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W: A letter rating for tires to indicate that they
are theoretically rated for speeds up to 270 kph (167 mph), as in P220WR15.The
next higher rating is Y
and the one lower rating is V
w/: Abbreviation for "with," as in black
w/white top.
wander: A steering action where the
vehicle moves or rambles from a fixed course without positive control.
wandering: A condition in which
the front wheels tend to steer one way and then another.
wankel engine: A rotary internal
combustion engine invented by Felix Wankel. It consists of an equilateral
triangular member with curved sides orbiting about an eccentric
on a shaft inside a stationary housing
whose inner working surface is in the shape of an epitrochoid.
The rotor
is in sliding contact with the eccentric
and imparts power to the eccentric shaft as a connecting rod does to a crankshaft.
With one-third of a rotor revolution per shaft revolution and a power impulse
for each of the three rotor sides, the Wankel generates one power impulse per
revolution per rotor--twice that of what the four-cycle piston
engine produces. Thus it has become accepted practice to multiply the geometry displacement
of the Wankel by a factor of two for comparison with otto-cycle
piston engines. The Wankel's advantages include compact size, light weight and
smooth operation because there are no reciprocating
parts. Its drawbacks include relatively high exhaust
emission, possible sealing problems and low fuel
economy. Mazda, however, has made significant improvements in all three
areas.
warranty: The promise made by both
the vehicle manufacturer and the vehicle dealer to fix or replace parts on a new
vehicle if there is a malfunction before a specific time or distance has
elapsed. In some instances some manufacturers or dealers grant warranty even
after the expiry of the designated time or distance. This is called "good
will warranty."
warm-up: The action of starting an
engine and allowing it to idle until it reaches operating temperature before
driving away.
warning tracks: !!!
Definition under construction !!!.
washboard: A road surface which
has a series of lateral grooves -- usually found on gravel roads and caused by
water runoff.
washer: A small disc
with a hole in the center. Also see dish
washer, thrust
washer, and windshield
washer fluid.
waste gate: A valve used to limit
the boost developed in a turbocharger. A waste gate operates by allowing some of
the engine's exhaust flow to bypass the turbocharger's turbine
section under certain conditions.
water-cooled: An engine
which is cooled by antifreeze in contrast with an air-cooled engine.
water injection: In an
attempt to improve performance and allow the use of lower octane gasoline,
water injection was developed. The cooling of the water vapor charge suppresses detonation.
A small amount of water or alcohol-water fluid is injected into the fuel-air
mixture as it enters into the carburetor.
Theoretically, as the water evaporates it should cool the incoming charge which
then becomes denser, leading to higher volumetric
efficiency. This in turn should lead to improvements in performance and economy
and allow the use of lower octane fuel because cooling of the charge suppresses detonation.
water jacket: The area around
the cylinder
block and head
or intake
manifold that is left hollow so that water may be admitted for cooling. Also
called "cooling jacket." Also see cooling
system.
water pump: A device that
circulates the liquid through the cooling
system by pumping it from the engine water
jackets to the radiator.
The pump is usually mounted at the front of the engine and is driven by a belt
from a pulley
on the front end of the crankshaft.
Also called a "coolant pump."
water separator: A
device found on diesel cars which removes any water that may have contaminated
the diesel fuel.
water spotting: See water-spotting.
water-spotting: Drops of
water that mar the finish
before it is thoroughly cured.
watt: The international unit of measurement
of power. One watt equals one joule
per second.
watt linkage: A suspension linkage
which has three-bars to locate the De Dion or live
axle. There are two usual methods for arranging a Watt linkage: frame
to pivot on axle housing
to frame or axle to pivot on frame to axle. In either arrangement, this link
structure restrains all movement of the axle to a vertical plane.
wear-in: As the piston slides up and
down the cylinder of a new engine, the rings rub against the rough cylinder
walls. The roughness smooths out in time so that a near perfect fit is achieved.
