Whether you service your own ignition or need more troubleshooting savvy for road rallies and cruising, this month's lesson focuses on spark and ignition system basics. Understanding ignition ...

A.Here's a pressure-volume diagram for a combustion engine. Although rough, it is an approximation of the so-called air-standard cycle. '' Point (a) is at atmospheric pressure, after which the air is ...

Any certified gearhead knows that diesel engines do not use spark plugs. But why not? If power in an engine is created by combustion or explosion of flammable liquids, won't a spark plug in a diesel ...

Most pickup trucks sold today have internal combustion engines. Passenger vehicles are powered by two main types of engines: compression, aka diesel, and spark ignition, aka gasoline. Besides the type ...

Homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI) engines combine a diesel's torque and fuel efficiency with a gas engine's cleaner emissions. The HCCI technique has been a goal of automakers since the ...

You own a diesel-powered vehicle and are thinking of giving it a tuneup. But does your diesel even have spark plugs to change? The short answer is no, diesel engines do not have spark plugs. Instead, ...

In the race to field energy-efficient vehicles, don’t count out internal combustion technology just yet. GM recently debuted its homogeneous-charge-compression-ignition (HCCI) system in two drivable ...

Mazda’s new SkyActiv-X engine will go against every convention you thought you understood about gasoline engines. It’s supercharged, but for efficiency purposes, not to increase power. It has a ...

Could diesel particulate filter (DPF) regenerations become a thing of the past? A Southern California startup that is gaining the attention of OEMs believes it’s possible. For the past few years in ...

Transient Plasma Systems is working on a new advanced ignition system that could replace traditional spark plugs in gasoline engines. This could reduce emissions and improve the efficiency of internal ...

Mazda has revealed that it will introduce a new gas engine that uses compression ignition as part of its long-term tech development dubbed "Sustainable Zoom-Zoom 2030." Called Skyactiv-X, the new mill ...

Car manufacturers are delving deep into their boxes of tricks to make internal combustion engines more efficient. Infiniti unveiled a variable compression ratio engine last year, and hybrid technology ...