There are drivers who drive their cars, but have absolutely no idea what the car is made of. It may not be necessary to know all the intricacies of the complex operation of the mechanism, but the main points should still be known to everyone. After all, the life of both the driver himself and other people may depend on this. At its core, in a simplified form, machines consist of three parts:
- engine;
- chassis;
- body
In the article, we will take a closer look at what parts a car consists of and how they affect the operation of the vehicle as a whole.
What does a car consist of: diagram
The structure of a car can be represented as follows.
In the vast majority of cases, cars are equipped with internal combustion engines. Since they are not ideal, developments have been and are ongoing to invent new motors. Thus, cars with electric motors have recently been put into operation, for charging which a regular outlet is sufficient. The Tesla electric car has become very famous. However, it is certainly too early to talk about the widespread use of such machines.
The chassis, in turn, consists of:
- transmission or power train;
- chassis;
- vehicle control mechanism.
The body is designed to accommodate passengers in the car and move comfortably. The main body types today are:
- sedan;
- hatchback;
- cabriolet;
- station wagon;
- limousine;
- and others.
Results
The structure of a car is a complex system that takes years to study. Nevertheless, even a beginner can study and understand the general scheme and purpose of all nodes. This knowledge can help both on the road and in car maintenance.
Nowadays, a car is no longer a luxury. Almost everyone can afford to buy it. But often very few people are familiar with the structure of a car, although it is very important for every driver to know what main parts, components and assemblies the vehicle consists of. First of all, this is necessary when some kind of car breakdown occurs, due to the fact that the owner is at least generally familiar with the design of the car, he can determine exactly where the malfunction occurred. There are a huge number of different brands and models of cars, but for the most part, all passenger cars have the same design. Let's analyze the structure of a passenger car.
A passenger car consists of 5 main parts:
ICE: types
Any person understands that engine malfunctions can become dangerous to the health and life of people. Therefore, it is vital to know what a car engine is made of.
Translated from Latin, motor means “set in motion.” In a machine, it is understood as a device that is designed to convert one type of energy into mechanical energy.
Internal combustion engines come in several types:
- gasoline;
- diesel;
- gas.
The most commonly used are petrol and diesel options.
In the first case, as the name implies, the fuel is gasoline. After passing through a special system, it enters the intake manifold or carburetor. Then the mixture sprayed there, already containing air particles, enters the cylinders, is compressed by the pistons and is ignited by a spark from the spark plugs.
Gasoline engines come in carburetor and injection types. The first one is almost never used anymore. Engine injection systems are, in turn, mechanical (in which mechanical levers are used as a dispenser, having the ability to regulate the resulting mixture) and electronic (where the composition and injection of fuel is completely carried out by the ECU - an electronic control unit). Since the injector works more carefully, its combustion products are less harmful compared to carburetor ones.
For diesel engines, special diesel fuel is used. This engine does not have an ignition system: when the fuel mixture enters the cylinders, it explodes itself due to the high temperature and pressure generated by the piston group.
Gas engines operate on liquefied, generator-generated compressed gas. Such fuel is stored in cylinders, from where it enters the gearbox through an evaporator and loses pressure. The further process is similar to that of an injection engine. Sometimes, however, the evaporator is not used.
Metallic scraping noise when braking
We have already written about this above, but we should consider squeaking brakes in a little more detail. Brakes sometimes create a characteristic squeaking sound, especially if the pads are wet. Some types of brake pads (especially semi-metallic pads) can squeal or squeal even when they cool down during the winter season. If you hear metallic scraping noises when braking, like someone running a file over rough metal, your brake pads are worn out and your car needs brake service. You shouldn’t hesitate to do this and here’s why.
Worn brake pad
At low speeds, worn brakes work just as effectively, the only difference is an annoying sound. However, at medium and high speeds (50 km/h and above), such brakes may not work at all. In fact, if brakes that are badly worn are "switched on" at speed, there is a risk that the friction material left on the pads will separate from the backing plate. This will cause the brakes to fail and, pressing the pedal, the car will continue to move.
Motor operation
To better understand the principle of operation, you need to understand in detail what a car engine consists of.
The body is the cylinder block. Inside there are channels that cool and lubricate the motor.
A piston is nothing more than a hollow metal glass with ring grooves on top.
The piston rings located at the bottom are oil scraper rings, and at the top are compression rings. The latter provide good compression and compression of the air-fuel mixture. They are used both to achieve tightness of the combustion chamber and as seals to prevent oil from entering there.
The crank mechanism is responsible for the reciprocating energy of the pistons to the crankshaft.
So, understanding what a car consists of, in particular its engine, let’s understand the principle of operation. The fuel first enters the combustion chamber, mixes with air there, the spark plug (in gasoline and gas versions) produces a spark, igniting the mixture, or the mixture ignites itself (in the diesel version) under the influence of pressure and temperature. The formed gases cause the piston to move downward, transmitting movement to the crankshaft, which causes it to rotate the transmission, where the movement is transferred to the wheels of the front, rear axle, or both, depending on the drive. A little later we will touch on what a car wheel consists of. But first things first.
