DICTIONARY OF AUTOMOTIVE TERMS - "Wa"

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.

Waddle:

A side to side rocking movement of a vehicle in motion, caused by suspension or tire damage or excessive lateral runout

Wad punch:

A tool with a round cutting edge for cutting out holes in gaskets or other soft materials

Wagon:

See:
four-door station wagon
liftback station wagon
sag wagon
space wagon
station wagon
two-door station wagon

Waistline:

A British term for belt line. An imaginary or molded horizontal line below the bottom of the side window that separates the roof area from the bottom of the body

Waiver:

See duty waiver

Walcker:

See chenard-walcker

Walk-in cooler:

Larger. commercially refrigerated space kept below room temperature. Often found in supermarkets or wholesale meat distribution centers.

Walked over:

Trucker slang for Over powered by a stronger c.b. signal as in "Come back on that someone walked all over you."

Wall:

See cylinder wall

Walnut:

See burr walnut

Wander:

A steering action where the vehicle moves or rambles from a fixed course without positive control.

Wanderer:

The first Wanderer car with a 5/12 hp four-cylinder engine was test driven in 1912. It went into series production in 1913. This small Wanderer car had not been on the market very long when it became a stage star in the operetta "Puppchen" (which can be translated loosely as "darling") by Jean Gilbert. The title song was rather catchy: "Darling, you are the apple of my eye, darling, I think the world of you." From then on the little Wanderer was known simply by the name "Puppchen."

Wandering:

A condition in which the front wheels of an automobile tend to steer slowly one way and then another, and interferes with directional control of stability

Wankel engine:

A rotary internal combustion engine invented by Felix Wankel (1902-1988). 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.

Warding file:

See key file

Warm up:

1. To run an engine until it reaches normal operating temperature.
2. The laps taken on the track prior to the race used to warm up the tires, transmission, engine fluids and other components of the race car before the start of the event.

Warm-up:

The action of starting an engine and allowing it to idle until it reaches operating temperature before driving away.

Warm-up control unit:

A unit that produces the richer mixture needed for cold running and modulates fuel system pressure according to engine temperature; the unit includes an electrically heated thermostatic spring, which reduces the force on a spring-loaded control diaphragm

Warm-up enrichment:

A reduced enrichment of the air/fuel mixture following cranking and after-start enrichment. In the past, warming up an engine was thought to be good practice but now manufacturers recommend that motorists should drive off immediately, as this is the quickest way of heating up the engine and preventing oil being washed off the cylinder walls by partially burnt rich mixture (which causes engine wear)

Warm-up regulator:

On Bosch CIS, the original name for the control-pressure regulator

Warning:

See:
deflation warning system
direction indicator warning light
engine oil level warning light
fluid level warning indicator
handbrake warning light
hazard warning switch
low oil warning light
oil pressure warning light
parkbrake warning light
reversing warning signal

Warning indicator:

See fluid level warning indicator

Warning lamp:

A small lamp on the instrument panel that lights up if there is a problem

Warning light:

A small lamp on the instrument panel that lights up if there is a problem.
Also See:
brake warning light
check engine warning light
coolant level warning light
direction indicator warning light
engine oil level warning light
handbrake warning light
low oil warning light
oil pressure warning light
parkbrake warning light
seat belt warning light
signal light warning light
SRS warning light

Warning light valve:

A valve in the hydrauklic circuits of a dual brake system that switches on a dash warning light when one system fails.

Warning signal:

See reversing warning signal

Warning switch:

See hazard warning switch

Warning system:

See:
deflation warning system
and talking warning system

Warning tracks:

1. The little ridges in the road that warn you of an upcoming tollbooth or another lane. Sometimes called "wake-up bumps" or "Bot's Dots" -- Mr. Bot got very rich off these.
2. A part of the race track which is off the main part of the section for driving.

Warning triangle:

A triangular red safety reflector that should be carried on all vehicles and be placed at the side of the road to warn of an obstruction ahead, such as a broken-down vehicle

Warp:

1. A bending or twisting out of shape.
2. Threads in cloth that run along the length of the material.
3. To bend or twist out of shape

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."
Also See:
anti-corrosion warranty
corrosion warranty
good will warranty

Wash:

See:
automatic car wash
and car wash

Washboard:

A road surface which has a series of lateral grooves -- usually found on gravel roads and caused by water runoff.

