| W
| [1] an abbreviation for Watts [2] Wolfram An element with the atomic number of 74 |
| W/
| With |
| W/O
| With out |
| WAC
| Wide open throttle A/C switch |
| waddle
| A term used for lateral runout waddle. |
| wagon
| A station wagon. |
| wail
| To perform at peak efficiency. |
| Wake up signal
| An input signal used to notify the body computer that an engine start is about to happon |
| wander
| The abnormal tracking or steering of a vehicle. |
| Wankel engine
| An engine concept developed in Germany in the 1950's having a three-sided rotor in a slightly hourglass-shaped oval chamber. |
| warm up
| To allow an engine to reach its normal operating temperature. |
| warm-up cycle
| The PCM uses warm-up cycles instead of key cycles to clear DTC's. A warm-up cycle is achieved when the engine coolant rises at least 22o C (40o F) from start-up and achieves a minimum temperature of 71o C (160o F) |
| warm-up regulator
| A device in a fuel injection system to adjust the air/fuel mixture while the engine is warming up. |
| warning blinker
| A term used for hazard system. |
| warning flasher
| A device found in the turn signal and hazard flasher circuit that causes the warning lamps to flash on and off . |
| warning light
| A light on the dash to warn of a problem. |
| warp
| A slight twist or curve in a surface. |
| warpage
| Bending or twisting in a part that was originally straight. |
| washboard
| The corrugated surface of an unpaved road. |
| washer
| A round, metal device with a hole in the middle to help secure a nut or a bolt. |
| Waste Oil Heating Manufacturers Association (WOHMA)
| An association of waste oil heater manufacturers that promote recycling used motor oil as a heating fuel. |
| waste spark
| A spark occurring during the exhaust stroke on a computerized ignition system. |
| wastegate
| A turbocharger relief valve to prevent the buildup of too much pressure. |
| Wastegate Control Solenoid
| A solenoid used to control boost output on turbocharged modles of Chrysler vehicles |
| Water (H2O)
| 1. A colorless transparent , odrless, tastless liquid compound of hydrogen and oxygen. |
| water brake
| A type of absorption unit found on some dynamometers. |
| water burnout
| The application of bleach or water to the rear wheels prior to a burnout to clean, scuff, and heat the tire surfaces for better traction immediately before a drag race. |
| water column
| A manometer. |
| water control valve
| A mechanically operated or vacuum-operated shutoff valve that stops the flow of hot water to the heater core. |
| water cooled
| Using water as a heat transfer medium. |
| water diverter
| A device used to direct the flow of coolant in a head or block. |
| water fade
| A brake fade that occurs when water is trapped between the brake linings and the drum or rotor and the coefficient of friction is reduced. |
| water filter
| A replaceable filter used to remove impurities from an engine-cooling system. |
| water glass
| A common term for sodium silicate. |
| water jacket
| 1. The hollow passages inside the cylinder head and engine block through which coolant flows to carry away the heat. 2. The open spaces within the cylinder clock and cylinder head where coolant flows. |
| water pump
| A device, usually located on the front of the engine and driven by one of the accessory drive belts, that circulates the coolant by causing it to move from the lower radiator-outlet section into the engine by centrifugal action of a finned impeller on the pump shaft. |
| water soluble
| Any material that will dissolve in water. |
| water valve
| An electrical-, mechanical-, or vacuum-operated device that controls the flow of coolant to the heater core. |
| water wash
| The forcing of exhaust air and fumes from a spray booth through water so that the vented air is free of thermal-sprayed particles or fumes. |
| water-cooled system
| A term used to identify a liquid cooling system such as one that uses water and antifreeze. |
| water-heated choke
| A bimetallic spring in the choke assembly that opens the throttle valve during warm up when the engine coolant reaches a specific temperature. |
| Watt
| An electrical unit of power; 1 watt equals current (amperes) x voltage 1 watt = 764 hp. Named for James Watt, a Scottish inventor |
| Watt's linkage
| A three-bar arrangement of a live or de Dion rear axle to prevent lateral movement. |
| wattage
| A specific quantity of electrical power. |
