Our general FAQ section provides clear answers to the most common automotive questions that apply to all vehicles, regardless of make or model. From understanding routine maintenance schedules and oil change intervals to learning about warning lights, smog checks, brakes, tires, and general car care tips, this category is designed to help every driver. Whether you’re new to car ownership or just want reliable advice, our general FAQs give you the knowledge to keep your vehicle safe, reliable, and road-ready.
Can You Drive in 4-Wheel Drive All the Time? Yes—if your vehicle has full-time 4WD or AWD; no—if it’s a part-time 4WD system. Full-time 4WD and most AWD systems are designed for continuous use on all surfaces, while part-time 4WD should only be engaged on loose or slippery terrain to avoid drivetrain damage. Understanding which …
What the “S” and “L” Mean on an Automatic Gear Selector In most modern cars, S stands for Sport and L stands for Low. Sport mode keeps the engine in lower gears longer for quicker response, while Low locks the transmission in a lower gear (or simulates it) to provide stronger torque and engine braking. …
Can You Go 10,000 Miles on Synthetic Oil? Yes—many modern vehicles can safely go 10,000 miles on full synthetic oil under normal driving conditions when the manufacturer specifies that interval, but it is not universal and depends on your engine, driving habits, oil specification, and oil-life monitoring system. In practice, 7,500–10,000 miles or one year …
How a Car Engine Starts, Step by Step A car engine starts when the vehicle authorizes your key or start button, powers the fuel pump, engages the starter motor to spin the crankshaft, and then delivers fuel and spark (or high-pressure diesel injection) at the right time so the engine fires and runs on its …
How to Tell if a Small Engine Carburetor Is Bad You can usually tell a small engine carburetor is bad if the machine is hard to start or won’t start, runs only on full choke, surges or hunts at idle, smokes black (rich) or backfires/overheats (lean), leaks fuel, or has poor throttle response despite fresh …
Battery, Starter, or Alternator? How to Tell What Your Car Really Needs If your car won’t start, here’s the quick guide: you likely need a battery if you get slow cranking or rapid clicking and a jump-start gets you going; a starter if you have a single solid click or no crank at all even …
Who Is the Most Famous Race Car Driver? Michael Schumacher is widely regarded as the most famous race car driver worldwide, thanks to his record-equaling seven Formula 1 world titles, era-defining dominance with Ferrari, and enduring name recognition beyond motorsport. That said, Lewis Hamilton—also a seven-time champion and the sport’s all-time wins and poles leader—rivals …
Is the NASCAR Camry a Real Camry? No. The NASCAR “Camry” is a purpose-built race car that only looks like a Toyota Camry; it shares virtually no mechanical parts, platform, or powertrain with the production sedan sold at dealerships. It carries Camry branding and some styling cues to represent Toyota in NASCAR’s Cup Series, but …
Do You Still Need a Clutch With a Sequential Gearbox? In most cases, yes—you still use a clutch to launch and come to a stop with a true sequential manual gearbox, but you typically don’t use it for upshifts (and often downshifts) once the vehicle is moving. In automated “sequential” systems and dual-clutch or automatic …
What a Rack-and-Pinion Does—and Why It Matters A rack-and-pinion mechanism converts rotational motion into precise linear motion (or the reverse), with the pinion as a round gear that meshes with a straight gear called the rack; it’s most famously used in vehicle steering and in linear actuators. The term “racket pinion” is uncommon and likely …
Are Air‑Cooled Engines Good? Weighing the Trade‑Offs in 2025 Yes—air‑cooled engines can be very good for simplicity, durability, and low weight in specific uses, but liquid cooling is superior for most modern cars and high‑performance or emissions‑constrained applications. In 2025, air cooling remains relevant in motorcycles, small aircraft, and compact equipment, while the broader market …
How Airbags Fill With “Air” They don’t actually fill with ambient air. In a crash, sensors trigger an inflator that explosively generates or releases gas—usually nitrogen or argon—filling the cushion in about 20–30 milliseconds, then venting it to absorb energy. This rapid gas production, not a fan or pump, is what creates the protective “pillow” …
Does LEGO Produce the Most Tires in the World? Yes—by number of tires produced per year, LEGO is widely recognized as the world’s largest tire manufacturer, thanks to the tiny tires used in its toy sets. This refers to unit count, not the size, weight, or value of the tires, and the distinction has been …
Do Two‑Stroke Diesel Engines Exist? Yes—two‑stroke diesel engines not only exist, they power much of the world’s oceangoing cargo fleet and have a long track record in locomotives, power generation, and military applications. Beyond their historical presence in Detroit Diesel trucks and EMD locomotives, modern low‑speed, large‑bore two‑stroke diesels from MAN Energy Solutions and WinGD …
What D1, D2, and D3 Mean in Automatic Cars D1, D2, and D3 are “range” selections on many automatic transmissions that limit the highest gear the car will use: D3 allows shifts up to 3rd gear, D2 limits the car to 2nd (and on some models starts in 2nd), and D1 holds 1st gear. Drivers …
