This unit measures the amount of gas in the fuel tank and sends that information to your vehicle’s gas gauge and, if equipped, a low gas level warning light.

Front-wheel drive (FWD). A front-wheel drive vehicle sends its power to the front wheels of the car.

This is a general term that refers to a gasoline’s general quality – for instance, its octane rating and package of additives. The two common terms for gas grades are “regular” for low-grade gas, and “premium” for high-grade gas.

A gasket is a piece of material that seals two parts together. The gasket prevents air or fluids from leaking between the parts.

A gauge is a type of instrument that measures or displays levels of a certain system. For instance, the gas gauge in your car measures the fuel level, while the temperature gauge measures the engine temperature.

These materials are often used to fill in large rust holes where filler would be unable to work, and where welding in new metal would be difficult.

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.

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.

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.

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

A car’s fuel filter removes debris and contaminants from fuel before it reaches the carburetor or fuel injection system.

The engine temperature sender measures the temperature of the engine’s coolant. It sends this information to many places – the engine computer, the radiator fan, the engine temperature warning light, or engine temperature gauge.

An acronym for the Environmental Protection Agency, the federal government agency that establishes regulations and oversees the enforcement of laws related to the environment. Included in these laws are regulations on the amount and content of automotive emissions.

Exhaust hangers keep the exhaust system in place, while also preventing excess vibration and noise from reaching the passengers.

The exhaust manifold carries the exhaust from the cylinder head to the 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.

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 heat-operated, viscous-fluid clutch that controls whether or not an engine fan rotates to help cool an engine.

An electric motor with a fan that controls the airflow to the interior of a car.

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