Common Problems with Engines

Have you ever opened the bonnet of a car and wondered what was going on inside? To the untrained eye, a car engine looks like a messy pile of metal, tubes, and wires. You might just be curious to find out what's going on. Or maybe you're buying a new car and you hear things like "2.5-liter tilt four" and "turbo" and "start/stop technology". What does it all mean? The purpose of a petrol car engine is to convert petrol into motion so that your car can move. Currently, the easiest way to create motion from petrol is to burn it in the engine. A car engine is therefore an internal combustion engine - the combustion takes place internally.

Poor fuel mixing can happen in a number of ways.

You are out of fuel, so the vehicle engine is getting air, but no fuel.

The air inlet may be blocked, so there is fuel but not enough air.

The fuel system may be supplying too much or too little fuel to the mixture, which means that combustion does not take place properly.

There may be impurities in the fuel (e.g. water in the fuel tank) that can prevent it from burning.

Lack of compression: If the air and fuel charge is not properly compressed, the combustion process will not take place properly. Lack of compression may occur due to the following reasons.

 Vehicle Engine

Your piston rings are worn (allowing the air/fuel mixture to leak through the piston during the compression process).

The intake or exhaust valves are not properly sealed, allowing leakage again during compression.

There is a hole in the cylinder.

The most common "hole" in a cylinder occurs at the top of the cylinder (holding the valve and spark plug, also known as the cylinder head) where it attaches to the cylinder itself. Usually, the cylinder and cylinder head bolts are pressed together with a thin gasket between them to ensure a good seal. If the gasket is damaged, small holes can develop between the cylinder and the cylinder head and these can lead to leaks.

Lack of spark: Spark may be non-existent or weak for several reasons.

If your spark plug or the wire leading to it is worn, the spark will be weak.

If the wire is cut or missing, or if the system that sends a spark to the wire is not working properly, no spark will be produced.

If the spark comes on too early or too late in the cycle (i.e. the ignition is off at the right time), the fuel will not ignite at the correct time.

Many other things can go wrong. For example.

If the battery is dead, you will not be able to turn the engine over to start it.

If the bearings that allow the crankshaft to turn freely are worn, the crankshaft will not turn and the engine will not run.

If the valves are not opened and closed in time, or not opened and closed at all, air cannot get in and exhaust cannot get out, and the engine cannot run.

If the oil runs out, the piston cannot move freely up and down in the cylinder, and the engine will seize up.