The theory is that if you put enough sugar into a gas tank (please don’t do this!), it will thicken the liquid to the point where it cannot be used. The altered state of the fuel then prevents the vehicle from operating. But will adding sugar to someone’s gas tank actually disable their vehicle or … Read more
There is nothing worse than having your car engine stop while you’re driving. If this happens, you’ll want to pull off the road as quickly as possible before the wheels stop completely. Do not confuse this situation with one where you have a lack of power in your vehicle. This is caused by your alternator … Read more
A cylinder head is the “top end” of the engine. It mates to the engine block to seal off the combustion chamber, which is where the engine burns fuel to make power. Cylinder heads also house the valves that direct airflow. Intake valves draw in fresh air, combustion occurs, then exhaust valves allow the burnt … Read more
When your car is experiencing a rough idle, your engine may chug, vibrate, or shake while it’s running. This will cause your overall driving experience to feel rough and you’ll likely be bouncing a little bit in your seat from it. When the engine idles, there will usually be a misfire that you can feel just … Read more
The two main parts of any engine are its cylinder head and engine block. The block contains the pistons and cylinders, while the cylinder head contains the rocker arms and valves. In between the block and cylinder head is the cylinder head gasket. This gasket serves as a seal for all the cylinders inside the … Read more
When you are driving a car, your engine and all the other components must work extra hard if you’re moving up an incline or a hill. You need to have enough power to be able to accelerate a vehicle anywhere, especially up a hill where gravity is pulling against it. If there are any faulty … Read more
Most car owners don’t understand the difference between the serpentine belt and the timing belt. Sometimes these two names are used interchangeably by people. However, the serpentine belt and timing belt serve two completely different purposes. But they both are important parts of the internal combustion engine. In fact, the engine must be running for … Read more
While there are many fluids a vehicle needs, the two most important ones are gas and oil. The gas is the fuel which you pump into your fuel tank at the gas station. The internal combustion engine depends on a mixture of fuel and air to generate power for the wheels below. Since the engine … Read more
The fuel system is responsible for supplying fuel to the internal combustion engine. The fuel mixes together with air and then the spark plugs ignite the mixture to create the combustion power which moves the vehicle. After you fill up your gas tank with fuel, there is a system in place which transfers that fuel … Read more
The internal combustion engine has explosions inside of it regularly. Think about when you’re stepping on the gas pedal to accelerate quickly. How is the engine creating all that power for your vehicle to move faster? There are an estimated 4,000 explosions taking place inside your engine every minute if you have a 4-cylinder engine … Read more