Cars - http://maxpages.com/carsinhistory/B

battery post: The terminal on a battery to which the cable is attached. Older automobile batteries used a round post which stood up from the top of the battery. To avoid confusion, the positive post has a larger diameter than the negative. On newer batteries the post may or may not be abandoned in favor of a terminal on the side of the battery. On motorcycle batteries, the posts are usually flat with a hole for bolting the cables to them.

battery state indicator: See battery charge indicator

battery strap: [1] A wire cable or braided wire strap to transfer electricity. It can be found between the engine block and the chassis because the engine is isolated from the chassis by rubber mounts. Also called ground strap. See ground wire. [2] A rubber strap with metal hooks at each end and is used to secure a battery in place, especially on motorcycles

battery terminal: [1] A battery post on the top of the battery or a lug with a hole on the side of the battery. [2] The clamp at the end of a battery cable

battery tester: [1] A voltage meter or hydrometer for checking the state of charge of a battery. [2] An instrument for checking the condition of the battery cells

battery tray: A metal or plastic on which the battery sits.

baulk ring: British spelling for balk ring

bayonet bulb: See bayonet cap

bayonet cap: A cylindrical base of an electric bulb, usually with two pins projecting on either side, which engage in J-shaped slots to lock the bulb securely in its socket.

bayonet fitting: See bayonet socket

bayonet socket: A socket for receiving a bayonet cap. It has two slots on either side (usually J-shaped) to accomodate the bulb's pins.

BBDC: Acronym for "before bottom dead center."

bbl: Abbreviation for "barrel," as in 4-bbl carburetor.

BCI: Acronym for "Battery Council International."

BDC: Acronym for "bottom dead center."

bead: [1] The portion of a tire which fits onto the rim of the wheel. On a tubeless tire, the contact of the bead with the rim seals the air into the tire. Bead heel, bead sole, and bead toe form a foot-like shape. Also see tire bead. [2] A small ball-like particle used in bead blasting or in some catalytic converters.

bead base: The part of the tire bead which is in contact with the rim bead seat

bead blaster: A cleaning device for removing paint and contaminants from an object. See bead blasting

bead blasting: A cleaning process which uses glass beads which are forced by air pressure against the object to be cleaned. This system removes paint and contaminants from objects which are awkwardly shaped.

bead breaker: A device used to remove a tire from its rim by releasing the tension the bead has upon the rim.

bead core: The ring of steel wires in the tire's bead. Also called bead wires

beaded edge: The edge of a body panel or upholstery panel wrapped around a wire or other stiffening item

beaded edge tire: An older form of high-pressure tire with projecting beads

beader: A power tool for forming beads on the edges of body panels

bead expander: A device used in the mounting of tubeless tires to prevent inflation air from escaping and bring the tire beads against the tapered bead seat area (rim).

bead heel: The portion of the tire bead in contact with the rim flange

beading: The action of forming a step in the middle of a panel (not at the edge) which creates a shallow indentation to reinforce the panel

bead movement: Movement of the bead on the rim caused by improper inflation, excessive loading, improper design, improper seating, or improper rim or tire size. Also called "bead rocking." See bead unseating

bead seat: The portion of the wheel rim below the rim flange providing radial support to the bead of the tire

bead seat mat: A seat cover made of a network of wood beads

beam point: A feathered rubber extension of the bead toe used where a flap is not required; protects the tube from chafing between bead toes and rim base.

bead seat diameter: The measurement of tire diameter, at the bead heel, where it seats on the rim. It is marked on the tire sidewall following section width.

bead separation: A situation where the bead comes off the wheel rim

bead toe: The bottom portion of the tire bead in contact with the rim bead seat

bead unseating: Shifting of the tire bead from its seat on the wheel rim which often leads to the removal of the tire. See bead movement

bead wires: Steel wires wound around the circumference and placed in the beads. Their tension prevents the beads from lifting over the rim flanges. Also called bead core

beam: See high beam and low beam.

beam axle: A rigid or dead axle which supports the non-driven wheels. See axle.

beam indicator: A light on the instrument panel which comes on when the highbeams are activated. Also called "high beam indicator"

bear: To turn as in the expression, When you get to the corner, bear right.

