Key Takeaways
The following are the key takeaways from this article:
- An engine block is an important structure containing engine cylinders and several other important parts.
- There are three engine cylinders: inline engine block, V-lined engine block, and opposed engine cylinder block.
- An engine block’s major parts comprise cylinder blocks, coolant passages, and liners.
- The common problems of a bad engine block are external engine coolant leaks, overheated engine, and limited engine compression.
- This results in excessive engine smoke, less power produced by the engine, and visible cracks on the engine block.
- The cost to repair engine block issues can be as less as $100 to replace the faulty coolant passages and as high as $2500 to replace the entire engine block.
Introduction
An IC (internal combustion) engine is a major component of an automobile that converts the chemical energy of the fuel into mechanical energy through combustion. Several parts of an engine perform different functions (2).
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Engine block is an important component that provides safety to other engine components. An engine block is also considered a structure containing engine cylinders and other components.
With time, there have been several changes in the engine block structure. The engine block was only comprised of a cylinder block in the early vehicles, and a separate crankcase was attached to it (1). However, the crankcase is integrated into the engine block in modern engines. This article will further analyze the parts, functions, history, and importance of an engine block in the car.
History and Function of an Engine Block
The engine block is also the cylinder block and is the engine’s most essential component. The engine block is inside the internal combustion engine, consisting of several cylinders and other important parts. The engine block’s main purpose is to support all the engine components, such as pistons, cylinders, etc., in the previous models of automobiles. The engine case consists of the cylinder block and a crankcase (2). Moreover, the engine blocks were made of iron, whereas, in modern vehicles, the engine blocks are made of aluminum. The modern cylinder block has a path for the flow of engine oils and coolants.
There is a cylinder head in the engine block. The purpose of this block is to seal the upper part of the engine bloc. In contrast, the support to the bottom part of the engine block is provided by the crankcase attached to the base of the engine block.
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For production cost purposes, modern engines have combined all these elements into a single component (4). Ford has played a vital role in changing the foundry and machining techniques for integrating different engine components.
Types of Engine Block
There are three engine blocks, i.e., the inline engine block, the v-lined engine block, and the opposed engine cylinder block.
V-line Configuration
In the V line configuration, the cylinders of the engines are arranged in two rows forming the V shape. The rods are placed at an angle of 15 degrees. If the angle exceeds, the engine’s performance becomes poor, and it becomes tough to balance the engine system over the crankshafts (2).
The inline engine block is simpler than the V-line engine system as the cylinders are connected end to end, and the engine performs smoothly.
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Opposed Engine Block
The opposed-cylinder engine block is similar to a V-shaped engine block.
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It contains the two cylinders in a single row, and two rows are connected, forming a V shape. But the difference is that the cylinders of row 2 are facing in the opposite direction to the row 1 cylinders.
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V-Shaped Engine Cylinder
In modern cars, V-shaped engine cylinders are installed. This system has major advantages over the other type as it is compact, lighter, and rigid (1). In addition, the combustion process is faster, and as a result, a high amount of pressure is generated in the V-shaped engines. This, as a result, permits the car to travel at high speed. Also, in this system, the crankshaft and camshaft are flexible; thus, the engine has minimum friction losses and vibrations.
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Other than that, this system ensures that air in the fuel mixture is evenly distributed in all the cylinders and ignition process is occurring on time. This helps maintain the health of the engine.
Parts of Engine Block
An engine block comprises cylinders, oil galleries, coolant passages, a crankcase, and cylinder heads. In conventional engines, most of these components were manufactured separately and bolted together during engine assembly.
The following are some important parts of an engine block:
Cylinder Block
A cylinder block comprises cylinders, coolant passages, and cylinder sleeves. In conventional engines, each cylinder was cast individually, so the cylinder blocks were supposed to be produced individually for each cylinder (1). Later, the engine manufacturers begin integrating two-three cylinders in a single-cylinder block reducing the cost of producing a cylinder block. The cylinder block has coolant passages, sleeves, and walls.
The cylinder provides a passageway for the exhaust gases and lubricant. Besides the passage function of the cylinder block, it also absorbs excessive heat produced by the engine during the combustion process.
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Coolant Passages
Coolant passages are small holes within the engine block that allow lubricant passage. The coolant passages allow for parallel, series, and series-parallel coolant flow depending upon the type of the engine (3).
