The majority of citizens in any well-established, first world country own at least one automobile. Few, however, stop to consider the amazing history of the automobile or how they work. Automobiles have thousands of pieces and parts that make everything from the headlights to the acceleration work. Likewise, the engine itself of any modern car can be enough to confuse the inexperienced. This article will explain what engines do and list some of the more basic parts of a car engine so that readers can clearly understand how engines work.

What Do Engines Do
An engine's entire job is to make sure that the vehicle has a constant supply of useable energy. It does this by using a tiny amount of gasoline and mixing it with air. The air is then compressed to create a flammable gas which ignites and causes the cycle to be restarted. Due to the well-designed placement of several vital parts, this process generates motion and electricity that is used to not only move the vehicle, but also to power the electrical equipment onboard.

Cylinder
A cylinder is the casing that holds the piston inside of an engine. Different vehicles have different numbers of cylinders due to the type of maneuvering and speed limits that each vehicle is capable of. For instance, lawn mowers only have one cylinder while small cars usually have between four and six. Large cars can even have up to eight cylinders.How Do Engines Work

Spark Plug
A spark plug is the device that ignites the compressed air once it has been mixed with gasoline. The measurements for the spark plug's placement and timing must be perfect, however, because the air must be ignited at precisely the right time for proper combustion to take place. Ignition at the wrong time could also potentially cause damage to the engine or to the passengers inside.

Valves
The valves inside of a car engine are responsible for letting air into the combustion chamber so that the air can be mixed with gasoline. Likewise, the valves open again to let exhaust out after the combustion process has been completed. During the combustion process, however, the valves are shut tight so that no flammable air can get out.

Piston
The word "piston" refers specifically to the solid mass that fits inside the cylinder and moves up and down depending on the air flow during combustion. When air comes into the engine block through the intake valve, the piston is forced down. The piston then comes up again when the combustion chamber is full of air so that the air can be compressed. As the air is being compressed, the spark plug ignites the air and the piston is forced back down again by the energy that is released. The piston then returns to the top of the cylinder to release the air through the exhaust valve and restart the process.

Piston Rings
Piston rings are responsible for providing a seal between the piston and the cylinder. Piston rings keep the oil from the sump from leaking into the combustion chamber as well as prevent flammable gas from the combustion chamber from leaking into the cylinder.

Connecting Rod
The connecting rod serves only to connect the piston to the crankshaft. The connecting rod can bend and rotate with the piston so that the piston and crankshaft never lose contact with each other. This is important as without the crankshaft, the engine is just wasting energy.

Crankshaft
The crankshaft is just a metal cylindrical bar that is attached to the piston by the connecting rod. As the pistons move up and down, they push the crankshaft and cause it to rotate. This rotation is what allows the car's wheels to spin.