Dictionary of Automotive Terms Abbreviations

DICTIONARY OF AUTOMOTIVE TERMS - "Sj"

SH: API SH category

An API designation for oil used in gasoline engines in passenger cars, vans, and light trucks of 1993-96. Engine oils developed for this category provide performance exceeding the minimum requirements for API Service Category SG, which it replaced, in the areas of deposit control, oil oxidation, wear, rust, and corrosion. Oils meeting API SH requirements have been tested according to the American Chemistry Council (ACC) Product Approval Code of Practice and may utilize the API Base Oil Interchange and Viscosity Grade Engine Testing Guidelines. Effective August 1, 1997, API SH cannot be used except with API CF, CF-2, CF-4, or CG-4 when displayed in the API service symbol, and the C category must appear first. This SH oil was replaced by the SJ classification. These vehicles can benefit from the modern SM oils.

Shackle: Shackle

A swinging support which is used to attach the ends of a Leaf spring to the Frame of the vehicle. The shackle is needed to take care of the changes in length of the spring as it moves up and down. Also called spring shackle or swinging shackle.

Shade: See
Off shade

Shadeband: A Sunvisor. Also see Windshield shadeband

Shaded-pole motor: Small ac motor designed to start under light loads.

Shaft: A long smooth-surfaced bar of metal with a circular (round) cross section.
Also See
Armature shaft
Arm shaft
Auxilliar drive shaft
Axle shaft
Balance shaft
Bevel drive shaft
Cardan shaft
Clutch shaft
Composite propeller shaft
Cross-shaft
Cross shaft
Distributor shaft
Divided propeller shaft
Drive shaft
Eccentric shaft
Gearbox input shaft
Gearbox output shaft
Halfshaft
Input shaft
Intermediate shaft
Main shaft
Output shaft
Pilot shaft
Pinion shaft
Pitman shaft
Primary shaft
Propeller shaft safety strap
Propeller shaft
Prop shaft
Pump shaft
Quill shaft
Radial shaft seal
Rocker arm shaft
Rocker shaft
Sector shaft
Serrated shaft
Side shaft
Silencer shaft
Splined shaft
Steering gear shaft
Steering shaft
Third motion shaft
Throttle shaft
Timing shaft
Transmission input shaft
Transmission output shaft
Universally jointed shaft

Shaft distributor: A distributor whose drive shaft projects into the engine; the shaft is driven via a gearing system or a coupling

Shaft drive: A description of a motorcycle which uses a drive shaft between the transmission and the rear wheel instead of a chain.

Shaft-drive system: System that transmits power to the rear wheel via a drive shaft.

Shaft jacking: Shaky or bumpy motion created by the impact of acceleration and then fed back into the bike's frame.

Shaft safety: See
Propeller shaft safety strap

Shaft safety strap: See
Propeller shaft safety strap

Shaft seal

A Seal used to do two things to prevent fluid from leaking out between a stationary part and a rotating shaft and to prevent foreign matter from getting in. Also see Radial shaft seal
Device used to prevent leakage between shaft and housing. See Compressor shaft seal.

Shaft sleeve: A sleeve which protects a shaft from erosion, corrosion, and wear at shaft seals

Shaft-to-cage coupling: A viscous coupling design in which the outer disc carrier is connected to the differential cage, while the inner disc carrier is connected to an axle shaft

Shaft-to-shaft coupling: A viscous coupling design in which the outer disc carrier is connected to the left-hand axle shaft and the inner disc carrier to the right-hand axle shaft

Shake: See
Cowl shake
Scuttle shake
Side shake

Shake the leaves: Trucker slang for see what's ahead as in "I guess it's my turn to shake the leaves."

Shakey town: Trucker slang for Los Angeles, California as in "I'm on a mission to shakey town."

Shallow angle: An angle that positions the Bicycle Frame tubes relatively farther from vertical and closer to horizontal than do Steep angles.

Shallow angles: Angles that position Bicycle Frame tubes relatively farther from vertical and closer to horizontal than do Steep angles.

Shallow pits: Corrosion in the form of pits whose diameter is substantially larger than their depth

Shammy leather: See Chamois.

Shank

The part of a bolt between the head and the thread.
The part of a bit which is held in the drill.

