Many people know that the car engine is what makes a car work, but how much is it truly needed? There are over 90,000 parts in many cars, which are all important to help your car move and work for years. What role does the car engine play? Does it ever need replacement? How do you keep it healthy? Learn why many automotive professional call your car engine the “heart of your car” and what it actually does to keep you moving on the road!
You car engine is made up of a bunch of parts working together to create energy and to make your car go. Some of the main parts of a car engine are the cylinders, pistons, valves, the spark plug, and the screws that connect them. Essentially, you have a thick rotating metal part that connects to different cylinders in your car engine. As the rotation of that engine part happens, pistons will move up and down in the cylinder areas of the car.
When they do, valves will open and close that are the intake and exhaust valves. When those valves open, they are either letting fuel and air into the combustion chambers to be used as energy, or they are letting out exhaust. This system and various others will provide the energy your car needs to move.
If you are driving and suddenly see a “check engine” light come on, you might get nervous to drive with your car. There are common reasons why this engine light would be on, and not all of them are reasons you need to be nervous about. Common reasons include:
You will likely not ever need to replace your car engine. Once it goes out, it can be quite expensive to replace all the parts that make up your car engine. That is why many drivers simply invest in a new car so they can start out with a brand new, working engine. However, you may need small parts here and there replaced over time, especially if you are actively using your car every single day. Parts simply break down over time, just like appliances and other tech do. You never want major breakdowns in your engine, however, especially if you live in areas where people are few and far between.
It’s very important as a driver to have your car maintenance often to avoid any large, expensive issues with the car. The amount of time you should wait between maintenance checks will depend on the type of car you have. However, you should have your car checked at least every year by a quality auto place, if not every 6 months. If you drive every single day or for a living, aim for the 6-month maintenance checks instead of longer waits between them. AAA reports that most cars will need maintenance checks about every 12 months.
At our auto shop, we provide services, maintenance and replacements for car parts in areas such as:
All of these services are ones that focus on what’s under your hood in or near your car engine. When you keep up on maintenance, we can inexpensively switch out parts that are no longer working. If you haven’t had your car maintenance in some time, you can schedule yours today by calling Scott’s Fort Collins Auto at (970) 682-4202!