Prove You're an Engine Expert by Acing This Quiz

No, not at all! Oil is used in the engine to provide lubrication. You see, many metal parts move within each other, for example, think of the piston moving up and down in the cylinder. If the oil were not there to lubricate everything, metal would be grinding on metal, and the engine will quickly seize up.

Air plays an integral part in the combustion process within the cylinders of an engine. But of course, this air cannot have dirt or other impurities in it. That is where the air filter comes in. It helps to make sure the air is clean before it enters the engine.

The carburetor is tasked with allowing air into the cylinder depending on how hard the accelerator is pressed. Depending on the speed of this air flow, the right amount of fuel is also allowed into the air stream and into the cylinder.

The first vehicle to be produced with a V8 engine in the United States was the Hewitt 5-seat Touring Car. Produced in 1907, the engine pushed out around 60 bhp and had a 4-inch bore and 4.5-inch stroke. Ford took until 1932 to introduce their first V8 and even today, it is sought after by hot rodders.

Has there ever been a car more iconic than the Volkswagen Beetle? Or a car produced for over 65 years like the Beetle was (the last rolled off the production line in 2003 in Mexico)? No, there probably hasn’t been and never will be. A true classic and powered by an air-cooled engine as well!

Subaru makes awesome performance cars noted for their incredible handling. So how does their off-roader fair? Well, it’s pretty awesome in fact. Not only good value for money, but the Outback also offers symmetrical all-wheel drive, excellent ground clearance and an impressive power plant. The vehicle is currently in its fifth generation and is powered by a boxer engine.

Produced in Germany by NSU Motorenwerke AG, the Spyder was in production from 1964 to 1967. Powered by a Wankel engine, it became the first car in the West to use this type of powerplant. It even has some Italian flair thanks to the Italian styling house Bertone, who shaped the body design.

The piston within the cylinder is connected to the crankshaft by the connecting rod. These rods are connected to the crankpin of the crankshaft and are made out of a variety of lightweight steels, including aluminum and titanium, among others.

The oil pan, which is also called the sump, is a reservoir where oil is stored when the engine is not in motion. It is usually located at the bottom part of the engine. When the oil is changed, the pan is drained by removing a single nut and letting the used oil flow out. Oil should be changed often but consult the vehicle handbook to check the frequency.

The engine block is the lower section of the engine. It is cast out of metal and houses the crankshaft, pistons and cylinders. Although older engines saw the crankcase attached to the cylinder block, in modern engines, the cylinder block and crankcase are generally cast as one piece.

A water pump moves coolant from the radiator through the engine where the excess heat is transferred to it. It then returns to the radiator. A failed water pump can quickly lead to an engine overheating and should be fixed or replaced immediately.

The Chevrolet Small-Block V8 was first released in 1955, and by the end of that year, over a million had been built. Over 100 million have been made of this simple, yet effective and powerful engine and derivatives are still made today.

Motorcycles are a great example of a form of transport that makes use of air-cooled engines. And it makes complete sense as the engine is exposed and easily cooled while the motorcycle travels along. That's not to say that there haven't been water-cooled motorcycle engines, however. There have been plenty even in the beginning years of motoring.

An auto shop must-have, a torque wrench will help you tighten bolts to just the right level. Torque wrenches can be relatively simple or very sophisticated. It all depends on how much money you would prefer to pay for one. Most will have a dial that you check as to when the optimum torque is reached while others can be set to apply a certain amount of tightening.

The odd one out here is a Z engine. Nothing like that exists. A straight-6 engine has its six-cylinder in a straight line and can be called an inline engine. A V8 engine is a powerful engine that you will find in muscle cars and pickup trucks while the W16 is effectively two V8 engines and is used to power the Bugatti Veyron, a car capable of 400 km/h.

Produced for 31 years between 1965 and 1996, the 300 I-6 from Ford was a stalwart of their F-truck series. So impressive was this engine that Ford used it in heavy-duty truck models as well. The 300 I-6 was a 4.9-liter capacity power unit.

Inline engines are easily distinguishable. Why? Well, as the name would suggest, the cylinders, and it can be anything from four to eight, for example, are arranged in a straight line. This is why they are also called straight engines and often described by the number of cylinders they have, like a straight six engine.

An exhaust valve is found in the cylinder head. It is driven by the camshaft and releases exhaust gases after combustion. These gases then pass down the exhaust system, are cleaned by the catalytic converter to within emission protocols and eventually, leave the vehicle through the tailpipe.