Also See
Connecting rod shank
Increased shank
Reduced shank
Relieved shank

Shank length: The distance from the last full form thread of a bolt to the bearing face

Shape: See
Free shape

Shaper: See
Pulse shaper

Shape template: A guide or a pattern used in manufacturing items

Shaping: The preliminary sanding or forming of the filled surface with coarse grit paper or a body file to establish the approximate body contours; this step is followed by final sanding

Share: See
Market share

Shared component: A part or component which is identical in various models of a car family, such as those used on a sedan and its convertible derivative; typical shared components are body panels, suspension components, brakes, wheels

Sharing: See
Component sharing

Shark: See
Radiator hose shark tooth pliers

Shark tooth: See
Radiator hose shark tooth pliers

Shark tooth pliers: See
Radiator hose shark tooth pliers

Shave

Removal of some chrome or decorative part.
Removal of metal from the contact surface of the Cylinder head or the Block.

Shaving: A modification of the body of a car to remove all chrome parts at the front or rear end to achieve smooth contours highlighted only by the paint and the body modifications; in most cases, only a side chrome strip is retained. Also called nosing or decking

Shear

To distort or fracture as a result of excess torsion or transverse load.
To cut between two blades.

Also See
Modulus in shear
Shears

Shear bolt: A bolt whose head may intentionally be sheared off to make extraction difficult

Shear pin: A cylinder shaped item that is made of a substance which will break when subject to great pressure. In this way the main Component which is more expensive will not be damaged. The pin can usually be easily replace. Also see Spiral wrapped pin.

Shears: Shears

A scissors-like tool for heavy-duty cutting. Also called Snips.
Also See
Metal shears
Tinmen's shears

Shear test: A method of separating two adhesive bonded materials by forcing (either by compression or tension) the mating faces to slide over each other. The force exerted is distributed over the entire bonded area at the same time. Strengths are recorded in pounds per square inch (psi).

Sheathed glow plug: See
SR sheathed glow plug

Sheathed-type glow plug: A single-pole glow plug having a tubular heating element with a heating coil or a heating and regulator coil enclosed in a thermally conductive insulator ceramic.
Also see
Self-regulating sheathed-type glow plug

Sheath flame: The outer area of an oxyacetylene flame surrounding the inner cone and the flame feather

SHED: Acronym for Sealed Housing Evaporative Determination System

Shedder drip molding: A metal strip spot-welded below the roof drip rail to deflect rain water away from the door seal

Sheer: The longitudinal curve of a vessel's decks in a vertical plane. Due to sheer, a vessel's deck height above the baseline is higher at the stem and stern than at amidships

Sheer strake: The course of shell plating at strength deck level

Sheet: See
Dust sheet Heavy sheet metal Light sheet metal

Sheet metal: Steel metal in the form of a thin layer or sheet which can be pressed to form panels of the car body.
Also See
Heavy sheet metal
Light sheet metal

Sheet metal blank: A flat sheet metal panel before it has been cut and bent to be applied to a panel of a car to repair a damaged section

Sheet metal clamp: Sheet metal clamp

A lock-grip pliers with wide, flat jaws used to secure sheet metal parts for welding or to bend small sheet metal parts along the edges of the jaws. When used for bending sheet metal, they may also be referred to as bending pliers

Sheet metal cutter: Any tool used to cut sheet metal. Some are Shears while others are power driven units operated by hand or secured to a bench.
Also See
Nibbler
Snips

Sheet metal folder: Sheet metal folder

A machine used to bend sheet metal along a predetermined line using mechanical force

Sheet metal remains: A strip of metal left on the edges alter the bulk of a panel has been cut out; this strip is then removed carefully to ensure that the flanges required on adjacent panels for welding in the new part are not damaged and to avoid cutting out excessive material

Sheet metal roller: Sheet metal roller

A large machine to curve or roll metal in a single plane. The machine is hand-operated and consists of a frame, three rollers and a hand crank. The rollers are arranged with one top and two bottom rollers, and the degree of curvature is controlled by how closely the bottom rollers are set in relation to the top roller. The pressure of the bottom rollers against the top roller causes the metal to curve

Sheet molding compound: (SMC) Formerly called Prepreg, SMC is supplied as a lightweight, pliable sheet which consists of a mixture of chopped strand mat pre-impregnated with resin, fillers, catalyst, and pigment. A sheet is placed between the halves of a heated mold and under the application of pressure it conforms to the contours of the mold

