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  • 2/21/2025
Engine and Related Parts
Most cars are powered by internal-combustion engines. In such an engine a mixture of air and gasoline enters a tubelike cylinder through valves. There the mixture makes small explosions. Each explosion produces gases that expand rapidly and push against a device called a piston on one end of the cylinder. The piston goes up and down as the gases expand and contract. Rods connected to the pistons convert that movement into the power that eventually turns the wheels. Most car engines have four to eight cylinders.