| Wave
| The generic term for a patteren that repeats over time |
| wave scavenging
| Internal exhaust resonating that increases the extraction of exhaust gases. |
| waveform
| A graphical representation of the change in voltage on the line over a specific period of time |
| Waveform Capture rate
| Refers to how quickly an oscilloscope acquires waveforms, expressed as waveforms per second |
| Waveform point
| A digital value that represents the voltage of a signal at a specific point in time.Waveform points are calculated from sample points and stored in memory |
| wax
| 1. A compound to shine the painted surface. 2. To beat a competitor in a race. |
| wax pellet-type thermostat
| A term used for pellet thermostat. |
| ways
| Machined surface on the caliper support on which a sliding caliper slides. |
| wear compensator
| A device mounted on the clutch cover having an actuator arm that fits in a hole in the release-sleeve retainer. |
| wear limit
| A manufacturer's specifications as to the durability of a part in terms of serviceability. |
| wear mated parts
| A condition that exists when two parts rub against each other. |
| wear pattern
| Visible wear. |
| wear sensor
| A projection on an inboard brake pad that causes a squealing sound when the brake pads are worn thin. |
| weather modulator
| A term used for cold-weather modulator. |
| Weather pack Connector
| A type of connector that seals the terminal ends aganst water pennatration |
| weather-pack connector
| A connector, having rubber seals on the terminal ends and on the covers of the connector half, used on computer circuits to protect the circuit from corrosion, which may result in a voltage drop. |
| Weatstone Bridge
| A series parallel arrangement of resistors between an input terminal and ground |
| weave bead
| A type of weld bead made with transverse oscillation. |
| web
| 1. The inner part of a brake shoe that is perpendicular to the table and which all of the springs and other linkage parts (hardware) attach. 2. In computer terms web is short for the world wide web. |
| web page
| A document on the world wide web. Every web page is identified by a unique URL (Uniform Resource Locator) or address. |
| web site
| A site (location) on the World Wide Web, owned and managed by an individual, company, school, or organization. |
| webmaster
| An individual who manages a web site. |
| wedge
| To shift vehicle weight in oval-track racing by raising or lowering the springs with small blocks or wedges. |
| wedge combustion chamber
| A combustion chamber resembling a wedge. |
| wedge head
| A cylinder head with wedge-shaped combustion chambers to provide a large quench area. |
| wedge-actuated brakes
| A braking system that uses air pressure and air brake chambers to push a wedge and roller assembly into an actuator that is located between the adjusting and anchor pistons. |
| wedge-shaped combustion chamber
| a type of combustion chamber that is shaped similar to a wedge or "V," designed to increase the movement of air and fuel to aid in mixing. |
| wedging factor
| a factor that takes into account the multiplication of force between the V-belt and pulley-groove surfaces that occurs because of the wedging action of the belt in the groove. |
| weedburner
| The exhaust headers on a drag racer that swoop close to the ground and to the rear. |
| weekend warrior
| A part-time, weekend racer having a regular weekday job. |
| weenie
| A tire. |
| weight
| The measure of the earth's gravitational force or pull on an object. |
| weight distribution
| The percentage of the vehicle gross weight on the front wheels and on the back wheels, or the percentage on each wheel. |
| weight mass
| a concentration of weight around the tire; may or may not be equally distributed. |
| weight transfer
| The momentary shift of a vehicle's weight forward or rearward. |
| weight-saver spare tire
| A compact spare tire. |
| weight-to-power ratio
| The ratio of a vehicle's weight to its horsepower. |
| weld
| a localized merging of metals or nonmetals produced wither by heating the materials to the welding temperature, with or without the application of pressure or by the application of pressure alone and with or without the use of filler material. |
| weld axis
| A line through the length of the weld, perpendicular to and at the geometric center of its cross section. |
| weld bead
| A weld resulting from a pass. |
| weld crack
