How Cars Work
Learn how modern automobiles are built, powered, and maintained. From engine mechanics and drivetrains to electrical diagnostics and brand architectures, build practical working automotive knowledge from the ground up.
Like Duolingo, but for How Cars Work. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
27 levels across 3 sections, about 54 minutes end to end, roughly 11 days at five minutes a day. It moves through Under the Hood and Behind the Wheel, How the Powertrain Creates and Moves Energy, and Evaluating Cars and the Automotive Market. It starts from scratch.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in How Cars Work
- Oil splashes around inside the running engine, so the first pull always shows an inaccurate smear
- Wiping the blade clean and re-inserting it is required to get a true reading between the high and low marks
- Checking on level ground after letting oil drain down into the sump ensures an accurate measurement
- A car's cooling system operates under pressure to raise the boiling point of the water-antifreeze mixture
- Releasing the cap while the engine is hot instantly depressurizes the system, causing superheated coolant to flash into boiling steam and spray out violently
- Brake fluid naturally draws moisture out of the air through rubber seals and microscopic pores over time
- Water boils at a much lower temperature than fresh brake fluid, forming compressible steam pockets in the lines under high braking heat that cause brake fade or pedal drop
- The starter motor requires hundreds of amps of electrical current to crank an engine, far more than dashboard lights or the radio
- Corrosion builds up an insulating barrier between the battery posts and clamps, choking off high-current flow while still letting weak power through
- Coolant and brake fluid sit in see-through plastic reservoirs in the engine bay with exterior minimum and maximum indicator lines
- Engine oil and traditional automatic transmission fluid sit inside metal sumps/cases and are checked using dipsticks rather than transparent tanks
- Opening brake and cooling caps unnecessarily exposes sensitive sealed circuits to dirt, moisture, and road debris
- Red dashboard lights indicate severe, active hazards like loss of oil pressure or severe overheating that require pulling over and shutting down immediately
- Amber or yellow dashboard lights indicate an advisory fault or non-critical issue requiring prompt inspection, but usually allow driving to safety
- Continuing to run an engine with zero oil pressure or critically high temperatures can destroy it within minutes
- The Check Engine light turns on when the onboard computer detects an engine combustion, misfire, or emissions fault
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives How Cars Work the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
What must you do to get an accurate reading on your dipstick?
Get it right to open this lesson and 26 more in the app.
How to learn How Cars Work, step by step
Go in order. 27 short levels across 3 sections, about 54 minutes in all, five minutes a day.
- 1
Under the Hood and Behind the Wheel
- The First Hood Pop: Fluids and Vital Checks
- Dashboard Warnings, Fault Codes, and Symptoms
- Brakes, Tires, and Suspension
- 2
How the Powertrain Creates and Moves Energy
- How Internal Combustion Engines Breathe and Fire
- Transmissions and Drivetrains: Routing Power to Wheels
- Hybrid and Electric Vehicle Architectures
- 3
Evaluating Cars and the Automotive Market
- Inspecting, Specifying, and Valuing a Vehicle
- Brand Engineering Philosophies and Lineups
3 sections · 8 units · 27 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
Questions about How Cars Work
How do I learn How Cars Work?
Go in order: start with Under the Hood and Behind the Wheel, then How the Powertrain Creates and Moves Energy, then Evaluating Cars and the Automotive Market. On Tomo that's 27 short levels, about 54 minutes in all, played five minutes a day. Start free and play the first level in under a minute.
Is there a Duolingo-style app for How Cars Work?
Yes. Tomo works like Duolingo: short daily lessons, streaks and quick quizzes. How Cars Work is one of its free courses, and you can type any other topic to get a course of your own.
Is the How Cars Work course free?
Yes. How Cars Work is playable on Tomo's free plan, which doesn't expire. No credit card, no waitlist. Download the app and start your first lesson.
How long does it take to learn How Cars Work?
27 levels across 3 sections, about 54 minutes of play in total. It's built for five minutes a day, so you finish it a little at a time instead of all at once.
Do I need any background to start How Cars Work?
No. It's pitched at a beginner level, so it starts where you are and builds up. If you can tap a phone, you can start.
Tomo is in ChatGPT
Tomo is also a ChatGPT plugin: the same playable courses, built and played inside your chat.
Add Tomo to ChatGPT- What to ask
- “Make me a Tomo course on black holes.” “Turn this chat into a Tomo course.”
- What you get
- Quick questions with instant feedback, hearts and stars, ready to play in about a minute.
- Where it goes
- No sign-up to start. Connect your Tomo account and your streak carries on in the app.
You pick the voice
How Cars Work is taught in the Professor style: clear, structured, thorough. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
More Technology on Tomo
How Cars Work
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How Your Car Works and Why It Breaks
Learn what happens under the hood and how to spot mechanical trouble before you get stranded. Diagnose common engine, brake, and electrical issues and make informed fixes with confidence.
Everyday Car Mechanics
Demystify what happens under the hood. Learn to spot early warning signs, check vital fluids, and understand the core mechanical systems that keep your vehicle running safely.
Start How Cars Work today.
Download Tomo, search How Cars Work, and play your first lesson in under a minute.