In a four-stroke cycle engine there is always one piston delivering power, one exhausting gases, one drawing in the air-fuel mixture, and one compressing that mixture.

Modern car engines are cooled by liquid which circulates through the engine block and cylinder heads absorbing excess heat. This liquid is made up of half water and half antifreeze (commonly, ethylene glycol) which both keeps the water from freezing at low temperatures and raises its boiling point making heat transfer more efficient.

A head gasket is a gasket that sits between the engine block and cylinder heads to seal the cylinders to ensure maximum compression and avoid leakage of coolant or engine oil into the cylinders.

The stroke cycle order is intake stroke, compression stroke, power stroke, exhaust stroke.

The purpose of an automobile engine's cooling system is to circulate coolant around the engine so it can absorb and dissipate heat. The water pump pumps coolant through the various components in the system and the radiator cools down coolant after it has heated up after passing through the engine. The thermostat controls the flow of coolant based on engine temperature while the cooling fan draws air through the radiator when the car isn't moving fast enough for unforced air to cool things down on its own.