bearing: [1] The area of a unit in which the contacting surface of a revolving part rests in order to minimize wear and friction between two surfaces. [2] An antifriction reducing device that is usually found between two moving parts. The babbitt bearings found between the connecting rod and the crankshaft are lubricated and cushioned with oil, and the front wheel bearings must be repacked with grease at regular intervals. Bearings can be ball or roller type. Also see antifriction bearing, ball bearing, big end bearing, carrier bearings, clutch pilot bearing, friction bearing, insert bearing, main bearing, needle bearing, precision insert bearing, roller bearing, sealed bearing, tapered roller bearing, throw-out bearing, and thrust bearing.

bearing assembly: When more than one load needs to be supported, several bearings are used making up the bearing assembly. For instance, a crankshaft may have two bearings (one at each end) as well as a few more in the middle

bearing block: The two halves of metal which encase a bearing.

bearing cage: See ball cage

bearing cap: A rigid, semicircular part which encloses and holds the outer shell of a shell bearing

bearing clearance: The amount of space left between a shaft and the bearing surface, this space is for lubricating oil to enter.

bearing cone: [1] taper roller bearing. [2] The inner race in an adjustable axial or radial ball bearing

bearing cup: [1] Retainers, held in place by bolts and nuts, that hold the bearings in place. Also called bearing shell. [2] The bearing race that curves around the outside of a ring of ball bearings and works in conjunction with a cone.

bearing face: The bottom part of a nut or bolt head which clamps down on the surface of the part it is securing.

bearing housing: The cavity into which the bearing fits

bearing material: The metal layer which forms the surface of the wear part of the bearing

bearing puller: A tool used to remove bearins from a shaft by pulling them off. It has two or more arms which circle around the back side of the bearing and a center post which butts up against the end of the shaft. As the center post is screwed down, the arms pull the bearing toward the end of the shaft.

bearing race: In ball or roller bearngs, it is one of the two steel rings on either side of the ball or roller

bearing separator: A tool used to separate double bearings or close-fitting gears when a conventional bearing puller cannot be used

bearing shell: One of a pair of thin semicircular steel cukps lined with an alloy such as coper-lead or lead-indium, which together enclose a shaft or other rotating member, and are held in a circular housing which can be divided into two halves.

bearing spread: A diameter which is slightly greater than the housing into which a shell bearing is being placed. Thus the bearing is forced into place to reduce its movement. See interference fit

bearing surface: The area of the bearing that is in actual contact with the shaft or other supporting member

beast: A vehicle which performs very well.

beater: An old or collectible vehicle that is in drivable condition, but looks terrible inside and out, and probably is missing many original parts. Often used to describe a vehicle that is past the easy restoration stage but still contains many good driving miles. It is also a term for "urban combat car" and is usually used in conjunction with the word winter, as in winter beater, which is a vehicle that is so far gone, it is sacrificed to the salt covered roads of winter. It is a disposable collectible that is driven until it disintegrates. In other words, it looks as if someone had been beating it for quite a while. British term is banger.

bed: Any flat surface used as a support

bedding-in oil: British term for break-in oil

bed in: British term for break-in

beefed-up: [1] Colloquial term for making something stronger. [2] Colloquial term for modifying or improving something so it will work faster or more efficiently. Similar to souped up

Beema: Colloquial term for BMW

Beemer: Colloquial term for BMW

Beetle: Colloquial term for the original rear-engined Volkswagen

before bottom dead center: (BBDC) As the crankshaft rotates, it brings the piston down to a place just before it reaches bottom dead center.

before top dead center: (BTDC) As the crankshaft rotates, it pushes the piston up to a place just before the top of its movement.

before upper dead center: (BUDC) As the crankshaft rotates, it pushes the piston up to a place just before the top of its movement.

bell housing: Sometimes called "clutch housing." The metal covering around the flywheel and clutch (of a manual transmission) or torque converter assembly (of an automatic transmission).

