asvab auto shop info and mechanical knowledge

Cooling system

Main job is to remove heat from the engine to prevent it from overheating.

Radiator

A large, finned heat exchanger located at the front of the car. It transfers heat from the coolant fluid to the outside air, cooling the fluid down.

Water Pump

Driven by a belt and circulates the coolant through the engine and radiator.

Thermostat

Valve that controls the flow of coolant. It stays closed when the engine is cold to help it warm up faster and opens when the engine reaches its optimal operating temperature, allowing coolant to flow to the radiator.

Cooling Fan

A fan that pulls air through the radiator to help cool the coolant, especially when the car is moving slowly or stopped. Many modern cars use electric fans.

Hoses

The rubber hoses that connect the radiator to the engine, allowing the coolant to travel between them.

Coolant (Antifreeze)

The fluid that circulates through the system. It’s a mixture of water and antifreeze that has a lower freezing point and higher boiling point than water alone.

Ignition system

Provides the initial low-voltage electrical power to the system.

Ignition Switch

The lock cylinder where you insert your key. When turned, it sends a signal to the electrical system to start the car.

Ignition Coil

The heart of the system. It acts like a transfer converting the battery’s low-voltage current into the thousand of volts needed to create a spark.

Distributor

Found in old cars. It’s a rotating arm that distributes the high voltage from the ignition coil to the correct spark plug at the correct time. Modern cars use coil packs or Coin-On-Plug (COP) system instead.

Spark Plugs

These are threaded into the engine’s cylinder head. They receive the high-voltage current from the ignition coil and create a spark that ignites the air-fuel mixture.

Brake Pedal

The driver’s interface. Pressing it starts the entire breaking process.

Brake Master Cylinder

Converts the force from the brake pedal into hydraulic pressure. It pushes break fluid through the brake lines.

Brake Lines

The metal and rubber tubing that carries the hydraulic brake fluid from the master cylinder to the wheels.

Brake Calipers

The “Clamp” at each wheel (for disc brakes). The calipers contain pistons that are pushed by the hydraulic fluid.

Brake Pads

Friction material that the caliper squeezes against the rotor. They create the friction that stops the wheel’s rotation.

Brake Rotors (or Discs)

The large, spinning metal discs attached to the wheels. The brake pads clamp down on these to create friction.

Brake fluid

The hydraulic fluid that transmits force from the break pedal to the brakes at each wheel.

Oil Pan (or Sump)

The reservoir at the bottom of the engine that stores the oil.

Oil Pump

Sucks oil from the oil pain and pumps it under pressure to the rest of the engine.

Oil Filter

Cleans the oil by trapping dirt, metal shavings, and other contaminants before the oil is sent to the moving parts.

Oil Galleries

A series of passages and channels throughout the engine block that the pressurized oil flows through to reach all of the moving parts.

Dipstick

A tool used to check the oil level in the oil pan.

Fuel Tank

Stores the gasoline.

Fuel Pump

Located inside the fuel tank, this pump draws fuel out of the tank and pushes it through the fuel lines.

Fuel Filter

Cleans the fuel, removing dirt and rust before it reaches the engine.

Fuel Injectors

Electronically controlled valves that sprays a fine mist of fuel into the engine cylinders at the precise moment it’s needed for combustion.

Battery

Provides the initial power to start the engine and powers the electrical components when the engine is off.

Alternator

When the engine is running, the alternator charges the battery and provides electricity to all the car’s electrical system.

Starter Motor

A motor that turns the engine over when you turn the ignition key, getting the combustion process started.

Fuses

Safety devices that protect electrical circuits from overloads. A blown fuse means a circuit has received too much current.

Wiring

The network of wires and connectors that carry electricity throughout the vehicle.

Exhaust Manifold

Gathers the exhaust gases from the engine’s exhaust.

Catalytic Converter

A device that converts toxic pollutants in the exhaust gases into less harmful ones. This is a key part of the car’s emission system.

Muffler

A chamber filled with baffles or tubes that reduces the loud noise from the engine’s exhaust.

Tail Pipe

The pipe at the back of the car that releases the exhaust gases.

Lever

A bar that pivots around a fixed point called a fulcrum. The position of the fulcrum changes the amount of force needed to lift a weight

Fulcrum

The point on which a lever rests or is supported and on which it pivots.

Pulley

A wheel with a grooved rim that uses a rope or cable.

Fixed Pulleys

Change the direction of a force.

Movable Pulleys

Reduces the amount of force needed to lift a load.

Wheel and Axle

A wheel connected to a smaller axle. This combination can be used to multiply force or speed.

Inclined Plane

A ramp or sloping surface that makes it easier to move an object to a higher elevation.

Wedge

A triangular tool used to separate or hold objects, like an axe head.

Screw

An inclined plane wrapped around a cylinder (Screws into wood or other materials).

Gears

Interlocking toothed wheels used to transmit power. When two gears mesh, they turn in opposite directions. The number of teeth determines the speed—-a smaller gear with fewer teeth spin faster than a large one.

Hydraulics and Pneumatics

Hydraulics use liquid (like oil) to transmit force, while Pneumatics use air or gas.

Force and Motion

Torque (rotational force)

Friction (resistance between two moving surfaces)

Gravity (Force that holds things down on surface)

Buoyancy

This is the upward force that a fluid exerts on an object, like how a boat floats in water.