1. Crankshaft
   Kingpin
2. Idler arm
   Battery

A critical part of the engine, a crankshaft transforms the reciprocating (up and down) motion of the pistons into rotational motion. This action is transferred to the transmission and then the wheels, moving your car.

1. Glow plug
   Fuse
2. Crankshaft seal
   Door contact

The crankshaft seal is a piece of rubber, found at the front of the engine. It seals the timing cover and the crankshaft's front section.

1. Blower motor
   Coolant liquid
2. Tappet
   Valve cover

A blower motor moves either hot or cool air (depending on your air-conditioning selection) through the vents of your car and into the cabin.

1. Slave cylinder
   Clutch shoe
2. Driveshaft
   Coil spring

The driveshaft connects the transmission of your vehicle with the differential. It rotates, which in turn powers the wheels through the differential to move your car forward.

1. Mounting
   Brake rotor
2. Harmonic balancer
   Air duct

This is a major component of the braking system for your vehicle. When you apply the brakes, the brake disks clamp to the rotor, and the friction slows the car down.

1. Mass airflow sensors
   Intake manifold gasket
2. Interior harness
   Roll cage

The intake manifold gasket produces a seal in the intake manifold. It ensures that the air/fuel mixture is directed to the cylinder, where it ignites and burns, creating engine power.

1. Camshaft
   Crank case
2. Connecting rod
   Engine block

An engine component, the camshaft is needed to open and close the engine valves. It consists of a metal shaft that is placed in line with the engine cylinders.

1. Crankshaft oil seal
   Head gasket
2. Valve cover
   Brake piston

A head gasket is placed between the cylinder head and the engine block. It forms a tight seal to enclose the combustion process in the engine. It also stops oil and coolant fluid from mixing.

1. Remote lock
   Heater core
2. Fuel level sensor
   Hydrometer

The heater core contains small, winding tubes — heater hoses — that are filled with warm coolant liquid directly from the engine. This helps heat the interior of the car in cold conditions, as well as provide heat for the defroster.

1. Flange
   Overflow tank
2. Catalytic converter
   Exhaust manifold gaskets

Exhaust manifold gaskets are necessary to provide a seal between the exhaust manifold and the cylinder head.

1. Sump
   Fuel tank
2. Oil filter
   Radiator

This type of radiator is known as an air-to-air intercooler, but it still serves the same essential purpose of water-based radiators — it's part of the cooling system that stops a vehicle's engine from overheating. Intercoolers tend to be found in higher performance vehicles that need more rapid cooling.

1. Ignition coil
   Ammeter
2. Voltmeter
   Battery cable

The ignition coil is part of the system that ignites the air/fuel mix of a combustion engine. It carries the low voltage from the battery and transforms it into the thousands of volts necessary to cause a spark in the spark plug. This spark ignites the fuel in the cylinder and moves the pistons, crankshaft, transmission and, finally, the wheels.

1. Air filter
   Differential
2. AC compressor
   Carrier assembly

The air conditioning compressor is at the heart of your climate control unit. It first pressurizes the refrigerant in the system and then circulates it through the system.

1. Coil connector
   Magneto
2. Spark plugs
   Dynamometer

The spark from a spark plug is key in starting an engine. This spark causes combustion of the fuel and air mixture in the cylinder, which then starts the engine and keeps it running.

1. Engine control unit
   Air conditioning unit
2. Door switch
   Fuse box

The engine control unit helps to ensure that a car's engine is running optimally and efficiently at all times. It does this by using a number of actuators on the engine, activating and deactivating them based on input from the many sensors contained within the engine and surrounding mechanisms.

1. Fuel hose
   Radiator hose
2. Sump
   Water pump

Operated by the engine's drive belt, the water pump moves coolant from the radiator through the engine's cylinder head to keep it cool.

1. Piston rings
   Brake piston
2. Engine valve
   Poppet valve

Piston rings serve three functions in an engine. They ensure the combustion chamber is sealed. They also increase the transfer of heat from the pistons to the cylinder wall. Finally, they help control oil consumption by collecting excess oil off the cylinder walls.