If you find a brown spot of fluid under your car, then you know you have an oil leak. Rub a little on your finger and smell it. Oil has a very distinct smell. There are many reasons your car might be leaking oil, but generally, it's wear and tear on various gaskets and other seals. Always check that the oil pan bolt is tightened as well.

If your car has an oil leak, it should be fixed as soon as possible. Why? Well, oil is the liquid that provides lubrication for the engine. Without it, tmetal will simply grind against metal and very quickly your engine will seize. And that will cost a pretty packet to fix.

Chevrolet introduced the Stovebolt in 1929. It replaced the older straight-four engine and was used on a variety of Chevrolet vehicles. The engine was available as a 3.0-liter, 3.2-liter or a 3.4-liter unit. The engine was revamped many times but was in production until 1954.

As soon as the oil light starts blinking on your dashboard, you should immediately stop and have the oil level checked in your engine. Failure to do so could result in your engine ultimately seizing. Oil levels could be low as a result of a leak or in older cars.

A boxer engine, also known as a horizontally opposed engine, sees cylinders arranged on either side of a crankshaft. They are popular in many vehicles, not only Porsche. For example, the Japanese automaker, Subaru, has a host of models that use boxer engines. Others that use these engines include Toyota and Scion.

Believe it or not, the first hybrid car was built in 1899. Dubbed the Lohner-Porsche, it was designed by Ferdinand Porsche. This vehicle had a motor for each of its four wheels. These, in turn, were driven by battery powered engines. An onboard gas generator then charged the batteries.

The Flathead V8 was a revelation by Ford in 1932. Quite simply put, at the time, there was nothing similar to it out there. Most importantly, it was cheap, which made it more accessible to people struggling through the Great Depression. Interestingly, this was the first V8 engine offered by Ford.

An all-electric vehicle, the Nissan Leaf went into production in 2010. Of course, perhaps the most important thing with such a car is the range. Today, a fully charged Leaf has a range of 107 miles with the larger 30 kWh battery. Perhaps more importantly, a flat battery can be charged to 80% within a mere 30 minutes. This is the best-selling electric car in the world.

Car engines start due to three main factors: the right ratio of air to fuel mixture, compression, the combustion of the air/fuel mixture through a spark. Without those things, you can never hope to achieve propulsion. Of course, to actually move the car, a whole range of other things need to happen but those three are the most important.

Many muscle car aficionados call the Chrysler 300 the first muscle car. No matter if you agree or not, the 300, introduced in 1955 and produced until 1965, certainly had the cool factor. And it was a racer as its win at the 1955 NASCAR Grand National proves.

A spark is needed to combust the air/fuel mixture following the compression stroke in an engine, but it is provided by a spark plug and not a glow plug. The spark itself is electricity generated by the coil and sent down the high tension leads to the spark plug. A glow plug is used in diesel engines to warm the engine enough to ensure the diesel is burnt properly when the vehicle starts.

When you turn the key in your ignition, the starter motor engages. It turns the engine over, starting it. Often, if the car won't start and tests determine the battery is not the problem, the next thing to check is whether the starter motor is working correctly.

A Wankel engine is essentially a rotary engine with all parts rotating in the same direction. It's named after Felix Wankel, the man who invented it. The first car to use such an engine was the NSU Spyder in 1964.

One of the handful of cars to hit 400km/h, the Veyron was first introduced by Bugatti in 2005. It is powered by an 8.0-liter W16 quad-turbo engine which produces over 1,100 bhp. This engine is quad-turbocharged and is the only engine of its kind now manufactured in the world. It is a product of Volkswagen.

The piston moves within the cylinder, and this transfers the energy created by combustion of the fuel/air mixture to the crankshaft through the piston rod. The crankshaft turns, which will help move the car forward.

The fuel line connects the gas tank of a vehicle with the engine. It is tasked with bringing gasoline from the tank where it is stored to the engine when it is started and running. The gasoline is passed through a filter to remove any impurities in it. Impurities, if not removed, can damage the engine leading to costly repairs.

Yes, they do, well in a water-cooled engine, that is! The radiator is where the coolant is stored, ready to be used when needed. When the engine is getting hot, the water pump circulates the coolant around the engine, helping to absorb and transfer heat away from it and cooling it down. This process is repeated as necessary.