Also called "broken-in."
weather cracking: A
visual sidewall condition which appears as cracking of the rubber. Also see ozone
checking.
weathering: The change in
appearance of paint caused by exposure to the elements.
wedge: [1] Engine using wedge-shaped combustion
chamber. The combustion
chambers are flatter on one end than the other. [2] A simple machine
consisting of a triangular shaped block, that can be forced into a gap, giving a
greatly increased force.
wedge
combustion chamber: A combustion
chamber using a wedge
shape. It is quite efficient and lends itself to mass production and as a result
is widely used.
weep: Fluid leakage which stains the outside
of the container, but does not actually drip. Generally oil weeping is not a
serious problem.
| weight: The force of gravity acting upon a body.
It is measured in Newtons. Also see counterweight, curb
weight, flyweight, horsepower-weight
factor, mass, multiweight, power-to-weight
ratio, sprung
weight, straight
weight, unsprung
weight, weightlessness,
and wheel
weight. Click on the camera to see how to determine the weight of
your vehicle. |
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weightlessness: A
condition when an object is in free fall. It does not mean that the object is
completely out of the Earth's gravitational field.
welch plug: A concave disk
generally about 10 mm (3/8 inch) diameter used to plug a hole in a carburetor.
weld: To join two pieces of metal together
by raising the area to be joined to a point hot enough for the two sections to
melt and flow together. Additional metal is usually added by melting small drops
from the end of a metal rod while the welding is in progress. Also see arc
welding and spot
weld.
weld face: The exposed surface of
the weld.
welding: Art of fastening metals
together by means of interfusing the metals. See arc
welding.
welding rod: Wire which is
mefted into the weld metal.
welding sequence:
Order in which the component parts of a structure are welded.
weldment: Assembly of component
parts joined together by welding.
weld metal: Fused portion of base
metal or fused portion of the base metal and the filler metal.
well depth: Vertical distance from
bead seat to bottom of drop center rim.
wet boiling point: The
boiling
point of brake
fluid when it has absorbed some water. See boiling
point and DOT
3.
wet friction: wet friction
exists when the rubbing parts have some other substance between them such as oil
or grease. Opposite to dry
friction.
wet liner: A cylinder
sleeve application in which the water in the cooling
system contacts a major portion of the sleeve itself. Also see liner.
wet sleeve: A cylinder
sleeve application in which the water in the cooling
system contacts a major portion of the sleeve itself. The sleeve is
supported by the block only at the top and bottom of the sleeve. The sleeve must
be thicker than a dry
sleeve.See wet
liner.
wheel: A circular device, thin in relation
to its face area, usually able to rotate about a central axle or pivot, with a
durable but elastic rim or with regular teeth cut on the rim and for lightness
often supported by spokes
joined to the hub
instead of being left solid. The invention of the wheel enabled loads to be
transported with relative ease, because rolling friction
is always much less than sliding friction.
The use of cogged
wheels also enabled power to be transmitted from one component
to another. Also see alloy
wheel, chain
wheel, chopped
wheel, degree
wheel, disc
wheel, and drag
wheel.
wheel aligner: A device used
to check camber, caster, toe-in,
etc.
wheel alignment: See alignment.
wheel balancer: A machine
used to check the wheel and tire assembly for static and dynamic
balance.
wheel balancing: A
procedure that ensures that the weight of the wheel is distributed evenly to
improve performance and cut tire wear. Static balancing distributes the weight
of the wheel evenly around the axle or spindle
and is done with the wheels off the vehicle. Dynamic balancing distributes the
weight evenly as the wheel and tire hang vertically down, also balances the brake
drum, and can be done with the wheels on the vehicle. Smaller wheels need
more frequent balancing than larger wheels because the speed of rotation is
greater in smaller wheels.
wheelbase: The distance between
the front and the rear axles on a vehicle, motorcycle,
or bicycle.
