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How Fuel Injection Works – see the injectors in action
by Marshall Brain | January 15, 2010
The fuel injectors in your car are essential – have you ever wondered how they work? There are three systems. The most common system in cars uses pressurized fuel rails. The injector is a solenoid-activated precision spray head, as discussed in this video: This is what it looks like when the injectors spray: A cutaway [...]
Some gasoline contains MTBE, or methyl tertiary butyl ether. Find out why MTBE is added to gasoline in the first place, and why it’s no longer a popular additive, in this episode of BrainStuff.
As winter approaches the humidity drops, and this makes static shocks more likely. In your house a shock when you touch a door knob is harmless, but static discharge takes on a whole new meaning at the gas station, as demonstrated below: This video shows exactly what can happen. The woman gets out of her [...]
It’s not really breaking news that summer is here again, and if there’s one thing that we can count on it’s rising gas prices. I just checked the stats this morning, and the U.S. national average is up to $2.64 per gallon. But if you buy a new Hyundai you can pay just $1.49 per gallon for a full year or 12,000 miles regardless of how high the prices soar.
You asked: How does a diesel engine work? — Mario, Washington, Ga. Marshall answered: Diesel fuel is different from gasoline because it is heavier. Diesel does not vaporize easily like gasoline does in the air, so a spark plug is not a good way to light diesel fuel. Instead, diesel engines use very high compression [...]
You asked: Does a car’s air conditioner effect fuel consumption of the car? — Adewale, Lagos, Nigeria Marshall answered: Anytime your car uses energy, that energy gets created by burning gasoline. That would include turning on headlights, turning on the air conditioner (which needs a lot of energy to turn the compressor) or even turning [...]
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