Electric motors are often used in accessories such as power windows or power seats to provide movement with minimial effort by the user.

Wire is what the electrical system uses to transmit electricity from one component to another. If a wire breaks, it creates a short circuit.

Also called the parking brake. The emergency brake is used when a car’s main braking system experiences a complete failure.

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

Emissions equipment is equipment required by the government to keep a car’s exhaust emissions to a minimum. Emissions equipment includes catalytic converters, air pumps, and oxygen sensors.

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.

An engine accessory is a peripheral piece of equipment that runs directly off of the engine’s power to supply energy or a fluid to another part of the car. Engine accessories include the alternator, power steering pump, air pump, air

The engine block is where the cylinders and pistons reside. The block is the strongest part of the engine and withstands tremendous pressures while the engine is operating.

When your engine knocks or pings, it is a sign that the engine is firing at the wrong time. This could be because of bad ignition timing, an incorrect grade of gas, or another ignition or fuel system fault.

Engine mounts are often made of metal and rubber. Engine mounts help support the engine, and also help to prevent engine vibrations from shaking the entire car.

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

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

Electric cooling fans are part of many cars’ cooling systems. They use a heat activated switch to turn on and off as needed to help keep your engine cool.

The cylinder head is the top part of the engine. It often contains the valves, and for cars with overhead cams, it contains the camshafts as well. The cylinder head also forms the top part of the combustion chamber.

A setting of your car’s heating controls that lets you easily remove frost and fog from your vehicle’s windows.

A type of engine that uses heat caused by engine compression rather than spark plugs to ignite its fuel mixture. Diesels are often more economical than gasoline engines; however, they create extra noise and vibration.

A symptom whereby an engine continues to run after the ignition has been turned off. When this occurs, the firing of the engine is uneven, often causing a sound much like a diesel engine.

A part of a car’s driveline that takes the power from the engine and splits it between two wheels or two axles. A differential also lets two wheels on the same axle rotate at different speeds. For instance, when you

Part of a car’s ignition system. The distributor receives the spark from the coil and literally distributes it amongst the spark plugs. In addition to the distributor itself, there is a distributor cap and distributor rotor which send power to

The distributor cap contains the terminals that the spark plug wires plug into. When the distributor sends power to a spark plug, it goes to the cap first and then to the spark plug wire and to the spark plug.