we have various designs of engine.
COMPONENTS AND SYSTEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE ENGINE
The Vehicle engine is the power house of the vehicle. It generates all the energy needed by every components and systems in the vehicle to function properly. The engine is a complex mechanical system controlled by various engineering principles. The engine is the primary source of power to the vehicle except for vehicles such as electric vehicles etc. It even power up other source of power such as the battery by charging it through an alternator.
In looking at the engine and its related problems, we will consider other components in the vehicle under two broad categories;
Components and Systems that controls engine performance.
Components and Systems that are powered by the engine.
For components and systems that control engine performance includes;
Ignition system.
Fuel system
ECU/ECM.
Cooling system.
Exhaust system.
For Components and Systems that are powered by the engine includes transmission, axle and wheel, compressors, steering pump, water pump etc.
For components and systems that controls engine performance; for these components and systems; they are mainly responsible for majority of the problems relating to vehicles engine, although some faults are inherent to the engine itself.
WORKING PRINCIPLE OF THE ENGINE
The Engine is the power house of the vehicle, the most common form of engine is the Internal Combustion (IC) Engine.
For the Petrol powered IC engines the structure of the engine starts from the top cylinder which consists of the Camshaft, intake and exhaust valves, cam and follower, spark plug, head gasket.
Then the main engine block which consists of Pistons, Connecting Rods, Crankshaft, Oil pump, Oil seals, metal and bearings, timing chains or belts that link the camshafts and the oil pump to the crankshaft.
The camshafts controlled the opening and closing of the intake and exhaust valves with a timing controlled by the timing chain on the camshaft and the crankshaft. This process is responsible for combustion. During combustion air and fuel is push in the combustion chamber through the inlet or intake valve and the piston is pushed up by the crankshaft to combust it just as the spark plug is ignited, after this process the piston is pushed down by the impact pressure and the combust gas escapes through the exhaust valve.
The piston is packed with piston rings to allow maintain pressure within the cylinder and oil rings to prevent oil from entering the combustion chamber from the bottom plate. When the Piston rings or cylinder are worn out then it will result in incomplete combustion and misfiring which is dangerous to the engine.
Also if the timing of the engine is not properly set it would lead to misfiring also.
Any Misalignment or Fracture in any of the components in the engine can lead to excessive vibrations, misfiring, damaging of other components and knocking of the engine.
LUBRICATION
Lubrication is essential in the engine as the oil pump must function effectively so as to prevent corrosion, aid motion and cooling. Servicing of the Engine (i.e. oil Change) is recommended by the manufacturer at a periodic basis, in order for the engine to perform optimally. When the oil is continuously used in the engine without changing it, it undergoes chemical changes which are not best for the engines operation, also the oil level also drops as shortage occurs.
ENGINE ELECTRICALS
Now we look at Engine Electricals.
If you take a look at a vehicle’s engine you would see a lot of cables connected from various components in the engines to various systems and components in the vehicle.
Components such as sensors and actuators are usually electrically connected from the engines to other systems and components in the vehicles.
These sensors and actuators are responsible for the running and management of the engine, without these electrical connections the engine would not function properly. Any faults associated with the electrical system of the engine whether Short Circuit or Open Circuit would lead to malfunctioning of the engine or the vehicle’s systems or component.
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