Modern engines can be incredibly complex but even classic V8s have more moving pieces than most realize. This fully transparent engine with an oil pump and lighting to signify combustion demonstrates the inner workings of one of the most famous engine configurations. It might be the perfect teaching tool for someone who wants to learn about just how an engine actually operates.
Brought to us by Destin Sandlin and his YouTube channel Smarter Every Day, this lengthy film takes us on a deep dive into engine design and functionality. To make this video, Sandlin teamed up with another creator, the person who built this plexiglass engine, Brian King of the channel AWDCutlass. Keep in mind that the engine isn’t totally plexiglass though.
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Designed as a replica of the LS V8, it has real pistons, real pushrods, real valves, a real crankshaft, and even real oil, a real oil pump, and oil passages. As King turns over his engine everything moves just as it would in a real V8. The oil flows up to the top of the engine and into the galleries, the valves open and close properly, and on a “combustion” stroke a small LED light fires off to simulate the real thing.
While the entire engine is quite complex, Sandlin points out that once it’s together, it’s so mechanical that all it needs to continue working in well-timed harmony is spark, fuel, and air at the right time. He goes deeper though to explain different parts like the crankshaft, the camshaft, and more. If you know someone who wants to understand engines better, this might be the single video that sets the light bulb off in their head.
This same channel has other videos on transparent engine parts that provide insight into how these machines work. One highlights exactly what real combustion in the chamber looks like while another shows how a real carburetor uses the venturi principle to work. There’s a lot going on under the hood of a combustion car and these videos prove exactly that.