belt: [1] A reinforcing band, normally textile, fiberglass, or steel, which runs around the circumference of a tire and strengthens the tread area. Also see cog belt. [2] A circular band which is used to transfer power from one component to another. For instance, a fan belt is used to transfer power from the engine to the alternator, water pump, and air conditioner compressor. See fan belt. [3] seat belt

belt anchor: The point where the end of the seat belt is attached

belt anchorage: The point where the end of the seat belt is attached

belt drive: In order to transmit power from a source to a destination, some kind of connection is needed. A bicycle, for instance, uses a chain drive to transmit the power from pedalling action to the rear wheel. A belt drive uses a leather or rubber belt to transfer power from one pulley to another thus increasing or decreasing the speed of rotation of the driven pulley through mechanical advantage. For instance the alternator is rotated by a belt (sometimes called the "fan belt") which is driven by a shaft which is directly attached to the crankshaft. Some motorcycle models (like Harley Davidson and Honda) have a belt drive to transmit power to the rear wheels. Since a belt drive requires no lubrication (in contrast with chain drive) it is one of the cleanest final drive systems.

belted bias tire: A tire which uses both cross-ply and radial-ply patterns with added belts (such as used on radial-ply tires) on diagonal body plies (as in cross-ply tires). As a result the tire has stiffer sidewalls than tires with just straight radial plies.

belted piston: A piston with a continuous steel band cast into the skirt below the rings for controlling skirt expansion.

belted tire: A tire with a stabilizing belt of two or more plies of steel, fiberglass, etc., running circumferentially around the tire between the carcass and the tread rubber. The carcass can be either radial or bias ply. See bias belted tire.

belt end: The part of the seat belt which has the bracket which is attached to the floor pan. Some cars attach this end to the car seat itself.

belt line: The horizontal line that runs around the body of the vehicle just below the bottom of the glass panels (greenhouse). The British term is "waistline"

belt mounting: See belt anchor

belt retractor: A device which automatically pulls the seat belt back into its reel

belt sander: A power sanding tool with a rotating belt of sandpaper

belt slack: The looseness of a belt (either the drive type belt or a seat belt)

belt slip: When a drive belt is not as tight as it should be, it will slip on the pulley and thus will not transmit power. If a driven pulley is seized, the belt will also slip.

belt tensioner: A device consisting of an idler pulley which is usually located between the drive and driven pulleys. It can be adjusted to increase the tension on the belt.

belt transmission: See belt drive

belt up: A British term for buckle up

belt webbing: Strong fabric material used for seat belts

bench: [1] A workbench. [2] A test bed for studying or repairing an engine. Also see bench test

bench grinder: A power tool mounted on a workbench with one or two grinding wheels

bench seat: A front seat which runs from the left door to the right door. The alternative is bucket seats. Also see split bench seat.

bench test: A determination of the power output of an engine when it is mounted on a test bed. Also it can be checked for oil leaks, fuel consumption, emission levels, etc.

bench vise: A vise which is mounted on a workbench

bending pliers: Pliers with flat, smooth jaws used to hold sheet metal in place

bending strength: The ability of metal to resist bending

Bendix: See Bendix type starter drive.

Bendix drive: See Bendix type starter drive.

Bendix screw: A helical screw on the shaft of a starter motor

Bendix starter: A starter motor with a Bendix drive

Bendix type starter drive: A self-engaging starter drive gear, the gear moves into engagement when the starter starts spinning and automatically disengages when the starter stops. Also called inertia drive

Bentley: The 1925-1945 models are classic cars. The 1946-67 models are milestone cars.

Benz: The 1925-1948 models with required application are classic cars.

benzene: (C6H6) A constituent of gasoline

berline: A term used during World War I which describes a closed luxury vehicle with small windows. The passengers were able to see out; but their privacy was maintained because it was difficult to see in.

between 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.

bevel: The angle that one surface makes with another when they are not at right angles.

bevel differential: A differential which has bevel gears for its main elements. This allows the input and output shafts to be at right angles to one another. Also see spur differential

bevel drive shaft: A shaft with a bevel gear at one end or both ends. It is used primarily for driving an overhead camshaft

bevel gear: A gear shaped like the wide end (frustum) of a cone, used to transmit motion through an angle. They are found in differentials. Also see spiral bevel gear.

bevel gear drive: A transmission which is used to drive one or more shafts which do not line up with the output shaft. Also called bevel gear transmission

bevel gear transmission: A transmission which is used to drive one or more shafts which do not line up with the output shaft. Also called bevel gear drive

bevel joint: A piston ring gap in which the two ends of the ring are tapered.

