Have
you ever opened the hood of your car and wondered
what was going on in there? A
car engine can look like a big confusing jumble of
metal, tubes and wires to the uninitiated. You might
want to know what's going on in there simply out of
curiosity. After all, you ride in your car every day
-- wouldn't it be nice to know how it works? Or maybe
you are tired of going to the mechanic and hearing
things that are totally meaningless to you and then
paying $750 for whatever that stuff means. Or perhaps
you are buying a new car, and you hear funny words
like "3.0 liter V-6" and "dual overhead
cams" and "tuned port fuel injection.
"
What does all of that mean? "
If you have ever wondered about
this kind of stuff, then read on! In this edition
of HowStuffWorks, we'll discuss the basic idea behind
an engine, and then go into detail about how all the
pieces fit together, what can go wrong and how to
increase performance!
Introduction to How Car Engines
Work