What is under the hood of a car? Rubber hoses, plastic parts, metal, and stainless steel. How do the parts of a car work together to make a car go? Take a look inside...

You can see that different types of cars have the parts located in different places, but they are usually found in the same general area under the hood of a car. These parts work together to make a car go. A car goes in motion when gasoline is burned inside an engine. Most cars use an internal combustion gasoline engine. This type of engine burns a mixture of fuel and air. Hot gases are made in the engine and the sparks from the spark plugs make the gases explode.

There is a huge amount of energy in a little drop of gasoline. When the gases explode the engine's pistons move up and down in the cylinders. Most cars have between four and eight cylinders to provide steady power and to provide enough energy to keep the piston going through the strokes. They are connected to the crankshaft. The crank shaft turns the drive shaft. The driveshaft spins the axle and the axle makes the wheels of the car turn.

You can see there's much more to starting a car than a simple turn of the key in the ignition. You've learned about how a car engine and it's parts work together, but once a car is running just how safe is driving a car? Next>>

Citations

How Car Engines Work. Retrieved January 26, 2006 from http://auto.howstuffworks.com/engine1.htm.

How to Find Your Way Under the Hood and Around Your Car . Retrieved February 2, 2006 from http://www.motorist.org/e1.htm.

How Cars Are Built. Retrieved December 8, 2005 from http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761563834_2/Automobile_Industry.html.

Gasoline is burned inside the car engine to make the car go.

The alternator converts power from the gasoline engine to electrical energy to keep the battery running.

The steering wheel turns the car wheels.

The spark plug creates a spark that supplies voltage to the combustion chamber to ignite the compressed air and fuel mixture.

The battery runs the car's electrical system.

The radiator cools the water that runs through the cylinders.

The driveshaft goes from the crankshaft and connects to the axle. The axle makes the wheels turn.

The distributor ignites the spark plugs.

The fuel fillter filters the fuel going through the fuel injectors.

The intake manifold meters the air going through the engine.

The wheel is turned by the axle and makes a car move.

The axle has the wheels attached to each end. It makes a wheel move. It is turned by the driveshaft.

Starting System - when the ignition key is turned, the starter motor spins the engine to start the combustion process.

Fuel System - pumps gasoline from the gas tank and mixes it with air so that the proper air/fuel mixture can low into the cylinders.

Air Intake System - air flows through an air filter and directly to into the cylinders where they mix with gasoline.

Ignition System - produces an electric charge and carries it to the spark plugs through ignition wires.

Lubrication System - supplies oil to the engine parts so they can move easily.

Cooling System - the radiator and the water pump are used to circulate water around the cylinders. The water then travels through the radiator to cool it off.

Exhaust System - the exhaust pipe directs smoke from the combustions out of the system and the muffler quiets the sound.

Electrical System - the battery powers the electrical parts of a car (ignition system, radio, headlights, windshield wipers, power windows, power seats, and computers). The alternator generates electricity to recharge the battery and is connected to the engine by a belt.