Automotive Terms - E
Automotive Terms - F
Engine power is transmitted to the front wheels, which are the drive wheels. Also called front drive.
A mechanical or electrical pump that pressurizes the fuel system to move gas from the fuel tank to the engine.
Taking the place of carburetors in the 1980s, the fuel injector is an electrically controlled valve that delivers a precise amount of pressurized fuel into each combustion chamber.
Automotive Terms - G
Gas Charged Shocks
They are shock absorbers filled with a low pressure gas to smooth the vehicle’s ride during up and down movement. They are also called gas filled shocks.
Greenhouse
It is used describe all of the windows enclosing the passenger compartment.
Grille
An opening in the front of a vehicle, often between the two headlamps, which allows air to cool the radiator.
Automotive Terms - H
Handling
It is the ease with which the vehicle is steered and manoeuvred around turns, up hills, etc.
Hatchback
A car with no extended boot and has a full height tail gate that includes a rear window.
Head Room
It is the distance between the top of a passenger’s head and the roof of the vehicle.
Horsepower (hp, bhp)
Abbreviated as hp, as in 200-hp engine, or bhp (brake horsepower or net horsepower) to designate power produced by an engine. In general, the higher the horsepower, the higher the vehicle's top speed. One horsepower is the power needed to lift a 550-pound weight one foot in one second.
Automotive Terms - I
In-Line Engine
Cylinders are arranged side by side in a row and in a single bank. Most four-cylinder and some six-cylinder engines are in-line engines. In V-6, V-8 or V-12 engines, the cylinders are divided into two banks, each of which is angled away from the other in a 'V.'
Independent Suspension
A suspension design that lets each wheel move up and down independently of the others. A vehicle can have two-wheel or four-wheel independent suspension; sportier models have four-wheel independent suspension. See also Multi-Link Suspension, Live Axle.
Instrument Panel
The instrument panel contains the gauges in front of the driver; the controls for the sound system and climate-control system; the glove box; vents for the windshield defroster; and the front passenger-side airbag. The instrument panel is often delivered to the factory as a complete module with electronic components already installed.
Integrated Child Seats
May also be called integrated child-safety seats or integrated child-restraint seats. Built-in child seats that fold out of the seatback of a rear seat. Sedans with this option usually have one in the center of the rear seat; minivans may have one or two in the middle seating positions. While NHTSA and every other safety organization stress that any child-restraint seat is better than none, built-in child-restraint seats are considered the safest alternative because they are more securely anchored than a seat attached to seat belts.
Intercooler
Device that cools air as it leaves a turbocharger or supercharger before the air is blown into the engine air intake. Cooling makes the air denser and richer in oxygen, which lets the engine produce more power.
Automotive Terms - J
Jack
A jack is a mechanical device used to lift heavy loads or apply great forces. Jacks employ a screw thread or hydraulic cylinder to apply very high linear forces.
A jack is a mechanical device used to lift heavy loads or apply great forces. Jacks employ a screw thread or hydraulic cylinder to apply very high linear forces.
Automotive Terms - K
Keyless Entry
A system for locking and unlocking doors of a vehicle with a central locking system without using the key. Usually, the user controls the locks by pressing a button on a remote key-fob transmitter. Some vehicles have electronic combination locks on the doors near the handle.
Automotive Terms - L
Leaf Spring
Suspension spring made up of several thin, curved, hardened-steel or composite-material plates attached at the ends to the vehicle underbody. The curved shape of the plates allows them to flex and absorb bumps.
Leg Room
With the front seat adjusted all the way back, the distance from the accelerator pedal's heel point to the back of the front seat cushion.
Automotive Terms - M
MacPherson Strut
A MacPherson strut is a unit that includes a damper or shock absorber cartridge inside a large, long metal spring. MacPherson struts are used over the front wheels of most front-drive cars. Replacement of MacPherson strut cartridges requires a spring compressor.
Make
The manufacturer of the vehicle (BMW, Chrysler, Honda).
Manual Transmission
A transmission that varies the power and torque through a foot pedal controlled clutch and a floor-mounted or steering-shaft-mounted gear selection lever.
Minimum Ground Clearance
The distance between the ground and the lowest point of the vehicle chassis (usually the axle). A vehicle can drive over any object shorter than its minimum ground clearance.
Moonroof
A window-type opening in the roof of the car that can open or tilt up or down. See Sunroof.
Muffler
The exhaust system device in the tailpipe that reduces engine noise. Some vehicles have more than one muffler along the tailpipe.
Multi-Link Suspension
Independent suspension controlled with several link arms that restrict undesired motion of the suspension for a smoother ride and more precise handling.
Multi-Port Fuel Injection
An electronic fuel-injection method that uses individual injectors to spray fuel directly into each intake port, bypassing the intake manifold. Also called multi-point fuel injection.