Sheet wheel: A vehicle wheel (before the tire is installed) made from aluminium sheet material. Compare Alloy wheel. The manufacturing process of the sheet wheel is comparable to that of the steel wheel but the advantage of the sheet wheel is its reduction in weight (up to 40% compared to a steel wheel)

Shelby: Click image for books on
Shelby

A vehicle brand of which the 1965-67 350GT and 500GT are Milestone cars.
Also See
AC Shelby Cobra

Shelby Cobra: See
AC Shelby Cobra

Shelf: See
Rear shelf
Squab shelf

Shelf life

A time limitation for the storage of uncured retread materials (usually 6 months), beyond which certain properties are lost. Storage of materials in a cool, dark, dry environment insures quality.
The length of time a packaged adhesive, coating, or sealer can be stored under specified temperature conditions and remain suitable for use.

Shelf panel: A deep-drawn steel panel fitted horizontally behind the rear seat backrest of a notchback sedan to support the plastic or foam molding that makes up the rear shelf, visible from the outside

Shell: The structural case or housing, usually for mounting instruments.
Also See
Bare shell
Bearing shell
Body shell
Converter shell
Spark plug shell

Shell-and-tube flooded evaporators: Use water flow through tubes built into cylindrical evaporator or vice versa.

Shell bearing: Shell bearing

A type of bearing used for main bearings and big-end bearings, consisting of a circular housing which can be divided into two halves, and which encloses a pair of bearing shells

Shell expansion: A plan showing the seams and butts, thickness, and associated welding or riveting of all plates comprising the shell plating, framing, etc.

Shell plating: The plates forming the outer side and bottom skin of the hull

Shell type condenser: Cylinder or receiver which contains condensing water coils or tubes.

Shelter deck: A superstructure deck fitted continuous from stem to stern and fitted with at least one tonnage opening

Sherardizing: The coating of iron objects with zinc powder by tumbling them in powdered zinc at about 250-375°C

Shield

Shield

An eye and face protector held in the hand when welding. It enables a person to look directly at the electric arc through a special lens without being harmed.
A relatively broad protective device which keeps away unwanted liquid or vapor.

Also See
Air shield
Dust shield
Grass heat shield
Hand shield
Heat shield
Laminated windshield
Scatter shield
Splash shield
Static shield
Stone shield
Sunroof deflector shield
Windshield
Wing shield

Shielded arc: A form of electric welding in which a heavy flux-coated electrode is used.

Shielding: Any form of Screening. See Shield

Shift: To change gears.

Also See
Floor shift
Rail, shift
Side shift
Stick shift

Shift cables: A term for the cables used to operates gears in some transmissions. In most vehicles rods and joints are used because cables tend to stretch

Shift conversion: The reaction of CO with water to generate carbon dioxide and hydrogen. This process is performed immediately after the reformer and before the preferential oxidizer to reduce CO from approximately 10% down to 0.5% to 0.1% usually through a water gas shift reaction.

Shift down: The action of selecting a lower gear. The British expression is change down.

Shifter: A device for changing the gearing on a Transmission.

Also See
Column shifter
Dash shifter
Floor shifter
Friction shifter
Hurst six-speed shifter
Index shifter
Index shifters
J gate transmission shifter, an
T-handle shifter

Shifter, bar end: See Bar end shifter.

Shifter/brake lever: Shifter and brake lever are a single unit. Shimano units are available in this layout, or with the shifter and brake lever as separate units. Shimano calls them STI and Campagnolo calls them Ergo Power

Shifter, down tube: Down tube shifter.

Shifter, Ergopower: See
Ergopower shifter.

Shifter fork: See
Selector fork

Shifter knob: The knob at the end of a lever. The British term is gear knob

Shifter linkage: A system of rods and joints used to operate the transmission

Shifter mechanism: A system of rods and joints used to operate the transmission

Shifters: See
Friction shifters
Index shifters

Shifters/brake lever combo: Referred to by Shimano as STI and Campagnolo as Ergo Power. Shifter/Brake Lever combos allow for shifting gears without removing your hands from the handlebars.

Shifter, STI: See STI shifter.