| A crack located in the weld metal or heat-affected zone. |
| weld metal
| The portion of a fusion weld that has been completely melted during welding. |
| weld pool
| The localized volume of molten metal in a weld prior to its solidification as weld metal. |
| weldability
| The capacity of material to be welded under the imposed fabrication conditions into a specific, suitably designed structure and to perform satisfactorily in the intended service. |
| welding
| A joining process that produces merging of materials by heating them to the welding temperature, with or without the application of pressure or by the application of pressure alone, and with or without the use of filler material. |
| welding arc
| a controlled electrical discharge between the electrode and the work piece that is formed and sustained by the establishment of a gaseous, conductive medium. |
| welding filler metal
| The metal or alloy added in making a weld joint that alloys with the base metal to form weld metal in a fusion-welded joint. |
| welding rod
| A form of welding filler metal, normally packaged in straight lengths, that does not conduct the welding current. |
| welding tip
| That part of an oxyfuel gas welding torch from which the gases issue. |
| weldment
| An assembly of two or more metal parts that have been joined by fusing metal with the application of heat. |
| Western Union splice
| The electrical connection made by paralleling the bared ends of two conductors and then twisting these bared ends, each around the other. |
| wet bulb
| A device, such as a thermometer, having a wet sock over its sensing element. |
| Wet Compression Test
| A test of the engines compression with two table spoons of oil added to the cylinder to determine if the low compression from the initial compressiontest is caused by leaking pistion rings, leaking valves, or from a hole in the head gasket or pistion. |
| Wet Compression Testing
| A test of the engines compression pressure with two tablespoons of engine oil added through the spark plug hole to seal the rings and determine if the compression leak is from the rings or the valves |
| wet liner
| A cylinder liner that is in contact with the coolant. |
| wet sleeve
| A term used for wet liner. |
| wet tank
| a supply reservoir. |
| wet-bulb temperature
| The ambient temperature measured with a wet-bulb thermometer. |
| wet-disk clutch
| A clutch having a friction disk that operates in a bath of oil. |
| whale tale
| A large, horizontal spoiler at the rear of a vehicle. |
| wheel
| A circular frame or hub of an axle to which a tire is attached. |
| wheel adapter
| A metal plate that permits the use of a wheel having a different bolt pattern. |
| wheel alignment
| A condition where the wheels and tires are in proper position on the vehicle. |
| wheel balance
| The equal distribution of weight of a wheel with a mounted tire. |
| wheel base
| The distance from the center of the front wheels to the center of the rear wheels. |
| wheel cans
| The wheel wells on a race car having a full width body. |
| wheel centerline
| An imaginary line through the center of the tire, a vertical line if the tire is exactly in an upright position. |
| wheel chocks
| Blocks to prevent the wheels of a vehicle from rolling during a repair or service procedure. |
| wheel cylinder
| The hydraulic slave cylinder mounted on the backing plate of a drum brake assembly. The wheel cylinder convert hydraulic pressure from the master cylinder to mechanical force that applies the brake shoes. |
| wheel cylinder piston
| The device in a wheel cylinder that expands, causing the brake shoe to contact the drum. |
| wheel estate
| A mobile home. |
| wheel meter
| A chassis dynamometer. |
| wheel nut
| Threaded nuts used to retain the wheel to the studs on the hub assembly. |
| wheel offset
| the distance between the centerline of the rim and the mounting plate of the wheel |
| wheel rebound
| Downward wheel and suspension movement. |
| wheel rim
| Circular steel, aluminum, or magnesium components on which the tires are mounted, manufactured from stamped, or pressed steel discs that are riveted or welded together to form the circular rim. |
| wheel shimmy
| 1. The wobbling motion during rotation of a dynamically unbalanced tire. 2. Rapid inward and outward oscillations of the front wheels. |
| wheel spindle
| The spindle on which a wheel is mounted. |
| wheel tramp