beverage holder: A circular clip located on the center console, door panel, or dashboard which is designed to hold a cup or bottle. Also called cup holder

bezel: The crimped edge of metal that secures the glass face to an instrument. A bezel can be either decorative or functional. Some bezels are threaded and secure switches and control buttons to the dash, console, or steering column.

bhp: Abbreviation for brake horsepower.

bias: The acute angle at which the cords in the tire fabric intersect the circumferential centerline of the finished tire. Also see brake bias.

bias belted tire: A type of tire construction in which there are bias plies as well as a belt of steel or synthetic (rayon, nylon, or fiberglass) cords between the carcass and the tread. The belt overlaps the bias plies and wraps around the circumference. The cords and belt cross each other at bias angles.

bias ply tire: A tire having two or more carcass plies arranged in a criss-cross manner and diagonally to the beads and travels approximately 1/3 the distance around the circumference before attaching to the other bead. Each cord in the next ply is arranged in the same manner, but in the opposite direction. Also called a "conventional tire" or "cross-ply tire"

bias tire: A type of tire construction in which the tire cords or plies run diagonally from bead to bead. Generally in passenger cars, there are two plies of fabric. In a P185/80D13 tire, the D indicates a bias-ply tire. Sometimes called a "conventional" tire.

bib: A leather or vinyl covering for the front of a vehicle.

bicycle: A two-wheel non-motorized vehicle in which the two wheels are not side-by-side but in line. Also called "bike." See all terrain bike, coaster, girl's bike, loaded tourer, mixte frame, mountain bike, penny-farthing, quadricycle, sports tourer, tandem, tourist, tricycle, unicycle, and velocipede.

bicycle carrier: A device which is attached to the rear bumper or to the roof of a vehicle to carry a bicycle

big-block: See big-block engine

big-block engine: A large V-8 engine produced in the '60s and '70s. It typically has a cast-iron block and head and is fed by a carburetor. Contrasts with small-block engine.

big end: The end of the connecting rod which fits around the crankpin

big-end bearing: See big-end bearing

big-end bearing: The bearing in the end of the connecting rod that attaches to the crankshaft.

big-end bolt: One of the bolts attaching the big-end cap to the connecting rod

big-end cap: The detachable end of the connecting rod which fits on the crankpin

Big Jim: A colloquial term for a device for opening door locks. It is a flexible metal strip about an inch wide and very thin and has a J-shaped end. It is inserted between the door window and the door frame to trigger the latch

big three: General Motors, Ford, and Chrysler.

bihexagon: A twelve-sided figure. Some nuts and bolt heads have twelve sides.

bihexagonal: Having 12 sides

bihexagon socket: A tool socket which fits 12-sided nuts and bolts

bike: A two-wheel vehicle -- either a bicycle or a motorcycle. See all-terrain bike.

BIL: Acronym for "Bilimportorenes Landsforening" (Norway). Also Acronym for "Bilindustrief”reningen" (Sweden) on http://www.bilindustriforeningen.com/.

bill of lading: The cost or the paperwork describing the cost of a vehicle's load or freight.

bimetallic corrosion: When two different metals are attached to each other, some electrons tend to move from one metal to the other. This action happens especially when there is a little moisture between the two pieces. Also see galvanic corrosion

Bimmer: Colloquial term for BMW

binder: The ingredient in a paint that holds the pigment particles together. Also see binders.

binder bolt: On a bicycle, the bolt used to fasten a stem inside a steerer tube or a seatpost inside a seat tube.

binders: Vehicle brakes.

binding: [1] The rubbing of brake shoes against the drum or of brake pads against the disc. [2] The strip material turned over along the edge of a carpet or mat

binnacle: The cluster of instruments and switches mounted in a circular casing on or near the steering column

biocide: A product which kills any fungus or microbes that may have contaminated diesel fuel.

biodegradable: A product which is capable of being decomposed by bacteria into harmless elements without danger to the environment.

bit: [1] A tool for boring or cutting which fits into a drill. [2] The tip of a screwdriver

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Page Updated Sun May 20, 2001 8:08pm EDT