How to Identify Engine Parts

Knowing your way around an engine is a skill that you develop over time and with experience. Hopefully, you have a knowledgeable friend or family member that can offer you guidance, but if not, you can still learn much on your own. Today's engines are much more complex, but there are still many basic parts you can learn to identify on most engines.

1. Start with a schematic or a repair manual for a simple engine, like a Dodge 318 V-8. These are invaluable for visual references to help you learn and understand. Internally, engines are quite complex with many inter-working and moving parts; seeing an engine in an imploded view helps you see how it fits and works together. Alternatively, you could dismantle one.


2. Locate the top of the engine. On an older engine, you see the air breather, which is round. This cleans air as it enters the engine through the carburetor, which it is over top of and bolted to the intake manifold. Today's small fuel injected engines have the air cleaner to the side and no carburetor.


3. Find the valve covers and heads. There are two of these on all V-6 and V-8 engines; to each side of the engine, but inline six and four cylinders have only one. They are about five inches tall and as long as the engine. The valve cover is bolted to the head. The head contains the valves.


4. Find the block of the engine. This is the core, or the base, of the engine and the heads are bolted to it. It is the bottom of the engine. The block houses the pistons, which are round and seated into the sleeves bored into the block. The pistons have connecting rods, which are hinged and connected to them. They ride the lobes of the camshaft, which is positioned in the center of the block.


5. These are just the basic components of the engine. Many more parts are attached that do different things, such as the starter, fan for cooling and A/C compressor.