How to Remove a Car Battery Without a Socket Wrench You can remove a car’s 12-volt battery without a socket wrench by using an adjustable wrench, box-end/combination wrenches, or sturdy pliers to loosen the terminal clamps and hold-down hardware; always disconnect the negative (-) terminal first, then the positive (+), release the hold-down, and lift …
How to Read an Odometer To read an odometer, locate the odometer display on your instrument cluster, confirm whether it’s showing miles or kilometers, then read the digits from left to right; if there’s a decimal, it typically indicates tenths. Most vehicles also have resettable “trip” meters separate from the total (lifetime) odometer. Below is …
How Much Does It Cost to Replace a Power Steering Rack and Pinion? For most vehicles in the U.S. in 2025, replacing a power steering rack and pinion costs about $1,000 to $2,500 all-in, including parts, labor, and alignment. Economy sedans often land between $800 and $1,600, while trucks, SUVs, and many luxury models with …
Were Cars Common in the 1940s? Yes—cars were already widespread in the United States by the 1940s, though World War II briefly curbed availability; elsewhere in the world, car ownership was far less common. In the early and late parts of the decade, many American households had access to a car, but from 1942 to …
Can You Drive a Car With a Transmission Problem? Yes, but it’s usually a bad idea: you might creep a short distance at low speed to a safe spot or repair shop if the issue is minor, but most transmission problems can escalate quickly into dangerous situations and costly damage. Knowing the symptoms, risks, and …
Do Rotary Engines Have Gears? Yes—but it depends on what you mean by “rotary engine.” Wankel-type rotary engines do have internal synchronizing gears that control rotor motion, while early WWI-era “rotary” radial engines were typically direct-drive with no reduction gearing. In vehicles and aircraft, any gearboxes you see are external to the engine and handle …
Does the brake booster have anything to do with the power steering? In most vehicles, no—the brake booster is separate from the power steering system. Traditional vacuum brake boosters and modern electronic brake boosters don’t rely on power steering. The notable exception is Hydro-Boost (hydraulic brake assist) systems, common on many diesel and heavy-duty trucks, …
How an Automatic Transmission Works An automatic transmission uses a fluid coupling (torque converter), planetary gearsets, and computer-controlled clutches to multiply engine torque and change ratios without driver input. In everyday terms, it senses load and speed, chooses a gear, and connects the right parts inside using hydraulic pressure so the car accelerates smoothly. Below …
How much weight can your tongue lift? A healthy adult tongue typically produces about 40–70 kilopascals (kPa) of pressure, which—when translated into “lift” against a small contact area—equates to roughly 0.5–1.5 kilograms (1–3 pounds). Under controlled testing some people reach around 80 kPa, while spectacular stunt lifts using piercings and hooks have exceeded 10 kg, …
Head-Up Display Disadvantages: What Drivers and Pilots Should Know Head-up displays (HUDs) can distract, add visual clutter, cause eyestrain, suffer from glare or washout, and become costly to buy, calibrate, or repair; inaccurate overlays and limited compatibility with sunglasses or weather conditions can also reduce safety, while connected systems introduce privacy and cybersecurity risks. Below, …
Examples of Biofuel Crops: What Farmers Grow to Power Ethanol, Biodiesel, and Advanced Fuels Examples of biofuel crops include corn, sugarcane, sugar beet, cassava, wheat and sorghum for ethanol; soybeans, rapeseed/canola, palm oil, sunflower, camelina, jatropha, pongamia, castor and peanut for biodiesel and renewable diesel; dedicated energy grasses like switchgrass, miscanthus, giant reed, napier grass …
What Is a Biofuel Plant? A biofuel plant is an industrial facility that converts organic material—such as crops, agricultural residues, used cooking oil, animal fats, municipal waste, or biogas—into transportation fuels like ethanol, biodiesel, renewable diesel, sustainable aviation fuel, and renewable natural gas. In practice, these plants combine chemical, biological, and thermal processes to produce …
Do All New Cars Have Front Crumple Zones? Yes—virtually all new road‑legal passenger cars and light SUVs/pickups sold in major markets today include engineered front crumple zones. While no law usually mandates the phrase “crumple zone” itself, modern crash standards and consumer safety tests make energy‑absorbing front structures effectively universal. Limited exceptions exist for low‑speed …
How much it costs to replace a catalytic converter in a car In the United States, replacing a catalytic converter typically costs $900–$3,500 total (parts and labor), but the bill can range from about $700 on the low end to more than $6,000 for certain vehicles, especially luxury models, trucks with multiple converters, hybrids like …
How to Tell if a Torque Converter Is Bad A failing torque converter usually reveals itself through shuddering at steady speeds (often 35–50 mph), rising RPM with little acceleration (slip), delayed or harsh gear engagement, overheating or a burnt-fluid odor, and transmission trouble codes tied to the converter clutch (commonly P0740–P0744, P0741, P0742). You can …