Cam You Pick Out the Parts of a Car Engine? Quiz

Answer:

To start, here are the things that are not part of a car engine:

Blinker Fluid: It doesn't exist. It originated as a prank played on new mechanics or car owners, sending them on a wild goose chase.
Bunt Gasket: It holds the bunt, which is the heaviest part of a square sail on a boat when furled and was sometimes made of strong netting.
Fire Piston: Sometimes called a fire syringe or a slam rod fire starter, it is a hollow tube originating in ancient Southeast Asia used to kindle fire.
Fringe Muffler: It was popular in the 1920s, a bohemian or retro-style scarf with long, dangling fringe tassels.
Gould Belt: This is a ring of young stars and gas clouds, discovered in 1874 by Benjamin Gould, surrounding our Solar System, located within the Orion Arm of the Milky Way.
Ina Plug: She is a South African archeologist/zoologist who has published 130 scientific papers primarily about the skeletal remains of animals.
Knot Clutch: This is a high fashion stylish accessory, a handbag or small purse featuring a knot-shaped decorative fastener.
Mitral Valve: A one-way valve in the human heart that makes sure blood flows in the correct direction between the two chambers.
Muffler Bearings: Just another automotive joke along the line of a left-handed screwdriver, or blinker fluid.
Petrolhead: British slang for someone obsessed with cars and motor sports.
Piston Return Springs: Car engine pistons don't use springs to return; they are pushed back down by the crankshaft and connecting rods. However, some small engines in toys or lawn equipment use piston return springs since they don't have a crankshaft.
Roller Tip Sealant: Just a bunch of words thrown together that sound like a car part.
Sync separator: It's a component of an analog television, used in video signal processing to extract synchronization signals to make sure all equipment in the video system operate in perfect timing with each other.
Thermionic valve: The British usage is "valve", the North American is "tube" in this device that controls electric current flow in a vacuum between electrodes.
Torsion-Rod Return Jet: Just another semi-random conjoining of mechanical words.
Turbo B: Stage name of an American rapper named Durron Maurice Butler.

And now for the actual car parts:

Crankshaft: Converts the violent up-and-down movement of the pistons into a smoother rotational power that moves the wheels. Counterweights balance the crankshaft to dampen the potentially destructive vibrations that shake an engine as the car propels at a high RPM.

Exhaust Heat Shield: It prevents the car exhaust from melting nearby vulnerable parts like the wiring or the floorboard. If it comes loose though, it makes a very annoying rattle but is basically harmless.

Exhaust Manifold: It collects the exhaust gas from the exhaust ports of all the cylinders and funnels the gas into a single pipe (leading to the catalytic converter and muffler). It is the first step in getting rid of the burnt mixture of fuel and air, making room for fresh air/fuel in the cylinders.

Gudgeon Pin: Also called the wrist pin or piston pin, it connects the piston to the connecting rod, so that the piston's linear motion is converted into the rotating motion of the crankshaft. It acts as a pivot point, so the piston swings slightly as the rod moves in its arc.

Harmonic Balancer: Also called the crankshaft damper, it absorbs the engine's vibrations and prevents damage to the crankshaft. The thing to watch for is that it has a rubber ring (or less common fluid-filled ring) that degrades over time, and if that degradation reaches a certain point, the crankshaft wobbles, and if ignored, can destroy the engine.

Idle Air Control Valve: The IACV lets air bypass the throttle while the car is idling. If that valve gets dirty, the car idles like an old washing machine and might tend to stall at stoplights.

The "Jesus Clip": Also called the Snap Ring, it holds critical parts like constant velocity axles, gears, bearings, shafts, etc. in place. So what's with the "Jesus Clip" name? If you remove it carelessly, it flies across the shop at such a high speed, you might never to be seen again, leading mechanics to pray ("Jesus, where'd it go?!"). That's one explanation. The other is that the clip flies away so rapidly, it has gone to see Jesus in heaven.

Knock Sensor: It listens for "pinging" or "knocking" and tells the Engine Control Unit (ECU) to adjust timing. The sounds happen when the air-fuel mixture in the cylinder burns unevenly or ignites prematurely. Some engines run poorly on cheap gas because the knock sensor doesn't compensate quickly enough.

Oil Squirters: Also called Piston Cooling Jets, they spray oil under the pistons to cool them in high-performance engines. If the oil squirters get clogged, the pistons can overheat and melt. That would be rare but it would be devastating to the engine.

Oil Sump: Also called the oil pan, it is the oil reservoir. It stores engine oil when the engine is off, ensuring instant lubrication at startup. Mounted beneath the engine block, the lowest point in the engine's lubrication system, the oil sump collects all the oil from the various engine components that gravity lets drip down into a pool of oil for the oil pan. Many sumps have internal baffles or trap doors to keep the oil from sloshing up and away out of the sump when the car takes a hard and fast turn around a corner, or braking too hard.

PCV Valve: The PCV stands for Positive Crankcase Ventilation. This system recycles explosive unburned fuel, air, and exhaust gases back into the engine to burn them off. If it gets clogged, it can cause oil leaks, sludge buildup, or even blow out the seals from the crankcase pressure.

Tappet Head: The tappet is also known as a valve lifter or cam follower-it's a cylindrical component in the engine's valvetrain positioned between the camshaft and the pushrod, or directly on the camshaft. The tappet head is the upper surface of the tappet that comes in direct contact with the camshaft. It ensures proper operation and timing of the engine's intake and exhaust cycles.

Thermostat Bypass Valve: This lets coolant circulate in a small loop until the engine warms up. If it gets stuck open, your car never reaches operating temperature, and lowers your car's fuel economy.

Timing Chain Tensioner: It keeps the timing chain tight (critical for valve timing) ensuring synchronization between the crankshaft and camshaft. In some engines like older models of Volkswagens or Audis, these sometimes fail without a warning-then the chain skips, valves crash, and the engine dies.