The basic idea of a car is pretty simple — turn wheels to pull you down the road. But, as illustrated by the hundreds of individual parts for sale at your local Pep Boys, AutoZone or Napa Auto Parts, it actually takes a lot of machinery to make cars work.
If you're trying to figure out what all the parts in your car do, HowStuffWorks AutoStuff is the place for you. Here's a collection of our key car part articles.
Engine System
How Car Engines Work
It's the reason you can put the pedal to the metal and go from zero to 60 in about 8 seconds. The car engine is a piece of engineering genius and one of the most amazing machines we use on a daily basis. Learn how the four-stroke internal combustion engine works.
How Diesel Engines Work
Ever wonder what the difference is between a gasoline engine and a diesel engine? Diesels are more efficient and cheaper to run than gasoline engines. Instead of using carburetion or port fuel injection, diesel engines use direct fuel injection. Find out what else makes diesel engines different!