| The wheel-lifting action or hopping motion caused by static unbalance. Motion may be up-and-down or forward-and-backward, caused by centrifugal force acting on a heavy tire section located near the thread-face center. |
| wheel tubs
| Wheel wells installed to accommodate oversized tires. |
| wheel weights
| Weights used during the balancing process to equalize the weight mass around and across the tire; attached to the rim with clips or special adhesive. |
| wheel-and-axle speed sensors
| Electromagnetic devices used to provide wheel speed information for an anti-lock brake system. |
| wheel-slip brake-control system
| A system which automatically controls rotational wheel slip during braking. |
| wheel-slip sensor
| a device used in combination with the wheel slip brake-control system to send the rate of angular rotation of the wheel(s) and transmit signals to the logic controller. |
| wheel-speed sensor
| A sensor on each wheel used to monitor speed for anti-lock braking systems. |
| wheelie
| A wheelstand, lifting the front wheels off the pavement. |
| wheelie bars
| A pair of long bars with wheels extending from the rear of the vehicle to prevent wheelstanding. |
| wheels
| A car. |
| white flag
| A signal to a closed-course race driver that she or he is about to begin the last lap. |
| white grease
| A multi-porpoise lithium based grease. |
| whoop-dee-doo
| a bump or dip severe enough to make a vehicle airborne in off-road racing. |
| Wide range ratio sensor
| Also Called the Air / Fuel Ratio Sensor: See Air / Fuel sensor or A / F sensor |
| wide ratios
| A transmission setup with wide spreads between speeds. |
| wide-open throttle(WOT)
| Having the throttle wide open, at full speed. |
| wide-open-throttle cut-out relay
| A relay that cuts power to the compressor clutch or other accessories during heavy acceleration. |
| wienie
| A tire. Also, weenie. |
| wienie roaster
| A jet-powered car for drag racing or lakes competition. |
| wild
| Great in performance and/or appearance. |
| winch
| A power-driven spool having a wire cable. |
| wind resistance
| A term used for air resistance. |
| wind up
| 1. The tendency of the rear axle to rotate with the wheels during hard acceleration. 2. To rev an engine. |
| windage tray
| A metal meshed screen in the oil pan to deflect oil away from the crankshaft. |
| winded time
| A quarter-mile drag racing time recorded with the advantage of a tail wind. |
| windings
| 1. The turns of wire around a core, as in a relay. 2. The three separate bundles in which wires are grouped in a stator. |
| windmill
| A supercharger. |
| window net
| A net in the window of the driver's door that serves as a restraining device to keep the driver's arm inside. |
| window regulator
| In a power-window system, the device that converts rotary motion of the motor into the linear, vertical movement of the window. |
| Windows
| When spelled with a capital, Windows is short of the Microsoft Windows Operating System. |
| windscreens
| The British term for windshield. |
| windshield
| the forward-facing window in a vehicle. |
| windshield wiper
| Mechanical arms that sweep back and forth across the windshield to remove water, snow, or dirt. |
| wing
| A wing-shaped spoiler. |
| wing nut
| A nut having wing-like flanges for ease of installation and removal. |
| Wing/mudgard
| English term for Fender |
| wipe
| To defeat a competitor in a race. |
| wiped out
| 1. To be defeated in a race. 2. To crash. |
| wiper
| A term used for windshield wiper. |
| wire cloth
| A material that may be cut to size and used for filtration. |
| wire placement
| The position and routing of wires on an automobile, determined by factory engineers to provide a safe, practical, and economical route. |
| wiring diagram
| A map-like drawing that shows the wiring arrangement and colors of a vehicle wiring harness. |
| wiring harness
| The major assembly of a vehicles electrical wiring system. |
| wiring protective devices
| A device used to prevent damage to the wiring system by maintaining proper wire routing and retention with the use of special clips, retainers, straps, and supplementary insulators to provide additional protection to the conductor over what the insulation itself is capable of providing. |
| wishbone
| A term used for A-arm or A-frame. |
| with tracer
| A term that indicates a solid or dashed line of a contrasting color on wire insulation, used for identification purposes where many wires are involved. |
