An automobile's electrical system runs on DC power and the bulk of that power is supplied by the battery. The alternator converts the motion of the rotor into AC power which is then fed through the rectifier to convert it to DC power that both the car and the battery can use.

The camshaft is linked to the crankshaft through a timing belt and regulates the opening and closing of the intake and exhaust valves in each cylinder in time with the motion of the piston. An engine designated OverHead Camshaft (OHC) locates the camshaft in the cylinder head. An engine with Double OverHead Camshaft (DOHC) has two camshafts, one to regulate the intake valves and one to regulate the exhaust valves.

Because a compressed spring will ex­tend violently, shock absorbers must be used to dampen the spring’s compression and extension cycles. Struts combine the spring and shock into one unit

A connecting rod employs a wrist pin to link each piston to the engine's crankshaft.

Spark plugs receive current from the distributor and use it to spark combustion in the combustion chamber of a cylinder.