1. Alternator
   Wiper motor
2. Oil pump
   Hydrometer

The wiper motor is a small motor that drives the windshield wipers on a vehicle. In Britain, this motor drives the windscreen wipers.

1. Starter motor
   Throttle body
2. Alternator
   Ball joint

Alternators are used to charge the battery and power the electrical system when the engine is on. When it starts to fail, the vehicle's lights will dim, the engine will stall and the battery will be drained.

1. Thermostat
   Fuel cap
2. Radiator
   Brake pump

A thermostat is a small device between the radiator and the engine. It makes sure no coolant goes into the engine until it has warmed up enough.

1. Door lock actuator
   Deck lid
2. Hinge
   Slip rings

This is a tiny electric motor that locks or unlocks your doors with a push of a button. The first power lock on a car was introduced in 1914 by the Scripps-Booth automobile company but wasn't common until 1956, when Packard reintroduced them to the public.

1. Master cylinder
   Rack end
2. Fan belt
   Control arm

This is a link (normally hinged) that connects the chassis of the car to its suspension. They are often seen in vehicles with MacPherson struts.

1. Battery
   Glow plug
2. Starter motor
   Solenoid

The starter motor is usually a small 12-volt DC magnet motor that is essential in starting a car when the key is turned. It has a small gear that connects to another larger one on the flywheel, which helps initiate the first two strokes of the four-stroke cycle of the engine and get the process started.

1. Brake light switch
   Thermostat
2. Suspension coil
   Rocker spring

A brake light switch is a link between your brake pedal and your brake lights. Every time you press your brake pedal, the switch is activated. which then turns your brake lights on, alerting people behind you that you are slowing down. In modern vehicles, it also tells the vehicle's computer that the brakes have been applied.

1. Exhaust manifold
   Heat shield
2. Catalytic converter
   Muffler

A muffler is mounted on the exhaust pipe in a vehicle. Its primary job is to lower the sound output of the engine. Different types of mufflers will give a vehicle different sounds, from quiet to growling.

1. Spark plug wires
   High tension cables
2. Ignition coil connectors
   Hoses

A range of hoses can be found all over a vehicle, including those that carry fuel, coolant and oil.

1. Shoe web
   Combination valve
2. Wheel stud
   Brake clipper

Brake clippers are used mainly to stop your brake pads from rattling. They are snapped into place when replacing the brake shoes on your vehicle.

1. Power window switch
   Spindle
2. Combination valve
   Fuel pressure sensor

The power window switch moves the power windows in a vehicle to open and close them. Each door has a switch, but in most modern vehicles the driver can operate all of the windows as well.

1. Load sensing valve
   Metering valve
2. Rocker cover
   Mass air flow sensor

The mass air flow sensor calculates the mass flow rate of the air passing into a combustion engine with fuel injection. This is critical information which allows the engine control unit to deliver the right amount of fuel to the injectors.

1. Headlight
   ABS control unit
2. Catalytic converter
   Fuel pump

An essential part of the braking system on your car, the ABS control unit continually scans the speed of all wheels and ensures that any wheels turning slower or faster either receive reduced or more braking force when the brakes are applied. This keeps traction even at all times and prevents wheels from locking up and putting the vehicle into a skid.

1. Slave cylinder
   Flywheel
2. Transmission pan
   Torque converter

The flywheel is a heavy disk, connected to the crankshaft at the back of the engine. Its mass keeps a car's engine smoothly rotating between ignition strokes and stores rotational energy. It also provides the clutch something to latch on to, thus helping to deliver power through the transmission.

1. Clutch lever
   Gear pump
2. Slave cylinder
   Ball joint

This joint is the connection between the steering knuckles and the control arm. Each joint consists of a steel bearing stud, enclosed in a casing together with a socket (similar to the design of the human hip). It acts as a fulcrum between the suspension of a vehicle and its wheels.

