How does an engine move the wheels of a car?

Question

I need to know for a go-cart I am building with my brothers. I need help.

The engine is also electric.

Answer 1

Most engines have a number of cylinders. The cylinders contain pistons. Gasoline and air, mixed, explode at the right time, pushing the pistons down. A connecting rod at the bottom of the piston turns the up-and-down motion to circular motion along a "crank shaft".

The crank shaft exits at the rear of the engine, and connects to a transmission, which contains a set of gears which mostly lower the speed of the crank shaft to a speed that the wheels can use. Out the back of the transmission, the reduced cranking speed connects to a drive shaft, then (for rear wheel drive cars) to a differential joint, which takes the power from the crank shaft, and sends it on to the wheels.

For a solid explanation of all this, go to the Library and check out "The Way Things Work".

Answer 2

the engine turns a shaft

the shaft has to be hooked somehow to the wheels

in a car, there is a transmission, with different gears for different speeds

in a go cart, something very simple is usually employed

I once built a go cart that used a fan belt off an old car and sheaves off an old car to turn the the back axle and move the go cart

starting up was a real trick until we figured out how to make a "clutch" by putting the motor closer to the axle so the belt wouldn't be tight enough to turn the axle

then we had another sheave that pulled down from the outside of the belt, sqeezing the belt towards an "8" shape and tightening the belt so that it drove the back axle

there are other plans

you should really try to go somewhere where you can look at some go carts

"drive train options" are difficult to describe and the internet images I found were not too helpful

some go carts have fancy transmissions, but if you are trying to make your own, it needs to be something simple like a belt and pulley

Answer 3

Clutch
In all vehicles using a transmission (virtually all modern vehicles), a coupling device is used to to separate the engine and transmission when necessary. The clutch accomplishes this in manual transmissions. Without it, the engine and tires would at all times be inextricably linked, and anytime the vehicle was at a stop, so would be the engine. Moreover, without the clutch, changing gears would be very difficult, even with the vehicle moving already: deselecting a gear while the transmission is under load requires considerable force, and selecting a gear requires the revolution speed of the engine to be held at a very precise value which depends on the vehicle speed and desired gear. In a car the clutch is usually operated by a pedal; on a motorcycle, a lever on the left handlebar serves the purpose.

When the clutch pedal is fully depressed, the clutch is fully disengaged, and no torque is transferred from the engine to the transmission, and by extension to the drive wheels. In this state, it's possible to select gears or stop the car.
When the clutch pedal is fully released, the clutch is fully engaged, and essentially all of the engine's torque is transferred. In this state, the clutch does not slip, but rather behaves like a rigid coupling. Power is transmitted to the wheels with minimal loss.
In between these extremes, the clutch slips to varying degrees. When the clutch slips, it transmits torque, in spite of the difference in speeds between the engine crankshaft and the transmission input. Because the torque is transmitted by means of friction, a lot of power is wasted as heat, which must be dissipated by the clutch. Slip allows the vehicle to be started from a standstill, and when it is already moving, slip allows the engine rotation to gradually adjust to a newly selected gear ratio, resulting in a smooth, jolt-free gear change.
Because of the heat that a slipping clutch generates, slip cannot be maintained for a long time. Moreover, because energy is wasted, it would be undesirable to do so. Skilled drivers rarely allow a clutch to slip for more than about one second. Making effective use of clutch slip requires the development of feeling through practice, similar to learning to play a musical instrument or to play a sport.
Note: Automatic transmissions also use a coupling device, however, a clutch is not present. In these kinds of vehicles, the torque converter is used to separate the engine and transmission.

Answer 4

The engine turns the drive shaft which turns the gears in the rear end, which turns the axles. There's actually a lot more to it, (transmission, torque converter, etc) but you don't need all of that for a go cart. Have you looked online for a go cart blueprint?

Answer 5

The shaft of the engine turns as a result of the force of the piston moving down the cylender and "cranking" the crank shaft.

In order to transmit this power to the drive wheels, you would most likely have a set of sprokets and a chain. The sprokets would go on the drive shaft and one on the axle. The chain would go around both...Make sure the engine faces the right way so that you don't go backwards.

Answer 6

On a go-cart, the engine shaft will spin inside a metal lid (clutch). As the shaft spins faster, spring loaded metal pads will expand inside the clutch and start spinning the outer ring. The outer ring is connected to the rear wheel(s) via a chain.
Search for 'centrifigal clutch'.

Answer 7

The power is transmitted through a transmission via a drive shaft to the wheels.

Answer 8

on a go cart you will need a centrifugal clutch and small sprocket coming off of your crank shaft. and than make it chain drive to a big sprocket on the rear axle.

Answer 9

The pistons inside it fire and help turn a crankshaft that will turn, kind of like a hand drill only horizontal, which is hooked up to the wheels.

This is a pic of a broken shaft, but perhaps it can help you understand..
http://rotaryeng.net/broken-crank.jpg

Answer 10

Put wheels on it and go down a hill you don't need a engine.