| witness lines
| Lines scribed on the surface of adjacent parts prior to disassembly to ensure proper realignment when they are reassembled. |
| wobble
| An unsteady movement off a normal axis. |
| wobble plate
| An offset plate that is secured to the main shaft and moves the pistons to and fro. |
| wobble-plate compressor
| 1. An offset plate that is secured to the main shaft and moves the piston to and fro 2. A term used for swash-plate compressor. |
| WOHMA
| An acronym for Waste Oil Heating Manufacturers Association. |
| WOO
| An acronym for World of Outlaws. |
| Woodruff key
| A half-moon-shaped key used to prevent a pulley or gear from turning on a shaft. Also known as half-moon key. |
| woody
| A vehicle having wood panel or simulated wood panel bodywork. |
| Word
| Microsoft's word processing software program. |
| word processing
| Using a computer to create, edit, and print documents. |
| WordPerfect
| One of the most popular word processing software programs in use today. |
| work
| 1. The change of position of an object against an opposing force. 2. The product of a force and the distance through which it acts. |
| work bench
| Any bench on which work is done; usually having a vise and one or more drawers. |
| work hardening
| The brittleness of a metal part due to stress from bending, hammering, or fatigue. |
| working chamber
| An area in a shock absorber where the pressure and vacuum are produced. |
| works team
| A factory-supported racing team. |
| World of Outlaws(WOO)
| A spring car-racing organization. |
| world wide web
| A system of internet servers that support specially formatted documents. The documents ate formatted in a language called HTML that supports links to other documents, as well as graphics, audio, and video files. |
| worm
| A type of gear on which the teeth resemble large threads. |
| worm and sector
| A type of steering-gear assembly that imparts a rotary motion to a straight-line motion. |
| worm bearing preload
| The adjustment of a work gear bearing to prevent or reduce backlash. |
| worm gear
| 1. The gear at the end of the steering column in a worm-and-sector steering system. 2. A gear that is shaped like a shaft with gear teeth cut in a continuous spiral around its outer surface. A worm gear changes the axis of rotation when it turns another gear. |
| worm hole
| A galvanic reaction that erodes metal for the outer walls of wet cylinder sleeves. |
| worm shaft
| A steering gearbox component having spiral grooves that resemble a coiled worm, to transfer motion from the steering-wheel shaft to the pitman shaft. |
| worm tracks
| Oil flow circuits cast within a valve body. |
| WOT
| An acronym for wide-open throttle. |
| WOTV
| An acronym for Wide Open Throttle Valve : In some old EGR applications, it is desirable to cut off EGR flow at wide-open throttle where a richer fuel mixture is needed for performance. This valve is vacuum-actuated when full throttle signal is recieved from the carburetor |
| woven wire cloth
| A woven metal material, such as phosphor bronze, stainless steel, or monel available in a wide range of mesh sizes; widely used for filtration. |
| WRAP
| Western Regional Air Partnership (see http://www.wrapair.org) |
| wraparound headers
| Exhaust headers that fit closely to the engine block. |
| wraparound seat
| A body-conforming bucket seat. |
| wrench
| 1. To twist. 2. A hand tool for twisting and /or holding bolt heads and nuts. |
| wrinkled paint
| A type of paint finish that has a wrinkled texture. |
| wrinkled walls
| The wrinkling of the sidewalls on drag-racing slicks due to low air pressure. |
| wrist pin
| A pin used to attach the connecting rod to the piston. |
| wrist-pin bushing
| A bushing that supports the wrist pin in a connecting rod. |
| Writing Speed
| The ability of an analog oscilloscope to provide a visable trace of the movement of a signal from one point to another |
| WS
| Wastegate solenoid |
| WST
| Wastegate |
| WU-TWC
| Warm-Up Three way Catalytic converter |
| wye
| A mechanical or electrical assembly connected in the form of a y. |
| wye wound
| A type of stator winding in which all three coils are connected to a common center connection. |
| WYSIWYG
| An acronym for What-You-See-Is-What-You-Get; With WYSIWYG, a document appears on the display screen exactly as it will look when printed. Note: many internet documents are not WYSIWYG. |
Auto & Car Glossary
