Category: Glossary of Car Terms

What is Filler?

Filler, also referred to as Bondo, is a plastic material used to repair minor accident and rust damage. Filler begins as a paste, but hardens to a solid consistency in minutes.

What is EGR?

In internal combustion engines, exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) is a nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions reduction technique used in petrol/gasoline and diesel engines. EGR works by recirculating a portion of an engine’s exhaust gas back to the engine cylinders. In a gasoline engine, this inert exhaust displaces the amount of combustible matter in the cylinder. This…

What is Exhaust system?

The exhaust system carries exhaust away from the engine and away from the car. The exhaust system includes the exhaust manifold, the oxygen sensor, the catalytic converter, the muffler, and the tailpipe.

What is ECM?

Electronic Control Module (ECM). The ECM is a powerful computer that manages the Engines Ignition, Fuel Injection, and Emission Systems. In some vehicles it may control the operation of the Transmission and Anti-Lock Brake Systems as well. Read more: ECM

What is ECU?

Many modern cars with fuel injection have a central computer called an Engine Control Unit (ECU). This controls the car’s fuel and ignition systems by taking information from various sensors to determine how to run the engine with the most efficiency and power. Read more: ECM

What is Emissions?

Emissions are the byproducts of combustion. After combustion is complete, water, gases, and carbon are released through the car’s exhaust system as emissions.

What is Engine?

The power source that creates the energy to make a car move. An engine can be run by gas, diesel fuel, electricity, steam or any other number of power sources.

What is Freeze Frame?

Operating conditions which are stored in the memory of the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) at the instant a DTC is stored and the MIL is illuminated. A Freeze Frame is stored for only one DTC and can only be overwritten under certain conditions

What is Flushing?

Flushing is a means of entirely replacing the fluid in a given system. For instance, when a technician flushes a cooling system, all the old coolant is removed and completely replaced with new.

What is Fan Belt?

Also called a drive belt or serpentine belt. Fan belts are used to drive the engine’s accessories, such as the alternator, power steering pump, or air conditioning compressor. A serpentine belt is a wide single drive belt that drives all the engine’s accessories.

What is Flywheel?

The flywheel helps an engine run smoothly. It also has teeth on its outside edge that engage with the starter motor to help start the engine.

What is Fuel System?

The fuel system is the system by which fuel is stored and delivered to each cylinder. The fuel system includes the fuel tank, fuel tank level sending unit, the fuel pump, the fuel filter, and fuel lines. For carbureted cars, the fuel system also includes the carburetor. For fuel injected cars, the fuel system also…

What is Fuel Injection?

Fuel injection is a system by which fuel is directly sprayed into the intake manifold or intake port at high pressure. Fuel injection is often controlled by a computer, allowing precise monitoring of efficiency and performance by the car’s computer.