Last month's "How It Works" story gave you the basics of the four-stroke cycle, describing the motion of the intake and exhaust valves in relation to the piston moving up and down in the cylinder.

The engines of yesteryear were pretty simple, with tappets clackity-clacking away on cam lobes, opening valves, and making a ruckus while doing it. Mechanical lifters were adequate for valve operation ...

Without a doubt, solid cams carry a certain mystique. In the musclecar days, solids were factory-fitted in some of the hottest iron out of Motown, including the early street Hemi. There was a little ...

Engines are incredibly complex. They are made out of thousands of different parts, exposed to high temperatures, and have lots of moving parts. This leaves many potential pain points an engine can ...

When we turn the key, what happens under the hood and why? How does an automobile engine work? What is that sound we hear and the propulsion we feel when the accelerator is depressed? We know gasoline ...