My son is asking a lot of questions about engines in general. He ends up at a cross road when trying to understand the various different engine layouts out there. I need a visual way of showing him the differences between overhead cam engines vs push rod layouts.
I am wondering if there are web sites out there that show motors with moving parts to illustrate the different types of motors. He will be jumping in with me soon on a 302 but thats just a push rod motor. I want him to understand and appreciate the layout of overhead engines as well with respect to most 4cyl and even the 4.6.
thanks
scott
Not sure if this is exactly what you're looking for, but go to http://www.splinx.com/ click on V3, then tech illus. There is a dohc link in there that leads to an animation with parts labeled. Also check out http://www.samarins.com/glossary/dohc.html Here is another good one taken from wikipedia:
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/4-Stroke-Engine.gif)
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/engine.htm
This site is full of info. Everything from different engine layouts (inline, V, flat, etc) to different types (diesel, 2-stroke, Miller cycle, rotary, etc). WARNING: You WILL spend way too much time reading about stuff you probably already know, but it is very interesting, and will be great to help teach your kid...
Some model company makes engines you can crank. My brother has one. Clear block so you can see the pistons go up and down, etc. Building it is like practice!