The core of the engine is the cylinder, with the piston moving up and down inside the cylinder. Most cars have more than one cylinder (four, six and eight cylinders are common). In a multi-cylinder engine, the cylinders usually are arranged in one of three ways:

1. Inline
2. V
3. Flat (also known as horizontally opposed or boxer)

Different configurations have different advantages and disadvantages in terms of smoothness, manufacturing cost and shape characteristics. These advantages and disadvantages make them more suitable depending on the vehicle the engine will be used for. You can also check out information on our torque converters.

Engines are mainly made up of the following key components:

Spark plugs

The spark plug supplies the spark that ignites the air/fuel mixture so that combustion can occur. The spark must happen at just the right moment for things to work properly.

Valves

The intake and exhaust valves open at the proper time to let in air and fuel and to let out exhaust. Note that both valves are closed during compression and combustion so that the combustion chamber is sealed.

Piston

A piston is a cylindrical piece of metal that moves up and down inside the cylinder.

Piston rings

Piston rings provide a sliding seal between the outer edge of the piston and the inner edge of the cylinder. The rings serve two purposes:

1. They prevent the fuel/air mixture and exhaust in the combustion chamber from leaking into the sump during compression and combustion.

2. They keep oil in the sump from leaking into the combustion area, where it would be burned and lost.

Most cars that "burn oil" and have to have a quart added every 1,000 miles are burning it because the engine is old and the rings no longer seal things properly.

Connecting Rod

The connecting rod connects the piston to the crankshaft. It can rotate at both ends so that its angle can change as the piston moves and the crankshaft rotates.

Crankshaft

The crankshaft turns the piston's up and down motion into circular motion just like a crank on a jack-in-the-box does.

Sump

The sump surrounds the crankshaft. It contains some amount of oil, which collects in the bottom of the sump (the oil pan).

We aim to supply engines and gearboxes for all makes of cars, 4x4 trucks and vans.

Future Power

The future of engines could be running on other substances as well as petrol and diesel. One of these maybe Compressed natural gas where this would be even more economical.

What is a Gearbox? and how does it work?

As we know there are various types of gearbox. We have the standard manual either 4 speed or 5 speed however these days 5 speed and 6 speed are more common. We then have automatic gearboxes but check these types out:

The continuously variable transmission (CVT) is a transmission in which the ratio of the rotational speeds of two shafts, as the input shaft and output shaft of a vehicle or other machine, can be varied continuously within a given range, providing an infinite number of possible ratios. A CVT need not be automatic, nor include zero or reverse output. Such features may be adapted to CVTs in certain specific applications. CVT transmissions have been refined over the years and are much improved from their origins. A specific type of CVT is the infinitely variable transmission (IVT), which has an infinite range of input/output ratios in addition to its infinite number of possible ratios; this qualification for the IVT implies that its range of ratios includes a zero output/input ratio that canbe continuosly approached from a defined "higher" ratio. A zero output implies an infinite input, which can be continuously approached from a given finite input value with an IVT. Low gears are a reference to low ratios of output/input which have high input/output ratios that are taken to the extreme with IVTs, resulting in a "neutral", or non-driving "low" gear limit. Most continuously variable transmissions are not infinitely variable.

Feel free to visit helpful information on fuel efficiency.