Shift fork: See
Shift forks
Selector fork

Shift forks: Shift fork

The devices that straddle slots cut in Sliding gears. The fork is used to move the gear back and forth on the shaft.

Shift gate: The mechanism in a Transmission Linkage that controls the motion of the gearshift lever. The shift gate is usually an internal mechanism; however, in some transmissions -- including Ferrari five-speeds and Mercedes-Benz automatics -- the shift gate is an exposed guide around the shift lever.

Shift gear: The action of selecting a different gear. The expression in Britain is change gear.

Shift indicator light: (SIL) a system that provides a visual indication to the driver when to shift to the next higher gear to obtain optimum fuel economy

Shifting

Moving the ship to suit the location of shore cargo loading gear.
Changing gears in a transmission. Also see Cargo shifting

Shifting board: Portable bulkhead members, generally constructed of wood planking and fitted fore and aft in cargo holds when carrying grain or other cargo to prevent shifting when the ship is rolling

Shift interlock: A device which prevents different shift forks in the transmission from being moved at the same time, by locking into the inoperative shift fork as the other is being moved; a gearchange cannot be made unless the inoperative shift fork is in its neutral position

Shift into: The act of shifting into another gear, such as shift into second (shift into second gear) or "shift into high" (shift into high gear). In Britain, the expression is change into.

Shift lever

A device which is attached to the side of a steering column or to the center console which will allow the operator to change the gears of the transmission. Also called gear lever. Also see Left hand gear lever.
A lever inside an automatic transmission which connects the selector lever cable to the manual valve of the control valve body.
A component used in pre-engaged starter motors to force the pinion against the flywheel ring gear

Shift linkage: The rods, levers, etc. used to transmit motion of the shift lever into movement of the gears in a Gearbox.

Shift lock: See
Selector lever lock

Shift on the fly: The ability of a four-wheel-drive vehicle to be shifted between two-wheel drive and four-wheel drive while the vehicle is in motion.

Shift point: This refers to the point, either in engine rpm or road Speed, at which the Transmission should be shifted to the next gear.

Shift rail: See
Shift rails.

Shift rails: Sliding rods upon which the Shift forks are attached. Used for shifting the Manual transmission.

Shift up: A term meaning to shift to a higher gear

Shift valve: A valve in an automatic transmission which raises the oil pressure as the vehicle speed increases. In Britain it is called the change valve.

Shim: A thin Spacer installed between two parts to increase the distance between them.
Also See
Adjusting shim
Anti-squeal shim
Body alignment shim Valve shim

Shimmy: The front wheels shaking or vibration from side to side because the front end is out of Alignment or the tires are out of balance or the Suspension has worn Components.

Also See
Caster wobble
Wheel shimmy

Shim pliers: See
Valve shim pliers

Shim-type head gaskets: A hard thin, high-performance steel head gasket that raises the compression ratio

Shim under bucket: A valve adjusting system where the valve clearance is adjusted by placing an appropriate thickness of shim under the tappet instead of using an adjusting screw.

Shingler's hammer: A hammer with a blunt side on one end of the head and an axe-like blade on the other side of the head.

Shiny side: Trucker slang for Top of the trailer as in "Keep your shiny side up and your rubber side down."

Ship: See
Aboard ship
Container ship
Dry cargo ship
Dual purpose ship
Flush deck ship
Great Lakes ship
Lighter aboard ship
Multipurpose ship
OBO ship
Passenger ship
RO/RO ship
Self-sustaining ship
Self-trimming ship

Shipment: See
Value of shipment

Shipments, value of: Summation of value of shipments produced by establishment, receipts of custom and repair revenue.

Shipping Weight: The dry weight of a vehicle including all standard equipment, but excluding fuel and coolant.

Ships: See
Sister ships

SHO: Acronym for Super High Output Engine

Shock: See
Adjustable shock
Direct-acting shock absorber
Double-tube shock absorber
Flexural shock
Friction shock absorber
Gas shock
Gas shock absorber
Lever-type shock absorber
Monotube shock absorber
Shocks

Shock absorber: Properly called a Damper, this is an oil filled device used to control spring Oscillation in the Suspension system. At least one shock absorber is found at each wheel.

