page_title: Engine block
section_title: Engine block components
hierarchical_section_title: Engine block / Engine block components
caption_attribution_description: De Dion-Bouton engine (Rankin Kennedy, Modern Engines, Vol III).jpgFig. 84 De Dion-Bouton engine
context_page_description: An engine block is the structure which contains the cylinders, and other parts, of an internal combustion engine. In an early automotive engine, the engine block consisted of just the cylinder block, to which a separate crankcase was attached. Modern engine blocks typically have the crankcase integrated with the cylinder block as a single component. Engine blocks often also include elements such as coolant passages and oil galleries.
  The term "cylinder block" is often used interchangeably with engine block, although technically the block of a modern engine would be classified as a monobloc. Another common term for an engine block is simply "block".
context_section_description: The main structure of an engine (i.e. the long block, excluding any moving parts) typically consists of the cylinders, coolant passages, oil galleries, crankcase and cylinder head(s). The first production engines of the 1880s to 1920s usually used separate components for each of these elements, which were bolted together during engine assembly. Modern engines, however, often combine many of these elements into a single component, in order to reduce production costs.
  The evolution from separate components to an engine block integrating several elements (a monobloc engine) has been a gradual progression throughout the history of internal combustion engines. The integration of elements has relied on the development of foundry and machining techniques. For example, a practical low-cost V8 engine was not feasible until Ford developed the techniques used to build the Ford flathead V8 engine. These techniques were then applied to other engines and manufacturers.
caption: De Dion-Bouton engine, circa 1950. The cylinder heads are integrated into the engine block, however the crankcase is separate. The bottom half of the crankcase also includes the oil sump.[1]
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