1. Carburetor
   Radiator
2. Manifold cover
   Air filter

The air filter cleans the air going into the engine, preventing harmful contaminants from entering and doing damage damaging. The type of driving you do and the surrounding environment determine how often you should change the filter.

1. Cigarette lighter
   Distributor cap
2. Camshaft position sensor
   High-tension cable

A camshaft position sensor is critical for the synchronization of injectors, as well as the proper sequence for coils to fire. By tracking the position of the camshaft, the vehicle's computer knows where each cylinder is in the four-stroke process. They also are needed for establishing engine speed and RPM signals, as well as setting ignition timing.

1. Nut
   Air spring
2. Resonator
   Wheel speed sensor

The wheel speed sensor is part of the anti-lock braking system. It tells the ABS unit how fast the wheels are turning and how much brake pressure to apply to stop the vehicle from veering out of control or skidding.

1. Steering angle sensor
   Fuel injector nozzle
2. Stub axle
   Idler arm

The steering angle sensor forms part of the electronic stability control (ESC) system in a vehicle and is located in the steering column. It calculates both the steering wheel's position and its turn rate.

1. Power steering assembly
   Spiral spring
2. Steering rack
   Carrier assembly

The steering rack, part of a rack-and-pinion system, provides a direct link between the tires and the steering wheel.

1. Bell housing
   Axle shafts
2. Universal joint
   Transmission

Axle shafts attach the car wheels to the gears in the rear differential or the transmission, which allows the wheels to turn and the vehicle to move.

1. Oxygen sensor
   Fuel injector
2. Spindle
   Gear ring

Mounted inside the exhaust manifold, the oxygen sensor calculates the amount of unburned oxygen that exits through the exhaust. This is used to determine the fuel mixture. Too much oxygen and the fuel mixture is too lean, too little and it is too rich.

1. Rear reflectors
   Tail lamps
2. License plate lights
   Trunk reflectors

License plate lights are a simple set of lights, either set above or below the license plate, designed to provide illumination on the plate in the dark.

1. Shock absorbers
   McPherson strut
2. Steering arm
   Stub axle

Shock absorbers have two main functions. They keep all four tires on the ground and they control the movement of the suspension while driving.

1. Fuel gauge
   EGR valve
2. Temperature sensor
   Clutch lever

The temperature sensor monitors the temperature of the coolant running through the engine. This can affect the vehicle's fuel injection system.

1. Distributor
   Fuel gauge
2. Ignition switch
   Fuel pressure sensor

The ignition switch is the master switch in a vehicle. It supplies all the electrical components, ECU, ignition systems and fuel systems with power. It transfers power from the battery to the starter motor, which helps turn the engine over.

1. Beam axle
   Fuel cell
2. Oil strainer
   Oil cooler

This small part, an element of the radiator system, is essential in making sure the oil running through the engine is kept as cool as possible and at a regulated temperature while maintaining its viscosity. The oil cooler helps to ensure a smooth running engine.

1. Electronic timing controller
   Solenoid
2. Pressure sensor
   Door switch

Pressure sensors are found throughout the vehicle. Various types measure the vehicle's fuel, oil and tire pressure, for example.

1. Clutch disk and pressure plate
   Brake pedal
2. Grab handle
   Hub cap

Simply put, a clutch is a connection between a vehicle's engine and its transmission. It transfers the power generated by the engine through the transmission to the wheels to make your car move. It also detaches the engine from the transmission when stopping or changing gears. Both manual and automatic vehicles have clutches.

1. Gas tank
   Radiator cover
2. Gas cap
   Fastener

The gas cap covers the opening into the gas tank. It helps to prevent gas from evaporating out of the tank and helps maintain fuel system pressure by forming a seal.

1. Sway bar link
   Pan-hard rod
2. Pitman arm
   Tie rod end

A sway bar link is the connection between the sway bar and a car's suspension. The sway (or stabilizer) bar keeps the car from leaning too much one way or the other in turns.