Under the Hood

Two relatively cheap filters can keep your engine healthy and smooth-running for a long time. The only catch is that they get so dirty you occasionally have to replace them.

By Akweli Parker

Your engine needs just three things to run: air, fuel and spark. That said, it's easy to see why the intake manifold -- the component your engine breathes through -- is so important.

By Christopher Lampton

A cold air intake is an inexpensive modification you can add to your engine that will give it more power. But what does it actually do?

By Kristen Hall-Geisler & Christopher Neiger

The traditional water pump is a relatively simple, belt-driven component. But could an electric water pump be more efficient and more in tune with your engine's specific cooling needs?

By Akweli Parker

Does static timing your engine sound a little too intimidating? Well, if you can pop the hood and easily identify your engine's distributor and timing belt, you're probably up to the challenge.

By Cherise Threewitt

It may take a bit of time to understand how this ball gets rolling; but once you get it, you'll see how it just might take hybrid auto engineering to the next level.

By Cherise Threewitt

The sleeve-valve engine may have already been dismissed as a historical relic; however, at least one company is seeking to bring the sleeve-valve engine back into action -- with a few modern twists.

By Akweli Parker

Internal combustion engines aren't going away anytime soon. And since a practical alternative can't be ready for use within the next few years, we need a better internal combustion engine in the meantime.

By Christopher Lampton

Your car's engine always leaves behind some portion of unburned fuel. Good thing the secondary air injection system is there to help clean up the leftovers. But is it really necessary?

By Cherise Threewitt

Four strokes, less fuel. How's that sound? With the addition of just a couple of linkages, an Atkinson cycle engine can complete all four strokes with a single rotation of the crankshaft.

By Kristen Hall-Geisler

The Grail Engine takes a variety of modern, cutting-edge engine technologies and puts them all together in one package. Honda and Ford have already shown interest -- should the rest of us?

By Patrick E. George

Ever since inventors have tried to get cars moving, they've tinkered with the possibility of alternative fuel systems. What does an HHO system have to do with water, and does it actually work?

By Eric Baxter

Whether it makes your car sound like a swarm of angry bees or the deep rumble of an earthquake, your car's exhaust system is doing its job every time you turn the key.

By Cherise Threewitt

If you're buying a new car, you know air conditioning is almost certainly a standard feature. But it wasn't long ago when AC was an expensive option. Find out how this now nearly universal feature works.

By Kristen Hall-Geisler & Sascha Bos

As if the price of gasoline isn't bad enough: Did you know that the fuel in your car's gas tank is slowly evaporating away? Even when parked?

By Patrick E. George

Researchers in Japan have developed a new method of auto theft deterrent that verifies the driver's identity. Are you comfortable with your car seat knowing this much about you?

By Cherise Threewitt

We can already use biological markers to identify people, but within the next decade, similar technology is coming to our cars, too. Will this be yet another distraction for drivers?

By Kristen Hall-Geisler

Unleaded, high octane, supreme: We'll show you which gas your car really needs and how easy it is to figure out.

By Chris Warren

It's no secret that technology changes fast -- and the auto industry is no exception. So what's in store for future cars?

By Christopher Neiger

Horsepower and torque are closely related -- but what sets them apart?

By Eric Baxter

Did you know that there is more than one way to control car emissions? One type is the 4-2-1exhaust system.

By Eric Baxter

Some of the latest gasoline engines to hit the market are super-efficient, thanks to their engineers playing with a little thing called compression ratio.

By Jamie Page Deaton

Whether it's a tiny city car with a direct-injected engine or a supercar with a "push to pass" hybrid booster button, these technologies promise that the future of driving will still be fun.

By Kristen Hall-Geisler

There are a lot of lids in this fast-paced, modern world. There are lids for ketchup bottles. Learn more about could your gas cap be costing you money.

By Josh Peterson, Planet Green

DIY Vehicle Care: Spark plug vs. Fuel economy, Part I. In this aritcle learn the differences between spark plugs and fuel economy.

By Eric J. Leech, Planet Green