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.

Variable valve timing and variable valve lift may sound similar, but they're entirely different. Here are the differences between them and how they work.

An engine's health depends on several key measures and functions. For example, air and fuel need to be present in the correct quantities, coolant is required to keep the engine operating at a safe ...

Every engine has a means of coordinating the timing between the valve train and the rest of the engine. Some engines use a timing chain and some a timing belt. A timing belt has the relatively ...

Do you know what a timing belt or a timing chain is and what they do? Could you find them on your vehicle's engine if you had to? If you answered no, don't sweat it. Both are buried behind a lot of ...