DICTIONARY OF AUTOMOTIVE TERMS - "Gl"

GL
  1. A term referring to gold line tires marketed in the late '60s and early '70s.
  2. (short for) Grand Luxe, meaning more luxurious than a standard model, L (= Luxe); (compare CL)
Glad hands
A separable mechanical connector used to join air line hoses when combination vehicles are coupled together.
Gland
A seal that stops fluid under pressure from leaking past a rotating or reciprocating shaft or rod.
Also see
Glandless
Something without a seal
Glare
  1. Strong, bright light (e.g., from oncoming traffic)
  2. To shine too brightly; to dazzle
Glass
  1. A transparent, hard, amorphous, brittle substance which is made by fusing together one or more of the oxides of silicon, boron, or phosphorus, with certain basic oxides (e.g., sodium, magnesium, calcium, potassium), and cooling the product rapidly to prevent crystallization or devitrification. The melting point varies between 800°C and 950°C but it is worked at higher temperatures. The tensile strength of glass resides almost entirely in the outer skin; if this is scratched or corroded, the glass is much more easily broken.
  2. The transparent windows in a vehicle.
Also see
Glass area
The window surface area of a vehicle body; may also refer to the whole area of the body above the waistline. Also called the "greenhouse".
Glass channel
A U-shape metal guide which holds the bottom edge of a roll-up automobile window and fits inside the door. The British term is "window channel".
Glass fiber
A very thin glass thread, used loosely or in woven form as an acoustic, electrical, or thermal insulating material and as a reinforcing material in laminated plastics.
Also see
Glass fibre
A very thin glass thread, used loosely or in woven form as an acoustic, electrical, or thermal insulating material and as a reinforcing material in laminated plastics
Glass holder
A tool with suction cup(s) to hold and carry a sheet of glass
Glass pack muffler
A straight through (no Baffles) muffler using Fiberglass packing around a perforated pipe to deaden Exhaust sound.
Glasspaper
An abrasive paper coated with particles of glass, used for smoothing and polishing
Glass reinforced filler paste
A polyester filler that has strands of fiberglass added into the filler paste to increase the rigidity of the repair
Glass reinforced plastic
(GRP) The basic material for the manufacture of fiberglass body shells and panels; it is made up of several layers of fiberglass mat or cloth and various types of resins
Glass seal
A conducting seal in the middle of some spark plug insulators connecting the top and bottom parts of the central electrode
Glass's Motoring Guide
A monthly publication of second-hand car prices in England. http://www.glass.co.uk/index.php
Glass sphere
Reinforcing filler in the form of particles as opposed to fibers
Glass tampering detector
A part of a vehicle alarm system that detects glass being struck or broken
Glaze
A highly smooth, Glossy Finish on the Cylinder walls. As the Piston rings rub up and down the Cylinder, the rings polish the cylinder wall. Cylinder wall Glazing reduces sealing Efficiency. The only cure is to have the cylinder Deglazed.
Glaze breaker
An abrasive tool used to remove the glaze from Cylinder walls prior to the installation of new Piston rings. Also called Deglazer.
Glazed
  1. Something that is fitted with glass.
  2. Something with a smooth, polished surface
Glaze lining
A brake lining that has been overheated and become smooth and glossy. A glazed lining has reduced stopping power and causes noise.
Glazing
  1. The use of special Putty to fill minor imperfections when doing body repair
  2. Glass fitted or about to be fitted in a window.
Also see
Glazing strip
Molded rubber strip for mounting windshields and other fixed glass
Glider Kit
A cab and chassis without an engine or rear axles. Used to rebuild a wrecked tractor or to custom build to buyer specification.
G-loads
Gravitational loads, expressed in multiples of the force of gravity acting on an object. In a car, these can be felt in Acceleration, braking or cornering. In most passenger cars, these loads seldom exceed 0.3 or 0.4 Gs in any direction, unless in an urgent situation. Race cars can achieve several Gs, due to excellent tires and prepared racing surfaces.
Global climate change
See
Global Positioning Satellite
(GPS) The technology which allows a vehicle to be tracked anywhere in the world with near-perfect accuracy. The Global Positioning Satellite system was first used by the military, but has been adopted by companies such as General Motors for use with their OnStar® communication system. Several after-market communication systems using GPS are also available
Global warming
An increase in the near surface temperature of the Earth. Global warming has occurred in the distant past as the result of natural influences, but the term is today most often used to refer to the warming some scientists predict will occur as a result of increased Anthropogenic emissions of Greenhouse gases
Global warming potential
(GWP) An index used to compare the relative radiative forcing of different gases without directly calculating the changes in atmospheric concentrations. GWPs are calculated as the ratio of the radiative forcing that would result from the emission of one kilogram of a greenhouse gas to that from the emission of one kilogram of carbon dioxide over a fixed period of time, such as 100 years.
Gloss
The ability of a paint to reflect images when Polished.
Also see
Glove
See
Glovebox
A small compartment (often with a lock) located in the dash in front of the passenger (not the driver) into which small items (owner's manual, maps, first aid kit, etc.) are placed.
Glove compartment
British term for Glovebox
Glow
To burn without a flame.
Also see
Glow coil
Filament in a Glow plug
Glow pencil
A pencil-like heating element of a sheathed-type glow plug
Glow plug
An electrical element located in the Combustion chamber of a Diesel engine which helps to heat up the air in the chamber so that the diesel fuel will be ignited more quickly. Often they are connected in series so that when one becomes defective the others are inoperative. Also called a "heater plug".
Also see
Glow plug indicator
A monitoring element in a preheater system, which changes the color of its filament in line with the plug and indicating readiness for starting
Glow plug starter switch
The key switch for turning on the preheating system of a diesel engine and starting the car.
Glow time
The preheating time of a diesel engine
Glow tube
See
glue
Originally, a hard, sticky gelatin obtained from hides, tendons, cartilage, bones, and other connective tissues of animals. Also an adhesive prepared from these substances by application of water and heat. It is chemically known as collagen.
Glycol
See
Glycote
A polymer used to absorb liquid and found in some paint finish.
See

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