The Engine Quiz!




answer: “Diesel and gas turbine engines are both types of internal combustion engines.”,
question: “A car engine is what type of combustion engine?”
answer: “The four-stroke combustion cycle is also known as the Otto cycle invented over 140 years ago.”,
question: “Nikolaus Otto invented the four-stroke combustion cycle in what year?”
answer: “The piston moving down allows air and gasoline for combustion.”,
question: “The stroke that lets in air and gasoline is the _____ stroke.”
answer: “The piston moving back up compresses the gasoline and air.”,
question: “The stroke that makes the explosion more powerful is the ______ stroke.”
answer: “The explosion the spark plug ignites causes the piston to move down.”,
question: “During the combustion stroke the ____________ ignites the gasoline.”
answer: “The connecting rod connects the piston to the crankshaft.”,
question: “The _________ connects the piston to the crankshaft.”
answer: “The exhaust valve opens at the bottom of the piston’s stroke allowing the exhaust to exit.”,
question: “During the exhaust stroke the exhaust leaves the engine and goes out the __________ .”
answer: “Rotational motion is the type needed to rotate the wheels of the car.”,
question: “The ___________ is the part of the engine that changes the linear motion of the piston into rotational motion.”
answer: “Most cars have either four, six, or eight cylinders in their engines.”,
question: “The piston moves up and down inside of the _________ .”
answer: “Inline, V, & flat cylinder arrangements each have their own advantages and disadvantages.”,
question: “The three most common arrangement of cylinders in an engine are inline, V, and _______ .”
answer: “The simple inline arrangement makes these engines easier to manufacture than V and flat types. “,
question: “The _______ arrangement of cylinders has all of the cylinders in a line in a single bank.”
answer: “Timing the spark plug ignition is critical for the engine to work correctly.”,
question: “The spark plug _________ the air and fuel.”
answer: “The piston tightly fits inside the cylinder to seal air and gas and control the combustion process.”,
question: “What moves up and down inside the cylinder?”
answer: “The overhead cam design with the camshaft above the valves is the most common type found in modern engines.”,
question: “Engines using overhead cams have their camshaft located _______ the valves. ”
answer: “Synchronizing the crankshaft and camshaft is important for the valves and pistons to perform their best.”,
question: “A timing belt or timing chain links the ______ and the ________ so valves and pistons stay in sync.”
answer: “Gearing allows the camshaft to turn once for every two turns of the crankshaft.”,
question: “A camshaft turns at ______ the rate of the crankshaft.”
answer: “Creating the spark to ignite the air/fuel mixture requires a precisely timed high-voltage electrical charge.”,
question: “The spark plug needs a _________________ from the ignition system to work.”
answer: “Air-cooled engines run hotter which typically reduces engine life and performance.”,
question: “Air-cooled engines are typically lighter but run _______ than liquid-cooled engines.”
answer: “Normal aspiration means air only needs to pass through a filter before it enters the cylinders.”,
question: “Most cars use an air circulation technique known as ______________ .”
answer: “Pressurizing the air helps increase the performance of the engine.”,
question: “Turbocharged and supercharged engines first do what to the air before mixing it with fuel?”
answer: “Higher pressure means a bigger boost.”,
question: “The pressurization amount used in turbocharging and supercharging engines is called:”
answer: “To start your engine it takes a powerful motor to get things going!”,
question: “What spins the engine a few revolutions so the combustion process can start?”
answer: “Mixing the proper amount of gas and air makes sure your engine is working efficiently.”,
question: “The fuel system of an engine takes gas from a gas tank and mixes it with what?”
answer: “If the carburetor doesn’t mix air and gas in the right amount it could be wasting gas or cause the engine to produce less power.”,
question: “The device that mixes gas into air as the air flows into the engine is called the ________ .”
answer: “The exhaust system clears the way for the next round of combustion inside the engine.”,
question: “The exhaust pipe and the muffler are part of what system?”
answer: “Oil helps lubricate the engine parts like pistons and bearings to help those parts move more easily and reduce wear.”,
question: “The liquid used in the engine’s lubrication system is _______ .”
answer: “An emission control system helps clean harmful chemicals from the exhaust by running the exhaust through the catalytic converter before it exits the tail pipe.”,
question: “The purpose of a catalytic converter is to:”
answer: “The powerful 12-volt battery runs the starter motor and then is recharged by the alternator once the engine is running. “,
question: “The battery in most cars used to start the motor which in turn starts the engine is typically what kind?”
answer: “More displacement means you can burn more gas which means more power.”,

So you go out one morning and your engine will turn over but it won’t start… What could be wrong? Now that you know how an engine works, you can understand the basic things that can keep an engine from running. Three fundamental things can happen: a bad fuel mix, lack of compression or lack of spark. Beyond that, thousands of minor things can create problems, but these are the “big three.” Based on the simple engine we have been discussing, here is a quick rundown on how these problems affect your engine: Bad fuel mix – A bad fuel mix can occur in several ways: Most engine subsystems can be implemented using different technologies, and better technologies can improve the performance of the engine. Let’s look at all of the different subsystems used in modern engines, beginning with the valve train.







You mentioned steam engines in this article — are there any advantages to steam engines and other external combustion engines?

