If you want to keep your vehicle for a long time, you need to maintain the engine. The manufacturer also requires you to keep up with maintenance to keep the vehicle under warranty. However, even with maintenance, engine parts wear out. While the accessories are technically not part of the engine, many people consider them to be. Water pumps, air compressors, alternators, starters and other accessories get their power from the engine or battery.
The engine also requires an electronic control module and many sensors to keep it running efficiently. Finally, the internal components of the engine also need maintenance. Yocum Automotive provides engine repair and service.
Most vehicle engines have four, six or eight cylinders. A few may have three, ten or twelve. Most vehicle engines have four strokes that create power that is transferred through the transmission to the wheels.
The four strokes are:
The engine requires certain things to allow the four strokes to happen. The timing belt or timing chain connects the crankshaft to the camshaft. The crankshaft holds the rods that are attached to the pistons. It moves the pistons up in the intake and exhaust cylinders as required.
The camshaft opens and closes the valves to allow the air and fuel mixture in and out. The oil pump, which has a lever that rides on the crankshaft, pumps as the crank turns and pumps oil into the cylinders and head to keep all those moving parts well lubricated.
The water pump pumps coolant through water jackets in the engine and heads to help keep the engine cool.
This is a very simplified version of how an engine works. Without coolant and oil, the engine will seize, and you won’t go anywhere.
In an engine, one thing affects another. If you ignore maintenance such as oil changes, the oil doesn’t lubricate the engine. If you don’t keep up with the coolant, the engine overheats. If you don’t do a tune-up, the plugs won’t fire properly.
All of this can cause excessive engine damage – enough so you’ll have to rebuild or replace the engine. When something malfunctions, whether an accessory, computer, timing belt or timing chain, water pump, or gaskets start leaking, it’s imperative that you have the engine repaired immediately.
