An instrument that indicates a vehicle’s speed.
Category: Glossary of Car Terms
What is Starting System?
The starting system consists of the starter motor, starter solenoid, battery, ignition switch and ignition key.
What is Starter Solenoid?
This is a large relay that controls the operation of the starter motor.
What is Shock Absorbers?
Shock absorbers are part of your vehicle’s suspension and contribute to your vehicle’s ride quality. They also regulate how much your vehicle moves up and down after going over a bump.
What is Suspension?
A car’s suspension helps it to handle better, while increasing comfort and isolating passengers from bumps and vibration.
What is Synchromesh?
Synchromesh is a feature that allows you to upshift and downshift a manual transmission without grinding gears. It does this by synchronizing, or evening out, the speed of the engine and the speed of the gear you are selecting. If your car didn’t have synchromesh, you would either have to match the engine speed to…
What is TCC?
An acronym for Torque Converter Clutch. A clutch device found in automatic transaxles or transmissions which creates a fluid coupling between the engine and the final drive output.
What is Transmission Mounts?
Transmission mounts are often made of steel and rubber. Transmission mounts help support the transmission, and also help to prevent transmission vibrations from being transmitted to the car interior.
What is Stabilizer Bar?
The stabilizer bar is a suspension system component that helps a vehicle to stay flat and not lean excessively when cornering. Also called a sway bar or anti-roll bar.
What is SOHC?
Single Over Head Cam (SOHC). A type of overhead cam engine with a single cam (8) that operates both the intake (7) and exhaust (6) valves either by the rocker arms or directly through the lifters.
What is Spark Plug?
A part of your vehicle’s ignition system. The spark plug ignites the air/fuel mixture in the combustion chamber.
What is Serpentine Belt?
A serpentine belt is a wide single drive belt that drives all the engine’s accessories (alternator, power steering pump, air conditioning compressor, etc.).
What is Short Circuit?
A short circuit occurs when there is a break in an electrical circuit and the circuit either finds a new ground or stops working altogether.
What is Struts?
Struts are part of your vehicle’s suspension. They regulate how much your vehicle moves up and down after going over a bump.
What is Supercharger?
A supercharger is used to increase the volume of air that an engine can take in, resulting in more power. It is run directly off of the engine by a drive belt.
What is Steering Lock?
The steering lock is a theft prevention device that locks the steering wheel in place when the key is removed from the ignition switch.
What is Spark Plug Gap?
Gap is the precise distance between a spark plug’s center and ground electrodes.
What is Timing Light?
A timing light is used to check or set ignition timing.
What is Tachometer?
An instrument that indicates engine rpm.
What is Tires Overinflation?
Overinflation occurs when a tire is inflated beyond the pressure recommended by the manufacturer. Overinflating can lead to increased tire wear and sudden tire failure.