The cooling liquid/water flows through these passages to absorb the heat produced during combustion.
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Cylinder Liners
The engine block also comprises cylinder liners that can be either wet or dry. A wet liner cylinder block comprises the cylinder lines that can be removed and attached to the block with a special gasket. These lines are also wet liners because of the direct contact with the engine coolant system (1). Wet liner cylinder lines require less space and reduce fuel consumption.
A dry liner cylinder block uses a discrete liner forming the backbone of the cylinder wall. The sleeves in both dry liners and wet liners can be replaced, so an engine can be repaired/overhauled without replacing the entire engine block.
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Common Problems in Engine Block and its Impact on Engine
External Engine Coolant Leak
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The most common problem in the engine block is the coolant or oil leakage. This leakage usually occurs due to loosened fuel caps, damaged radiators, and worn water pumps.
This leakage can badly impact the engine’s performance as the coolants will mix with the engine oil. Thus, it may become a reason for the engine failure. Moreover, the engine will start consuming a large amount of fuel. As a result, it will fail the emission test by releasing harmful black smoke into the environment (3). Also, the deposits of sulfur and nitrates will release the rotten egg smell. Also, the leakage of coolant in the radiator will corrode the radiator tubes. Hence the engine’s efficiency will become poor.
Overheating of Engine
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The other reason for the damaged engine cylinder is the porous engine block. This means there are holes in the engine cylinder that affect the engine’s performance.
This is because the pores in the cylinders allow dirt and debris to accumulate in the system. As a result, the performance becomes poor. Also, due to the porous body, the engine’s air-to-fuel ratio will be disturbed, which would delay the ignition of the spark and the combustion process. Also, coolant leakage will occur due to the holes in the engine system. Thus due to the insufficient circulation of the coolant, the engine is heated up (5). Thus, the car engine is ceased after traveling small distances, and the engine light will also turn on, indicating the high temperature.
Limited Engine Compression
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The most common engine block problem is the system’s limited pressure generation. This is because the engine block consists of multiple connected components and is sealed by the cylinder head.
Suppose the cylinder head or the fuel caps are not tightly closed. This indicates that the cylinders fail to compress enough air and poorly impact the engine’s efficiency (3). Due to limited air compression, the required amount of power is not generated. As a result, the car fails to accelerate at high speed.
Symptoms of a Faulty Engine Block
The following are the common symptoms of a faulty engine block:
Excessive Engine Smoke
A cracked engine block will result in excessive smoke from the tailpipe. It is because a damaged engine block will result in incomplete exhaustion or lean condition within the engine cylinder.
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This will lead to black exhaust smoke coming out of the engine. Although, excessive black smoke can signify a faulty emission system. But if this symptom is combined with excessive engine heating and low compression, then it is a symptom that the engine block has gone bad.
Visible Cracks on Engine Block
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The primary reason for engine block failure is excessive heat. Excessive heat will increase the engine block’s temperature, eventually melting and hardening the metal, causing cracks/holes.
Similarly, casting errors can also result in cracks in the engine block. You can always visually inspect the engine block to check for any visible cracks on the block (5). Suppose there is a crack or hole in the block. In that case, it is recommended to resolve the issue before it results in a complete engine failure.
Conclusion
To conclude, the engine block is an important part of the engine, comprising parts such as cylinder blocks, cooling passages, cylinder liners, etc. The cylinder blocks have evolved, where the modern cylinder blocks integrated components reducing the space requirement and production cost. An overheated engine causes the engine block metal to melt, resulting in cracks and holes in the engine block. As a result, there is a coolant leakage, an overheated engine, and limited engine compression. So, it is recommended that the driver resolve the engine block issues to avoid permanent engine failure.
FAQs
The engine block is normally made up of casted parts. The material used for manufacturing engine blocks is graphite iron, cast iron, or lightweight metals such as aluminum. The conventional engine blocks did not have integrated parts, and separated parts were cast and bolted during the assembly process. But the modern engine blocks have integrated components due to improving foundry and casting machines.
The role of an engine block is supportive. It is a structure that comprises the major engine components such as cylinder blocks, coolant passages, cylinder liners, etc. You can call the engine block the backbone of an automotive engine.
You can visually analyze the engine block. For example, if the engine block has cracks or holes, it is a sign that it is damaged. Similarly, the engine block is damaged if the engine is producing low power or overheating.
