Engine ancillaries is the name given to a range of secondary components that work either with or within the engine, which are driven by the main parts to make the vehicle drive smoothly. There are many different types of engine parts that are considered to be ancillaries, these include:
The starter motor
The starter motor rotates the crankshaft, which is rotated at a speed high enough to start the engine, by initiating the four-stroke cycle. When it’s cold, the starter motor has to work even harder, as it has to overcome the freezing temperatures, which can make a vehicle engine more difficult to start.
The alternator
To keep the vehicle battery charged, the generator works its power. The generator is driven by the crankshaft, and is controlled by a charging circuit. This ensures that there is the right amount of current running through the generator to keep the battery charged, so you can start the engine without problems.
The pumps and the carburetor
The oil pump works directly from the crankshaft, and pressurises oil for engine lubrication. There are two types of oil pump:
- Gear: oil pressure in this type of pump is created to the point where the gears mesh.
- Rotor: the pressure in this type of oil pump is created between the inner and outer rotors.
It’s the job of the petrol pump to pump petrol into the carburettor, which is a component that mixes the fuel to feed the engine.
FACT: In water-cooled vehicles, it’s the water pump that is responsible for circulating the water through the cooling passages of the engine.
The ignition coil
To start the engine, the battery needs to be boosted to around 30,000 watts by the ignition coil, which is responsible for fuelling the electric spark needed to ignite the battery power. The electricity then passes through a primary winding that’s inside the ignition coil, which is then passed to the contact breaker points within the distributor.
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