Learn How a Car Engine Works
Learning how a car engine works can benefit you in numerous ways; such as providing you with the skills to perform your own routine car maintenance and the ability to repair your car in emergency situations. Learning how your car engine works can potentially save you lots of money as well, especially in terms of labor costs if an auto mechanic is required to work on your vehicle. To learn about car engines, you can use the Internet or books as resources, attend courses at a trade school or university, or work side-by-side with an experience auto mechanic or garage. Continue reading this article to learn about the many ways in which you can teach yourself about car engines.
Contents
Steps
Use the Internet
- Visit instructional or "how-to" websites. There are many reputable websites that explain how car engines work, with articles written by experienced mechanics or scientists.
- Go to any Internet search engine and enter search phrases such as "how do car engines work," "inner workings of car engines," or "explanation of car engine" to access a list of various articles that can teach you about the workings of car engines.
- Visit forums about cars and auto repair. In many cases, the participants in forums such as these range from mechanics to car enthusiasts and consumers such as yourself, and often contain explanations written in layman's terms that you can comprehend without difficulty.
- Enter a search term such as "car forums" into any search engine to locate various websites or domains that host forums or discussions on cars, auto repair, or engines.
- Search the forums for discussions about how car engines work, or start a new discussion, or "thread," that asks other forum participants about car engines.
- Visit video-hosting websites for visual explanations on car engines. Websites such as these contain videos of visual demonstrations or lectures about how car engines work.
- Go to a video website such as "YouTube" to search for videos about car engines, or search for videos from all websites in any Internet search engine.
Use Reading Materials
- Read your car's repair manual. In most cases, you can learn specifically about the engine in your own car by reviewing its manual, which may contain pictures and "how-to" instructions you can refer to.
- Read books about car engines. A variety of guides and books exist that are dedicated solely to the workings of car engines, and can usually be found within the automotive section of your local bookstore.
- Look specifically for books tailored to beginners, which may be written in a style that is easier for you to comprehend, versus advanced books that are geared toward mechanics and professionals.
Take Educational Courses
- Enroll for car technology or automotive classes at a trade school or college. Although many courses of study are designed for aspiring auto mechanics, tutorials about classes about car engines will be included within certain courses.
- Speak with a teacher or representative from the university or college to determine which course specifically teaches students about car engines.
- Look for classes being offered that provide students with hands-on experience. Some courses will allow you to take apart and re-assemble engines as part of the learning process.
Work with a Mechanic
- Seek work at an auto repair shop or garage.
- Ask local repair shops or garages if they have an internship program you can participate in or if you can shadow an employee to learn about car engines; especially if you lack experience in the automotive field.
- Help friends and neighbors with their auto repair projects. This procedure can be a fun and helpful way to learn about car engines; especially if your friends or neighbors are car enthusiasts or are experienced with performing certain types of auto repair.
