Auto terms explained

simple.easy.bite-sized.

Image by: SFB579

Contents
Introduction Terms:
Car Parts Measurement

Source list
Image by: The Brain Toad

Introduction
Very often people dont always know what auto terms refer to, despite understanding cars, how they work and appreciating the speeds they can reach. This is a simple package of auto terms quoted from various sources through out the web and is intended to be informative. This has been collated by a member of the web public and not an auto professional. Enjoy

Car Parts
1. Carburetor:
Carburetors were the analog version of fuel injection. Carbs did a great job of mixing fuel and air to meet an engine's varying needs. They were relatively inexpensive and largely reliable.

However, they were made extinct by computer-controlled electronic fuel injection, which allows engines to produce more power, better fuel mileage, and, most importantly, cleaner emissions. Carbs are still used in some nonautomotive engines, such as lawn mowers, and are mandated in NASCAR. mobiloil.com
Image by: Siemans PLM software

2. Gaskets:
Gaskets and seals are needed in your engine to make the machined joints snug, and to prevent fluids and gasses (oil, gasoline, coolant, fuel vapour, exhaust, etc.) from leaking.

The cylinder head has to keep the water in the cooling system at the same time as it contains the combustion pressure. Gaskets made of steel, copper and asbestos are used between the cylinder head and engine block. Because the engine expands and contracts with heating and cooling, it is easy for joints to leak, so the gaskets have to be soft and "springy" enough to adapt to expansion and contraction. They also have to make up for any irregularities in the connecting parts. innerauto.com

Image by: D.H Parks

3. Transmission:
Simply put, a transmission allows power to be sent from a power source, most often an engine or motor, to a drive mechanism. Transmissions use gears and a clutch to convert the speed of the power source into torque. A simpler transmission is often referred to as a gearbox since it is basically a box containing a configuration of gears. The most common example of a transmission is that found in an automobile. There are two types of automobile transmissions, manual and automatic. Both accomplish the same function in turning engine speed or revolutions per minute (rpm) into torque (measured in pounds/feet). They also allow the drive mechanism to shift from forward into reverse without the need to shut off one engine and reverse the direction of the crankcase with a second engine running in the opposite direction. wisegeek.com

Image by: SeanMacEntee

4. Windscreen:
A windscreen, known as a windshield in the US and Canada, is the most important part of any auto vehicle as it protects the driver from flying objects and wind. When a chip or crack appears it is absolutely essential to have it looked at as well as considering a windscreen replacement cost if necessary as a broken windscreen can result in a fine or even worse, cause of an accident later on. Although most people know what Windscreens are they dont know what they are made of: Modern windshields are generally made of laminated safety glass, a type of treated glass, which consists of two (typically) curved sheets of glass with a plastic layer laminated between them for safety, and are bonded into the window frame. Motorbike windshields are often made of high-impact acrylic plastic. Wikipedia

Image by: Collin Allen

5. Cylinder head:
In an internal combustion engine, the cylinder head (often informally abbreviated to just head) sits above the cylinders on top of the cylinder block. It closes in the top of the cylinder, forming the combustion chamber. This joint is sealed by a head gasket. In most engines, the head also provides space for the passages that feed air and fuel to the cylinder, and that allow the exhaust to escape. The head can also be a place to mount the valves, spark plugs, and fuel injectors.
In a flathead or sidevalve engine, the mechanical parts of the valve train are all contained within the block, and the head is essentially a metal plate bolted to the top of the block; this simplification avoids the use of moving parts in the head and eases manufacture and repair, and accounts for the flathead engine's early success in production automobiles and continued success in small engines, such as lawnmowers. This design, however, requires the incoming air to flow through a convoluted path, which limits the ability of the engine to perform at higher revolutions per minute (rpm), leading to the adoption of the overhead valve (OHV) head design, and the subsequent overhead camshaft (OHC) design. Wikipedia.com

Image by: Elsie. esq

Measurement
1. Torque
Torque is a twisting or rotational force. No motion is required. Imagine trying to turn the pedals of a bicycle wedged in a bike rack with its rear tire held firmly to the asphalt: The pressure put on the pedals is torque. Torque is measured and expressed in pound-feet: If that bike's crank is one foot long (it's a really long crank) and my son stood on one pedal, that's 135 lb.-ft. of torque mobiloil.com
Image by: Matt Schidler

2. Horsepower Horsepower is a calculation. The formula: engine revolutions per minute (rpm) multiplied by the torque at that engine speed, divided by 5,252. In most passenger-vehicle engines, torque nears its peak early and remains fairly constant until it falls away due to friction and the weight of the moving parts. Horsepower rises with engine speed and hits its peak when increasing rpm no longer offsets falling torque in the math formula. mobiloil.com

Image by: Moyann Brenn

Which is better?
It depends on what the vehicle is designed to do. Here are two extremes: Some 18-wheeler engines make about 1,300 lb.-ft. of torque at just 1,200 rpm, however they top out at only 300 horsepower near the engine's 2,100-rpm limit. Recent Formula 1 race engines are reported to approach 900 horsepower at a mind-boggling 19,000 rpm and have a torque peak of 500 lb.-ft. at around 14,000 rpm. Without radically modifying the clutch, the F1 engine couldn't move the 80,000-pound semi. The big-rig's diesel would make for a very slow F1 car, partially because it'll almost double the weight of the race car. mobiloil.com

Source List
Images: Please click through to original image sources on Flickr and the web by clicking captions below them Information: Please click through to full information selected for this guide by clicking on the source names at the ends of quotes:
mobiloil.com innerauto.com wisegeek.com Wikipedia