| API: |
American Petroleum Institute |
| ASE: |
National Institute for Automotive Service Excellence |
| ATF: |
Automatic Transmission Fluid |
| AXLE: |
Shaft or shafts of a vehicle upon which wheels are mounted |
| BATTERY: |
Any number of complete electrical cells assembled in one housing or case |
| BATTERY CAPACITY: |
The amount of current battery can delivery |
| BATTERY RATINGS: |
Standards of power-delivering capability of batteries as established by
Battery Council of America(BCA) |
| BRAKE BLEEDING: |
Procedure for removing air from the hydraulic brake lines |
| BRAKE FLUSHING: |
A procedure for removing old brake fluid from a brake system and washing
out sediment |
| CCA: |
Cold crank amps = The number of amperes a battery at 0° F (-17.8° C) can
deliver for 30 seconds and maintain a voltage equal to or higher than 1.20 per cell. |
| CAMBER: |
Wheel alignment adjustment determining the tilt out or in of the top of
the wheel |
| CAMSHAFT: |
Shaft containing lobes or cams which operate engine valves |
| CARBURETOR: |
A device for mixing fuel with air to form a combustible mixture |
| CATALYTIC CONVERTER: |
An emission control device mounted in a cars exhaust system that reburns
engine exhaust to lower emissions |
CHECK ENGINE OR SERVICE ENGINE SOON LIGHT:
|
A dash mounted light used to indicate a computer malfunction |
| CHOKE: |
Usually a plate on the top of a carburetor that restricts the amount of
air that can enter the carburetor when the engine is cold. (Produces richer mixture , more
gas, less air). |
| CRANKSHAFT: |
Main shaft of an engine which, in conjunction with connecting rods,
changes the up and down motion of pistons into rotating motion |
| CYLINDER: |
Round hole inside engine machined to receive a piston |
| CYLINDER BLOCK: |
Main portion of an engine to which all other parts are attached |
| CYLINDER HEAD GASKET: |
Seal used between cylinder head and cylinder block |
| DIRECT CURRENT: |
Electrical energy that flows in only one direction (Most things on an
automobile work with direct current.) |
| DRIVE TRAIN: |
All parts that produce power and deliver it to the drive wheels |
| ELECTRONIC FUEL INJECTION: |
A computer controlled fuel system that distributes fuel through fuel
injectors located in each intake port of an engine |
| EGR: |
(Exhaust Gas Recirculation System) Flows exhaust gasses back into the
combustion chamber to cool combustion and reduce oxides of nitrogen emissions |
| ECU: |
[Electronic Control Unit] The onboard computer |
| EMISSIONS: |
Harmful components of a vehicles exhaust, fuel system or crankcase vapors
emitted into the atmosphere |
| FLOODING: |
A situation where too much gas has entered the engine relative to
operating conditions |
| FOUR GAS ANALYZER: |
The equipment used to test a cars exhaust for hydrocarbons, carbon
monoxide, carbon dioxide, and oxygen. |
| GASKET: |
A substance placed between two metal surfaces to create a seal |
| INTAKE VALVE: |
A valve which permits fuel and air to enter an engine cylinder and then
blocks its exit |
| KNOCK: |
Term used to describe engine noises. Mechanical wear can cause knocking or
pre-ignition from improper fuel or engine adjustments can also cause knocking |
| MACPHERSON STRUT: |
Shock absorber unit used with a coil spring as a structural suspension
component. [It positions the wheel where a shock absorber only prevents bounce, and
serves no structural function.] |
| METHANOL: |
Wood alcohol. [POISONOUS] |
| OCTANE: |
A unit of measurement on a scale intended to indicate a fuels ability to
prevent engine knock. [Currently octane is rated by the R+M divided by 2 method] |
| PCV: |
Positive crankcase ventilation. A system which controls the flow of
crankcase vapors into the engine intake manifold where they are burned rather than
discharged into the atmosphere |
| PINGING: |
SEE Knock. Sound created when fuel burns too rapidly. The expanding fuel
hits the tops of the upward moving pistons creating the noise. |
| POWER TRAIN: |
SEE Drive Train. |
| PROM: |
The chip inside a vehicles computer that tailors the basic computer to the
vehicle [Programmable Read Only Memory] |
| RECIPROCATING: |
Back and forth movement. A piston in an engine reciprocates [Moves up and
down] |
| R-12: |
Refrigerant used in air conditioners on cars, commonly referred to as
freon [A trade name] |
| R-134a: |
New refrigerant to replace R-12 [Not compatible with R-12] |
| SUSPENSION: |
Those components under a car used to suspend the car above its wheels |
| TIMING BELT: |
Rubber belt used to drive the camshaft from the crankshaft |
| TIMING CHAIN: |
Metal chain used to drive the camshaft from the crankshaft |
| TORQUE WRENCH: |
A special wrench with an indicator to measure applied force |
| UNIBODY: |
Design used for most modern cars where frame and body structure are made
into one unit |
| VACUUM: |
Any pressure less than atmospheric pressure. [Negative pressure] |
| VISCOSITY: |
Thickness or resistance to movement of a liquid. Critical in engine oils
[Never use an oil with a viscosity other than recommended by the vehicle manufacturer.] |