Also See
Adjustable shocks
Air shock absorber
Direct-acting shock absorber
Double-tube shock absorber
Friction shock absorber
Gas shock absorber
Lever-type shock absorber
Monotube shock absorber
Self-levelling shock absorber
Single-tube shock absorber
Telescopic shock absorber

Shock absorbers: See
Shock absorber

Shock absorber tower: A sheet metal panel of hollowed or box-section design that is spot-welded to the body and serves as an anchoring point for the top shock absorber mount

Shockproof switch: A switch that is resistant to damage that may be caused by an impact

Shocks: An abbreviation for Shock absorbers". See Adjustable shocks.

Shoe: In the brake system, a metal plate that supports the brake lining and absorbs and transmits braking forces.

Also See
Brake shoe
Double leading brake shoe
Forward brake shoe
Leading brake shoe
Leading shoe
Pole shoe
Pole shoes
Primary brake shoe
Primary forward brake shoe
Primary shoe
Reverse brake shoe
Secondary brake shoe
Secondary shoe
Self-energizing brake shoe
Single leading brake shoe
Trailing brake shoe
Trailing shoe
Yellow shoe

Shoe anchor: The point in a drum brake system where the braking forces are transmitted to the chassis

Shoe grinder: See
Brake shoe grinder

Shoe heel: See
Brake shoe heel

Shoe return spring: Drum brake spring thata retracts the brake shoe when brakes are released. See Brake shoe return spring

Shoes: See
Shoe

Shoe toe: See
Brake shoe toe

Shooter: The accelerator pump discharge nozzle; squirts extra fuel into the throttle bore when the accelerator pump circuit is pressurized by the pump piston

Shooters: Small pump-discharge restrictions in the cluster assembly. These small cavities prevent accelerator pump pullover feeding from the pump system at high airflows

Shooting brake: An old term for station wagon. It refers mainly to larger British station wagons with wooden rear and side panels that were popular during the early post-war such as coachbuilt models by Daimler, Armstrong-Siddeley, Allard, etc.

Shop: See
Body shop
Chop shop
Independent repair shop
Paint shop
Production retread shop
Specialty repair shop

Shop crane: Shop crane

A lifting device used to remove or lift a motor or transmission

Shopping: See
Canadian cross border shopping

Shopping car: A vehicle similar to a City car, but may be even smaller

Shop primer: A coating which temporarily protects a work from corrosion, e.g., during shipment

Shore: A brace or prop used for support while building a ship

Shore hardness: A test method for the determination of indentation hardness of nonrigid plastics

Short: See
Short circuit
Long and short arm suspension

Short arc: A gas metal- arc process which uses a low arc voltage, where the arc is continuously interrupted as the molten electrode metal bridges the arc gap.

Short arm: See
Long and short arm suspension

Short arm/long arm suspension: (SLA) See Unequal-length wishbone suspension

Short arm suspension: See
Long and short arm suspension

Short block: The lower portion of an engine below the Cylinder head. It includes the crankshaft and piston assemblies but not the external parts such as head, sump, oil pump, or fuel pump. The opposite is the Long block

Short block engine: An engine with a relatively short crankshaft. Compare Long block engine. Normally a short block engine refers to a 4-cylinder in-line engine or a V-8 engine where either engine has a shorter block than a 6 cylinder in-line engine

Short circuit

An electrical problem in which the hot or positive wire touches ground. It takes a "short" path to ground instead of going through the prescribed Component. Usually a short circuit (also called a short) will burn out a Fuse or a Component.
Electrical condition where part of circuit touches another part of circuit and causes all or part of current to take wrong path.
A defect in a winding of an electric motor that causes part of the normal electrical circuit to be bypassed

Short circuit between the plates: An undesirable electrically conductive connection between the positive and negative plates within a battery cell, making the battery inoperative

Short circuit current: The current flowing freely through an external circuit that has no load or resistance; the maximum current possible.

Short circuit ground: Fault in an electrical circuit allowing electricity to flow into the metal parts of a mechanism.

Short circuiting: A condition which occurs during the scavenging process of a two-stroke engine when some of the fresh mixture entering the cylinder may flow across the cylinder and escape via the exhaust ports without producing any scavenging effect

Short cycling: A term referring to the condition in which the compressor in a cycling clutch system cycles too frequently; Refrigerating system that starts and stops more frequently than it should.

Short engine: A fully reconditioned engine but without external parts such as head, oil pan, oil pump, or fuel pump, etc.