In a few cars (e.g., Renault 5), the wheelbase is longer on one side of the
vehicle.
wheel bolt hole: The holes
through which bolts are inserted to secure the wheel to the hub. To secure the
correct wheel, it is necessary to measure the diameter of the bolt hole
wheel bolt hole
circle: The diameter of a circle scribed through the bolt
hole centers of a wheel.
wheel center bore: The
diameter of the opening in a disc which allows for protrusion of the axle hub.
wheel cover: A hubcap
which covers the entire wheel (but not the tire, of course).
| wheel cylinder: [1] A small cylinder located at
each wheel brake that uses brake
fluid to exert hydraulic
pressure, which forces the brake
shoes against the brake
drums and stops the vehicle. [2] That part of the hydraulic
brake system that receives pressure from the master
cylinder and in turn applies the brake
shoes to the drums. Also see brake
backing plate. |
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wheel hop: A hopping action of the
rear wheels during heavy acceleration. Traction
is lost and regained in rapid cycles after power is applied to the rear wheels.
It indicates a need for different tires, better shock
absorbers, better springs, better axle control, different driving technique,
or all of the above.
wheel lug bolt: The bolts
used to fasten the wheel to the hub.
Also called "lug bolt."
wheel offset: A measurement in
inches from the center of the rim (between the flanges) to the outside face of
the disc.
wheel spacer: An obsolete
circular metal plate having a bolt hole circle and center bore and fitting
between the faces of disc wheels to provide additional dual clearance.
wheel weight: Small weights
(usually made of lead) attached to the wheel to balance the wheel and tire
assembly. Most have a lip which attaches to the flange of the rim; others are
pasted on the smooth side of a rim -- particularly on mag wheels; and others are
wrapped around the spokes of a wheel (such as a motorcycle wheel). They are
marked in fractions of an ounce or in grams.
wheelbase: The distance between
the center of the front wheels and the center of the rear wheels.
wheelie bars: Short arms
attached to the rear of a drag
racer to prevent the front end from rising too far off the ground during
heavy acceleration.
Arms are usually of spring material and have small wheels attached to the ends
that contact the ground.
whiplash: An injury to the head and
neck of an occupant of a vehicle. The action is somewhat prevented by head
restraints.
whitewall: Tires that have a concentric
white line. Some are up to four inches wide and called "wide
whitewall."
Whitworth: See British
Standard Whitworth
wholesaler: An intermediary
which sells to other intermediaries, such as a firm that buys from a
manufacturer and sells to a retailer.
wick: The action of flicking or blipping the
throttle rapidly.
wicking: A capillary act of air
escapement from the tire
casing during retreading.
wide ovals: See wide
treads.
wide range gearing:
See wide-range
gearing.
wide-range gearing:
A gearing system in which the step between the two chainrings is considerably
greater than that found in most other systems.
wide step gearing: See
wide-step
gearing.
wide-step gearing: A
gearing system in which the step between the two chainrings is considerably
greater than that found in most other systems.
wide treads: Wide tires. Tire
height, bead to tread
surface is about 70 percent of tire width across outside of carcass.
Wills Sainte Claire:
The 1925-1948 models are classic
cars.
Willys-Knight: The Series
66 for 1925-1948 with required application are classic
cars.
Willys: The 1948-51 Overland Jeepster
models are milestone
cars.
winch: Manual or power device employing a
drum with cable or rope for pulling objects where great power is required. Power
generated by vehicle engine and transmitted through power take-off on
transmission.
winding: The wrapping of wire around a
core.
See primary
winding and shunt
winding.
winding the engine:
Running the engine at top rpm.
windscreen: British term for windshield.
windshield: The primary piece of
glass in front of the driver
and front passenger. In some older vehicles, there were two pieces of glass.
Both are considered the windshield, left and right side. In Britain, it is
called the windscreen. Also see laminated
windshield and windshield
header.
windshield header:
!!! Definition under construction !!!.
windshield washer:
An apparatus for spraying windshield
washer fluid on the outside surface of the windshield
and removing the solution with the windshield
wipers and thereby removing contaminants from the windshield.
windshield
washer fluid: A soapy solution used to remove dirt and bugs from the windshield.
In colder climates this solution must not freeze.
windshield
washer pump: A pump which forces the windshield
washer fluid to the windshield washer nozzles so that the fluid is sprayed
on the windshield.
windshield wiper: A
squeegee attached to an arm in front of the windshield. When activated, it
sweeps across the windshield to remove any moisture such as rain or windshield
washer fluid.
