Things You Must Know About A Cylinder Block

A cylinder block is widely known as an engine cylinder block. The cylinder block is one of the core parts of your engine, it is produced using high-quality materials for the intended use. It must be of the highest quality because the cylinder block is an essential part of engine lubrication, temperature control, and stability. In addition, there are different types of cylinder block, which are suitable for different machine types.

Major components of a cylinder block

A cylinder block’s major components are cylinder head cover, cylinder head, engine block, and oil pan. The block was originally just a piece of metal that held the cylinder bores, water jackets, oil passages, and crankcase. A water jacket is a system of empty channels that circulates coolant within the engine block. The water jacket surrounds the engine's cylinders, usually 4, 6 or 8 cylinders, which contain the pistons. While the cylinder head is affixed to the top of the engine block, the pistons move up and down inside the cylinders, turning the crankshaft, which ultimately drives the wheels. The oil pan sits at the bottom of the engine block and provides an oil reservoir for the oil pump and supplies oil to the oil passages and moving parts.

Some other visible parts of the cylinder block include crankshaft fixing support, coolant circuit passage, cylinder, lubrication circuit passages, auxiliary equipment support, threaded hole for cylinder head bolts.

Common problems of a cylinder block

Engine external coolant leak

If you have puddles or antifreeze under your engine, this could be from a loose water pump, radiator, heater core or hose, but sometimes it's from the cylinder block itself. A blockage in the cylinder block may crack and start leaking, or a freeze plug may become loose or rusty. A freeze plug can be easily replaced, but cracks are often difficult to repair.

Worn or cracked cylinder

Eventually, after hundreds of thousands of miles, the smooth cylinder walls wear down to the point where the piston ring doesn’t seal well. In rare cases, cracks can develop in the cylinder wall, which will quickly cause the motor to need rebuilding. Worn cylinders can be bored larger for oversized pistons, and in extreme cases (or in aluminum blocks) iron sleeves can be inserted to make the cylinder walls perfect again.

Porous engine block

Voids in castings usually do not cause any problems for a long time due to contaminants entering the metal during the manufacturing process. Eventually, a poorly cast block can begin to seep and leak, either oil or coolant, from the defective area. There's not much you can do about a porous engine block because it's malfunctioning from the day it was formed. Having said that, any leaks that may be caused by the porous block should be minor, and if they show up within the manufacturer's warranty, the engine should be replaced for free.