Automotive Terms - O
Overdrive
A transmission gear with a ratio below 1:1, which improves fuel economy by reducing engine revolutions per minute at highway speeds. On a five-speed manual transmission, the fourth and fifth gears are overdrive. On a four-speed automatic transmission, the fourth gear is overdrive. When an overdrive gear set is engaged, the output shaft turns at a higher rate than the input shaft, reducing engine revolutions at cruising or highway speeds.
Overhead Cam (OHC)
The camshaft is on top of the cylinder head on overhead-cam engines. Single overhead-cam (SOHC) engines have a single cam above the cylinder head. Dual overhead-cam (DOHC) engines have two cams above the cylinder head. All overhead-cam engines are also overhead-valve (OHV) engines, which means the intake and exhaust valves sit atop the cylinder head.
Oversteer
Occurs when the rear tires lose adhesion under cornering. In motorsports, this is also called loose. Oversteer can lead to a spin if the driver doesn't reduce acceleration. See also Understeer.
Automotive Terms - P
Pick-up
The type of truck with an open cargo bed behind the closed cab.
Pinion
A type of gear that has small teeth that mesh with other, larger gears.
Piston
The heavy, cylindrical metal shaft within each engine cylinder that travels up and down to turn the crankshaft, compress the air and fuel mixture for combustion and expel exhaust gases.
Power Steering
A steering system that uses a separate motor or engine power to reduce the effort necessary to turn the front wheels.
Power-to-Weight Ratio
The maximum power output of the vehicle per unit mass. The higher the ratio, the more powerful the vehicle. In comparing several vehicles, this can be a better measurement than engine horsepower or torque because it considers the weight variable. In other words, a car that seems to have a powerful engine but is also heavy may have less get-up-and-go than a vehicle that has a similar or less powerful engine but also weighs less.
Powertrain
The combination of engine and transmission.
Power Plant
Another name for a vehicle's engine.
Projector-Beam Headlights
A headlight that uses a spherical reflector to tightly control the light beam. The bulb or light source directs the light inward, toward the reflector at the back of the headlight assembly, which then projects it forward from the vehicle. These lights are more powerful, accurate and expensive than standard sealed-beam and halogen headlights, and are generally found on sport and luxury models.
Pushrod
A metal rod that transmits the motion of the camshaft.
Automotive Terms - R
Radiator
A device that cools the liquid in the cooling system by allowing it to circulate through a series of water channels, which are exposed to air ducts.
A device that cools the liquid in the cooling system by allowing it to circulate through a series of water channels, which are exposed to air ducts.
Automotive Terms - S
Shock Absorbers
Devices located near each wheel to cut down the vertical bouncing of the passenger compartment on the springs after the wheels go over a bump or the car stops short. Shock absorbers also improve handling on rough road surfaces. See also suspension system.
Devices located near each wheel to cut down the vertical bouncing of the passenger compartment on the springs after the wheels go over a bump or the car stops short. Shock absorbers also improve handling on rough road surfaces. See also suspension system.
Automotive Terms - T
Traction Control
A feature that senses when one wheel is spinning faster than the others. It may automatically apply the brakes, cut off power to that wheel, and/or reduce acceleration to improve traction and maintain stability.
Transmission
A box of gear wheels that allow your car to move forward and backward with varying amounts of power to meet a variety of driving situations. Manual transmissions are operated by means of a clutch and gearshift. Automatic transmissions are driven by hydraulic pressure.
A feature that senses when one wheel is spinning faster than the others. It may automatically apply the brakes, cut off power to that wheel, and/or reduce acceleration to improve traction and maintain stability.
Transmission
A box of gear wheels that allow your car to move forward and backward with varying amounts of power to meet a variety of driving situations. Manual transmissions are operated by means of a clutch and gearshift. Automatic transmissions are driven by hydraulic pressure.
Automotive Terms - V
Valves
Metal devices that open and close to allow fuel and air to enter the combustion chamber and exhaust gases to leave it. Operated from the camshaft by means of valve lifters, push rods, rocker arms, and overhead camshaft lobes, the valves can be adjusted with feeler gauges so that they open and close at the proper times. (These adjustments can’t be made to valves that are operated by valve lifters). See also exhaust valve, intake valve, timing belt, timing chain.
Metal devices that open and close to allow fuel and air to enter the combustion chamber and exhaust gases to leave it. Operated from the camshaft by means of valve lifters, push rods, rocker arms, and overhead camshaft lobes, the valves can be adjusted with feeler gauges so that they open and close at the proper times. (These adjustments can’t be made to valves that are operated by valve lifters). See also exhaust valve, intake valve, timing belt, timing chain.
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