Short stroke engine: An engine where the length of the stroke is shorter than the diameter of the cylinder bore. Theoretically a relatively short stroke improves high end revving ability but is poorer at low-end torque.

Short ton: 2,000 pounds.

Short track: Any oval-shaped or circle-shaped course less than one mile long.

Shorty: A general term for a short manifold or exhaust pipe

Short-type distributor: A distributor without a drive shaft; the drive coupling is located directly at the base of the ignition distributor housing. The opposite is Shaft distributor

Shot bag: A leather bag filled with very fine lead shot or sand over which metal is shaped

Shot blasting: A blasting process in which rounded particles are impacted onto a surface

Shoulder

The outer edges of the tread of a tire.
The outer edges of a road.
The raised portion of a specialized bolt just under the head. It looks like a collar, but it is not removable

Shoulder belt: A restraint belt pulled diagonally across the chest or the shoulder belt portion of a combined lap-shoulder belt.

Also See
3-point seat belt
Lap belt

Shovelhead: A term for Harley-Davidson's third generation overhead-valve Big Twin engine, introduced in 1966.

Show through: Sand scratches in the undercoat visible through the paint

Shredded wire: Short pieces of fine steel wire mixed into a tread or undertread compound.

Shrink: To reduce in size. See Heat shrink tube

Shrinkage

The size or coverage reduction of automotive paint as it dries. All automotive paints shrink, and if scratches or surface imperfections have not been properly filled, they will show up as the paint shrinks into them. Also see Mold shrinkage
The volume of natural gas that is transformed into liquid products during processing, primarily at natural gas liquids processing plants.

Shrink fit: A fit between two parts which is very tight. The outer or encircling piece is expanded by heating so it will fit over inner piece. Sometimes the inner piece is contracted by chilling. As the two pieces reach operating temperature or room temperature, the outer piece shrinks and the inner piece (if it was chilled) expands. As a result, the two pieces fit tightly.

Shrinking: A body repair technique used to repair locally stretched areas by using heat or special body hammers.

Also See
Heat shrinking
Resistance shrinking

Shrinking dolly: A special Dolly with a large crowned grid surface, used to facilitate panel shrinking

Shrinking hammer: A special hammer with faces shaped to allow for correction of locally stretched sheet metal. When shrinking metal, the panel is beaten into the recesses of the grid, which help stretching

Shrink tube: A thin plastic tube which shrinks in diameter when heated. It is used primarily in covering exposed wire splices. Also see Heat shrink tube

Shrink wrap: A clear plastic film, often a foot or more wide used to protect something from dust and moisture.

Shroud: A metal enclosure around the fan, engine, etc., to guide and facilitate the flow of air. Also see Heat shroud; Housing over condenser, evaporator, or fan.

SHRTFT: Acronym for Short Term Fuel Trim

SHRTFT1: Acronym for Short Term Fuel Trim Bank 1

Shudder: See
Clutch shudder
Wheel shudder

Shunt

To bypass or turn aside.
An alternate or Bypass portion of an electrical circuit.
A colloquial term for to crash.
A crash, especially one caused by running into the back of the vehicle in front of you
Type of field coil with a specific resistance placed in parallel with an ammeter.

Shunt firing: A short circuit at the firing end of a spark plug, caused by electrically conductive deposits. Also called shunting.

Shunting: A short circuit at the firing end of a spark plug, caused by electrically conductive deposits. Also called shunt firing

Shunt winding: A wire Coil forming an alternate or Bypass circuit through which the Current may flow.

Shut: See
Cut-and-shut
Door shut

Shut-down: When a system is not supplying or receiving power (the process of decreasing the power to zero).

Shut line: The line between a closed door and the bodywork

Shutlines: Lines in the body where two body parts abut each other, such as where a door meets a fender. Can also be a seam where two immovable parts meet i.e., plastic bumper cover meets quarter panel.

Shut-off: See
Fuel pump shut-off switch
Overrun cut-off/shut-off

Shut-off switch: See
Fuel pump shut-off switch

Shutter: A curved metal vane or blade of a Hall generator or Hall effect distributor to block the magnetic field from the Hall Effect pick-up. The shutter is attached to the rotor and is grounded to the distributor shaft

Shuttle valve: A valve in which the actuating member shuttles back and forth diverting pressure from one channel to another