HOW TO START AN AUTOMOBILE

IGNITION KEY

acts like a switch. With just a slight turn, this connects the circuit leading from the battery to the engine and an electric current flows.

THE COIL

helps the battery send an electrical spark to set fire to, or ignite the fuel and air mixture inside the cylinder. It is about the same size and shape as a soft drink can.

FIRST GEAR

the bottom gear, used for starting off.

FOURTH OR FIFTH GEAR

the top gear, used for fast cruising.

SECOND AND THIRD GEAR

 help pick up speed or slow down.

RIGHT GEAR WHEEL

are matched in pairs, one wheel on each of the two shafts. There are four or five pairs to go forward.

DRIVE SHAFT

a hollow metal tube that is fixed to the back of the gearbox. This tube spins when the car wheels turn.

REAR AXLE

 a very complicated car part. where the other end of the drive shaft is connected.

STRONG AXLE TUBE

joins the rear wheels and is one of the main parts of the rear axle.

HOLLOW CASE

 is in the middle if the strong axle tube

DIFFERENTIAL

 a set of gears inside the hollow case.

PINION GEAR

 a small wheel inside the differential. This turns a larger gear wheel called the crown wheel.

CROWN WHEEL 

 turns a set of even more gears which allow the back wheels to turn at different speeds and help the car when it goes around corners.when a car corners, the outside wheel covers a greater distance than the inside wheel so it has to go around faster.

OIL

used to coat all the surface inside the engine. This helps to keep all the moving surfaces slightly away from each other and stops them from rubbing against each other and thus, getting too hot and damaged.

BRAKES

attached to each of the car’s wheels. Used to slow or stop the car.

DISK BREAKS

FRONT WHEELS

DRUM BREAK

REAR WHEELS

BRAKE PEDALS

control the brakes on all four wheels.

AXELS

link the wheels to the main body of the car.

WHEEL’S HUBS

the parts that join the wheels and the axles. The center of each wheel hub is fixed to the excel bar. The outer part of the hub is joined to the axles and to the wheels themselves so it can spin.

EXHAUST HEADER

a pipe that takes gases away from from each cylinder

EXHAUST PIPE

 attached to the exhaust header, collects the hot gases pushed out of the engine. The gases flow down the pipe and out of the back of the car.

MUFFLER

a large pipe with metal plates inside. Where the gases leave less noisily.

CATALYTIC CONVERTER

 turns most of the poisons into a gas called carbon dioxide that is less harmful to living things. Modern cars are sometimes fitted with this extra part of the exhaust system.

THE BATTERY

a store of electricity for all the electrical parts of the car.

FRAME OR CHASSIS

\
 the skeleton of a car. All the other parts of the car like the body were bolted into it. Most modern cars do not have a separate chassis as the body itself is strong enough.