Windsor experiment:
Chrysler Canada, in partnership with government and educational institutions,
has launched a number of initiatives collectively referred to as the Windsor
Experiment. The Windsor Experiment conducts studies to benchmark "best
practice" training and education in Europe, and applied the results in
various skills development programs.
wind trainer: A training
device consisting of a frame
in which a bicycle
is fastened for stationary riding and a fan that creates wind resistance
to simulate actual road riding.
windup: See axle
windup" and spring
windup.
wind wing: See vent
wing.
wing: [1] An aerodynamic device attached to
a vehicle to cause a downward force on the front or rear of the vehicle. It is
often found in the shape of an inverted airplane wing. Also see airfoil.
[2] A window wind deflector. See vent
wings. [3] A Honda Goldwing motorcycle.
wing nut: A nut with wings to be
turned by thumb and finger. Also called a butterfly
nut.
wing stock: Tread rubber that is
tapered to a feathered edge on each side of a retread tire in order that it may
be applied to the shoulder of the tire. Used only on a full retread.
winker: Japanese (especially Honda) term
for a signal light.
wiper: A metal or plastic device with a
rubber blade that scrapes across the windshield
to clean the windshield from rain or other moisture. Also called windshield
wiper.
wired on tire: See wired-on
tire.
wired-on tire: A tire with a
wire bead edge that fits inside a trough-shaped rim; the type of tire often
inaccurately referred to as a "clincher."
wires: Wire-spoked wheels or wire-spoke hubcaps.
wiring diagram: A drawing
showing the various electrical units and the wiring arrangement necessary for
them to function properly.
wiring harness: The
collection of color-coded wires which connects all the vehicle's electrical components.
Sometimes refers to the main bulk of wires, not the secondary
wires which are plugged into the main collection.
wishbone: The radius
rod setup used in many of the older ford cars to keep the axle square with
the frame.
Also see A-arm.
and control
arm.
withdrawal: See liquid
withdrawal.
witness mark: A punch mark or
scratch used to position or locate some part in its proper spot. The mark is
made on each half of the assembly so that upon reassembly the marks can be lined
up.
witness marks: See witness
mark.
w/o: Abbreviation for "without," as
in excellent condition, w/o body damage.
wobble: Side to side movement -- usually
unwanted. See caster
wobble.
wood alcohol: See methanol.
Woodill: The 1952-58 Wildfire models
are milestone
cars.
woodruff key: a half-moon
shaped piece of metal used to secure something to a shaft which has a notch cut
in the shaft to accommodate the key.
woodie: Refers to a wood-bodied vehicle,
especially station
wagons of the '30s and 40s.
work: Production of an effect by exertion of
a force. Energy is needed to do work and work is measured in joules.
work capacity: The maximum
ability to perform. See energy.
world Trade
Organization: (WTO) Created by the Uruguay Round and successor to the GATT,
this new organization began operations on January 1, 1995.
worm and roller: A type of
steering
gear using a worm
gear on the steering
shaft. A roller
on one end of the cross
shaft engages the worm.
worm and sector: A type of
steering
gear using a worm
gear engaging a sector (a portion of a gear) on the cross
shaft.
worm and taper pin: A
type of steering
gear using a worm
gear on the steering
shaft. The end of the cross
shaft engages the worm via a taper pin.
worm gear: A coarse, spiral shaped
gear cut on a shaft. It is used to engage with and drive another gear or portion
of a gear. As used in the steering gearbox,
it often engages the cross
shaft via a roller
or by a tapered pin.
wrench: A device for removing nuts,
bolts, and other fasteners. Also see Allen
wrench, lug
wrench, monkey
wrench, socket
wrench, spanner, spark
plug socket, and torque
wrench.
wrist pin: See piston
pin.
written off: When a vehicle has
sustained a severe accident so that it would cost more to repair it than what it
is worth, it is said to be written off.
WTO: Acronym for "World
Trade Organization."
WW: Acronym for "whitewall,"
as in ww tires.
WWW: Acronym for "wide whitewall,"
as in www tires.
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Mobile: 79693511