Hissing from the engine compartment while driving or after driving
If you hear a hissing sound coming from the engine compartment while driving or after turning off the engine, it could mean that your engine is overheating and/or is leaking coolant from the cooling system. Check the temperature indicator or warning light to confirm or rule out overheating. Do not continue driving (especially if you see steam) as severe overheating can damage your engine.
Overheating of the engine is an unpleasant phenomenon, but if you see steam, then you have to stop
Stop the car and carefully open the hood. Look for any evidence of coolant leaks from the engine, radiator, radiator, or heater hoses. If you see steam or smell the sweet smell of coolant (dye is always added to it), this is antifreeze leaking from the cooling system. Do not open the radiator cap or coolant release until the engine has cooled; Do not add coolant while the engine is hot. This will cause a sudden boil (similar to how water poured onto a hot frying pan catches fire).
Adding coolant to a leaking cooling system will have no effect as the coolant will leak back out. Adding a cooling system sealant (such as Bars Leak or a similar product) to the mixture may slow or stop a small leak, but heavy leaking from the water pump or hose will continue even after the sealant is applied. The faulty part must be replaced.
Operation of transmission parts
The clutch serves to separate the gearbox (Gearbox) from the engine, then smoothly connect them when changing gears and when driving away.
The gearbox changes the torque transmitted from the crankshaft to the cardan shaft. The gearbox unit disconnects the connection between the motor and the cardan drive to the extent necessary to move the vehicle in reverse.
The main function of the cardan transmission is to transmit torque from the gearbox to the main gear at different angles.
The primary function of the final drive is to transmit torque at a ninety-degree angle from the driveshaft through the differential to the drive shafts of the main wheels.
The differential rotates the drive wheels at different speeds when cornering and on uneven surfaces.
Systems and attachments
We will not consider in detail the principle of operation of the motor, but the gist is this: the energy of the explosion of the fuel-air mixture forces the piston to move downward, at which time a similar explosion occurs in the adjacent cylinder. Due to the fact that the pistons are connected to the crank and crankshaft, they move synchronously, rotating the crankshaft. Thus, the reciprocating movement of the piston is converted into rotational movement of the shaft, and it is already transmitted through the clutch and gearbox to the drive axle, where it is distributed through the main gearbox to the drive wheels.
During operation, the engine generates a large amount of heat, which, if nothing is done with it, will simply destroy the parts and components of the motor. In order to remove heat to the atmosphere, the motor is equipped with a cooling system. It comes in two types - air and liquid. If an air cooling system is used, the motor will be cooled by counter air. If liquid - coolant, antifreeze or water. They transfer heat to the atmosphere both through the walls of the cooling jacket and through the radiator.
Control mechanisms
These devices consist of a steering system that is connected to the front wheels by steering and brakes. Most modern cars use on-board computers, which themselves control the controls in some cases, and even make the necessary changes.
Here we note such an important part as what the car wheel consists of. Without him, the car simply would not have happened. This is truly one of the greatest inventions and consists of two components: a rubber tire, which can be tubed or tubeless, and a metal rim.
Vehicle support system
It is the skeleton of the car, to which all the parts are subsequently attached. The service life of the car depends on it, and it is the load-bearing system that bears all the loads to which the car is exposed while driving. Hence the price ratio: if we determine the cost of all vehicles at 100%, then 50% will fall on this system. Conventionally, it can be divided into several types:
- Frame support system. The advantage of this system is its simplicity, both production and repair. In addition, the frame supporting system allows the production of chassis with different vehicle modifications.
- Body load-bearing system. This system allows you to reduce the weight of the car, lower the center of gravity, and therefore increase driving stability. Of course, it also has a drawback - it is quite poor insulation of noise from the outside.
- Frame-body system. Only used on buses. Consists of interconnected frame and body parts. It is quite simple to repair and manufacture.
Transmission diagram of a rear-wheel drive car
Examples of the economic effect of implementing Vehicle Visuals in a car service center
Example 1. Car service network
Is it worth it?
• A network of 43 car repair shops tested Vehicle Visuals for 1 day. • Revenue increased by 18.5% • One day of implementation of Vehicle Visuals not only provided record revenue for service, but also paid for the annual subscription to the program.
Calculate what additional income your service can receive?
Example 2. Small car service
Small business. Great results!
A small car service reported that already on the first day of implementing the Vehicle Visuals system, this program helped the service consultant sell two additional work orders that he could not have sold without this program.
Vehicle Visuals lets you show and explain
For example: “What will happen to the engine if the accessory drive belt is not replaced in time? And why do you need to replace the belt tensioner roller, since it looks “good”?” “How does a warped brake rotor affect safety?” “What are anti-roll bars and why do they knock?”
Also, the rollers can be used to make up a package that accompanies the work on seasonal preparation of the car (battery, tires).
With their help, you can create offers with special promotions, for example, on cleaning the air conditioner or replacing the brake fluid.
The channels for delivering the necessary information to car owners can be very different: • The receptionist’s tablet. • Built-in functionality for sending links to videos via Email and SMS. • Cyclic display of a set of commercials on TV panels in reception and waiting areas, with the possibility of unobtrusive promotion of services, rather than simply watching TV by the client.
