Who better than Vilebrequin to explain what a crankshaft is? If the duo of former YouTube stars are crying foul, let’s take a look at this central automotive part in an internal combustion engine.
“A centerpiece”
Although their collaboration ended in December 2023, the channel, which still has 2.5 million subscribers, dedicated a video in 2018 to the operation of an engine. Content from its “Vultech” format, explanatory videos on technical elements of cars and on the history of the manufacturers and one of their flagship concepts.
With combustion “inside the cylinder, compressed by a piston, this piston activates a key part, which is called… crankshaft,” the two friends summarized.
In fact, by means of a connecting rod, the crankshaft will transform the rectilinear movement of the piston, from bottom to top, into a continuous rotation movement. A circular movement that will then be transmitted to the wheels, through the flywheel and the various transmission components.
The crankshaft is “a bent shaft, made of forged or cast steel, or cast iron, supported on bearings placed in the lower part of the engine cylinder block,” Larousse reads.
An origin of the word that dates back to the 17th century.
The name crankshaft comes from “Middle French” (French of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, editor’s note) wimbelkin” and ” from Middle Dutch wimmel“, this dictionary points out.
Word that was also synonymous with auger, this tool used to create a hole in the ground or in a material.
Hence this definition from 1690 and from the universal dictionary of La Furetière cited by Robert, which is why it could also be written “virebrequin”:
“A craftsman’s tool used to drill, perforate wood, stone, metal, by means of a small iron that has a rounded edge called mesh, and is introduced by turning it with a wooden or iron crank. This word comes from German. red wine, what it means perceive: wine half came, & “drill, drill.”
No maintenance
If we don’t know much about the crankshaft, it’s because it’s a part that requires little maintenance, so your mechanic won’t tell you much about it.
“Due to the robustness of the material, the crankshaft does not require maintenance. It is not a typical wear part. Many crankshafts last the entire life of the car,” the Moto website summarises.
“If the crankshaft is severely damaged, it is usually due to a lack of engine oil. However, other parts of the engine are often affected and a major repair is necessary,” adds this page dedicated to this part.
Source: BFM TV
