What Happens When Your Engine's Crankshaft And Camshaft Sensors Go Bad?
Crankshaft and camshaft position sensors feed the ECU vital data for ignition timing, fuel injection, and valve operation. When either sensor fails, drivers can experience misfires, stalling, rough idle, poor acceleration, and reduced fuel economy, often accompanied by a check‑engine light. Common culprits include heat cycling, moisture intrusion, wiring faults, and physical damage, with typical lifespans of 100,000‑150,000 miles. Replacement parts range from $40 to $300, while labor can add $75 to $400, making timely diagnosis essential to avoid higher repair bills.
This 3D-Printed Exhaust Delivers More Engine Horsepower Than X-Pipes, But At A Cost
Formula Z Performance’s 3D‑printed Z‑pipe is a premium mid‑pipe upgrade that claims better scavenging than traditional X‑pipes. Priced just over $1,000, the stainless‑steel component adds a distinctive sound and modest horsepower gains—about 6 hp on a Dodge Challenger Hellcat and 3 hp...
Finally, A Racing Game That Lets You Pick Which Cup Goes In The Cupholder
Maverick Games’ upcoming title *Clutch* promises unprecedented interior realism, letting players place everyday objects—cups, receipts, hoodies—in fully modeled car cabins. The story‑driven racer mixes daytime legal track events with nighttime illegal street races and heist missions. Development has spanned three...
What Does A Typical Multi-Point Inspection Include?
Multi‑point inspections are comprehensive checks of a vehicle’s critical systems, from engine and brakes to lights and cabin air filters. Technicians follow manufacturer‑specific checklists, while independent shops may use their own criteria. For electric vehicles, the focus shifts to battery...
What Might Be Causing Your Low Engine Oil Pressure, And What Fixes We'd Be Trying First
The article outlines how low engine oil pressure can stem from simple issues like low oil level or wrong viscosity, as well as more serious problems such as leaks, clogged filters, faulty sensors, or worn engine components. Normal pressure ranges...
To Visualize How Diesel Fuel Detonates, Here It Is Igniting In Slow Motion
YouTube channel Warped released a slow‑motion video demonstrating diesel compression ignition using a transparent fire piston. The experiment first tried char cloth, then diesel fuel, achieving visible flame fronts at compression ratios near 25:1. The setup mirrors Rudolf Diesel’s early...
10 Of The Most Reliable European Cars You Can Get In The US
Consumer Reports’ predicted reliability data reveals that a select group of European luxury models—such as the Porsche Macan, BMW 2 Series, Porsche Cayenne, Mini Cooper, Audi A4, and larger BMW SUVs—perform far better than the stereotype of costly, unreliable European...
International Space Station Astronauts Ordered To Prepare For Evacuation, As If They Have Somewhere Else To Go
NASA astronauts aboard the International Space Station were ordered to shelter in their SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule after a leak in the Russian‑built Zvezda module doubled from one to two pounds of air per day. The rapid evacuation drill was...
These Small, Funky Fiats Will Be The New Chrysler Arrow And Arrow Cross
Stellantis unveiled its Fiat Grizzly and Grizzly Fastback concepts, which will serve as the basis for Chrysler's upcoming Arrow and Arrow Cross compact crossovers. The models sit on the Smart Car platform shared with the Citroën C3 and Fiat Grande...
Consumer Reports' Emergency Handling Tests Look Super Fun
Consumer Reports operates a 327‑acre testing campus in Connecticut where it subjects roughly 50 new vehicles each year to rigorous emergency‑handling evaluations. The program features a slalom‑style cone avoidance course, a 3,500‑foot handling loop, and 60‑mph braking runs on dry,...
Mercedes Set A New Safety Benchmark In 1959, And Now It's Everywhere
Mercedes-Benz pioneered the modern crumple zone in 1959 on its W111 and W112 luxury sedans, establishing a new benchmark for passive vehicle safety. The concept, devised by Hungarian engineer Béla Barènyi—dubbed the father of passive safety—split the car into front...
Mazda Will Finally Sell You A Green ND Miata, But It's Barely Green
Mazda has finally added a green paint option to the 11‑year‑old ND‑generation MX‑5, naming it Zinc Green. The hue is engineered to appear vibrant under bright sunlight but shift to a matte gray in low‑light conditions. Mazda unveiled the color...
Do CVTs Still Deserve Their Reputation As Failure-Prone Transmissions?
Continuously variable transmissions (CVTs) have shed much of their failure‑prone stigma as modern designs—especially e‑CVTs that combine planetary gears with electric motors—prove reliable. While Nissan and Subaru models from the mid‑2010s drew consumer‑reports warnings, newer CVTs in Honda, Toyota and...
Australia's Longest Road Trains Dwarf American Semi Trucks (But They'd Never Work In The US)
Australian road trains—up to 175 feet long and weighing 380,000 lb— dwarf the United States’ 70‑80‑foot, 80,000‑lb Class 8 semis. The article explains why such ultra‑long combos thrive in the sparsely populated Outback but would be impractical on America’s dense interstate network. It...
How America Fell In Love With V8 Engines
The V8 engine, patented in 1902 for French speedboats, became America’s automotive heartbeat after Cadillac’s mass‑production L‑head and Ford’s 1932 Model 18 made it affordable. Chevrolet’s 1955 small‑block pushed performance boundaries, sparking a horsepower war that defined the 1960s muscle‑car era....