What’s under the hood

Covered Components:

• Engine Cylinders: Drive the crankshaft through the process of combustion.
• Valve Covers: Protect the pistons.
• Spark Plug Wires: Run from the Magneto into the cylinder to produce the spark necessary for combustion to take place.
• Primer line: This allows the pilot to manually inject fuel into the cylinder for cold starts.
• Exhaust pipe: Allows incomplete products of combustion to leave the cylinder.
• Exhaust pipe shroud: Produces hot air that can be transferred to the carburetor.
• Carburetor: Mixes air and fuel, can be adjusted through mixture control cable.
• Baffling: Promotes efficient airflow over and between cylinders for cooling.
• Schrader Valve & Shimmey Damper: Components of the nose gear assembly.
• Ring Gear / Flywheel: Used by the starter to turn the propeller.
• Starter: Operates through a pinion gear that pushes outward to make contact with the ring gear, then retracts after engine start.
• Alternator Belt: Connected to the crankshaft to allow charging of the battery through the alternator.
• Oil Cooler: Cools circulating engine oil to assist with heat dissipation.
• Magnetos: An engine-driven electrical generator using magnets and coils that produces electricity for the aircraft spark plugs.
• Primer: Allows the pilot to introduce additional fuel into the system for starting.
• Starter Solenoid: Allows the pilot to actuate the
• Break cylinder reservoir: Connects to the master cylinders on your break (rudder) pedals.
• Crankcase breather: Allows gasses to be expelled as compared to building up in the crankcase.
• Gasgulator: A mainline strainer that catches water and debris.
• Vacuum Pump: In most aircraft, drives the Heading Indicator and Attitude Indicator. (The Turn Coordinator is electrically driven should the vacuum pump fail).
• P-Leads: Grounds out the Magneto and stops the distribution of electricity to the spark plug when the ignition switch is placed in the “off” position.
• Oil Pressure Switch: Activated at 4 PSI and activates Aircraft Hobbs meter.
• T-Fitting: Used to send oil pressure and temperature information to aircraft instrumentation.