Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A rod moved by a cam to operate the valves in an internal-combustion engine.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A rod in a piston engine that actuates rocker arms above the cylinder head.

Etymologies

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

push +‎ rod

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Examples

  • Did anyone notice that the small block Chevy "pushrod" engine was named Europe's best engine of the year last year?

    Motor Trend Videos RSS 2009

  • General Motors 2011 Chevrolet Camaro SS Convertible Base price: $39,650 Price as tested: $42,080 Powertrain: 6.2-liter, 16-valve pushrod V8 with port fuel injection; six-speed manual transmission; rear-wheel drive with limited-slip differential.

    A Genuine Ragtop Road Monster, Leaks and All Dan Neil 2011

  • Yes, it has a twin-turbo pushrod V8, eight-speed transmission, a steering wheel, a windshield, tires.

    Massive, but Not for the Masses Dan Neil 2011

  • However, in the right gear and the right corner, you can bring the rear end around with the car's largess of pushrod torque 420 pound-feet at 4,600 rpm.

    A Genuine Ragtop Road Monster, Leaks and All Dan Neil 2011

  • With the pushrod, inboard suspension, body roll is beyond minimal.

    Lambo's Latest Rambo Has a Heart Dan Neil 2011

  • The choice to retain the old-school pushrod V8—with massive Mitsubishi turbochargers snorkeling the thing—instead of a 12-cylinder is plainly a bid for heritage cred, even though this unit is updated with variable cam phasing variable valve timing, if you like and fuel-saving cylinder deactivation.

    Massive, but Not for the Masses Dan Neil 2011

  • Worse, the Equinox never offered an efficient four-cylinder engine, relying instead on a hoary 3. 4-liter pushrod engine in the volume models.

    Pricing: 2010 Chevrolet Equinox 2009

  • Worse, the Equinox never offered an efficient four-cylinder engine, relying instead on a hoary 3.4-liter pushrod engine in the volume models.

    Pricing: 2010 Chevrolet Equinox 2009

  • I wonder, however, whether it bothers them that the same old 3. 8-liter pushrod V6 that's been powering Chrysler minivans since 1994 is installed under Routan's hood?

    VW Plays a Minivan Name Game 2009

  • Power, the old advertising slogan goes, is nothing without control, so the One-77 features a fully adjustable suspension with pushrod-activated dampers.

    Blah, Blah! Technology 2009

Comments

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  • Used in the Same Context

    O-ring · collimator · concussor · cuendillar · ferrofluid · four-engine · fur-bearing

    April 30, 2011

  • "Then I bought a 1956 Norton and spent months restoring it. Despite the work, it had all the features that ensured the end of the original British motorcycle industry: a snapped pushrod, a cracked piston ring and then a ruptured oil pipe that squirted all over the mini-skirted leg of a girl I was trying to impress. She was not impressed."

    - Geoff Strong, Easy rider hangs up the helmet after a gamble well worth taking, theage.com.au, 30 April 2011.

    April 30, 2011