Washcoat:

An oxide layer on the catalyst substrate which increases with the active surface area

Washer:

A flat disc with a hole in the center. It may be made of metal, rubber, plastic, or leather. It is often placed under a nut to even out pressure and prevent damage to the part on which it rests.
Also See:
bridge washer
crush washer
cup washer
dish washer
flat washer
helical spring lock washer
protector washer
split washer
spring lock washer
spring washer
tab washer
thrust washer
windshield washer fluid
windshield washer

Washer fluid:

A fluid added to the water in the windshield washer and rear window washer reservoirs/bottles to improve the cleaning action and lower the freezing point. Also see windshield washer fluid

Washer pump:

See windshield washer pump

Wash/wipe:

See:
headlight wash/wipe
rear wash/wipe system

Wash/wipe switch:

A switch on the instrument panel that operates the rear wash/wipe system

Wash/wipe system:

See:
windshield wash/wipe system
rear wash/wipe system

Wastegate:

See waste gate

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.

Waste spark method:

In distributorless ignition systems, dual-spark coils fire two spark plugs at the same time; one of these sparks is in a cylinder during its exhaust stroke, where the spark has no effect (waste spark); the other spark occurs in the cylinder near the end of the compression stroke

Water:

See:
de-ionized water
distilled water
oil and water extractor

Water column:

A reference term used in connection with a manometer

Water-cooled:

An engine which is cooled by antifreeze in contrast with an air-cooled engine.

Water-cooled condenser:

1. Heat exchanger designed to transfer heat from hot gaseous refrigerant to water.
2. Condensing unit which is cooled through use of water flow.

Water cooling system:

The normal cooling system used on most cars and trucks to keep the temperature of the engine down to a desirable level; engine heat is removed via water acting as a coolant which surrounds the cylinders in a water jacket; the system typically includes water passages, coolant pump, thermostat, hoses, and radiator

Water defrosting:

Use of water to melt ice and frost from evaporator during off-cycle.

Water extractor:

See oil and water extractor

Water fade:

A delay in brake application caused by water contamination that reduces friction between the brake linings and drum or rotor.

Water hammer:

Noise generated by back pressure of water when a valve is closed.

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 jet cutter:

A stream of water under great pressure (50,000 psi) which is controlled by a computer and is used to acurately cut plastic and fiberglass, etc.

Waterline:

The line of the water's edge when the ship is afloat. Also see load waterline

Water marking:

Stains on the paintwork caused when a drop of water evaporates, leaving behind an outline of the drop

Water passage:

A passage within the water jacket designed to prevent the formation of pockets of steam

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 splash:

See salt water splash

Water spotting:

Stains on the paintwork that occur when a drop of water evaporates from the painted surface and leaves a white spot behind. See water-spotting.

Water-spotting:

Drops of water that mar the finish before it is thoroughly cured.

Water temperature gauge:

A gauge on the instrument panel which indicates coolant temperature

Water valve:

A shut-off valve, mechanically or vacuum operated, for stopping the flow of hot coolant to the heater.

In most water cooling units. a valve that provides a flow of water to cool the system while it is running.

Waterways:

See international waterways

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.

Watts link:

A device used to control side to side motion in a ladder bar, torque-tube, or 4-link rear suspension. A watts link has a pivot point in the center of the axle and a rod that runs to each side of the car. This design eliminate the side to side motion of a panhard rod.

Wave:

See:
full wave rectifier
half wave rectifier
pressure wave supercharger
pressure wave

Waveband:

A series of wavelengths forming a group

Wavemeter:

See absolute wavemeter and absorption wavemeter

Wave rectifier:

See:
full wave rectifier
half wave rectifier

Wave supercharger:

See pressure wave supercharger

Wax:

1. A substance resembling beeswax in appearance and character, and in general distinguished by its composition of esters and higher alcohols, and by its freedom from fatty acids; used for underbody sealing, cavity sealing, and paintwork care.
2. Ingredient in many lubricating oils which may separate from the oil if cooled enough.
3. To treat with wax.

Also See:
car wax
hot wax
release wax

Waxing:

1. The formation of wax crystals in diesel fuel in freezing conditions, thus clogging the fuel filter and stopping the engine; avoided by the use of a fuel heater or fuel additives.
2. The application of a wax finish on the paint surface of a vehicle to preserve the paint and maintain its beauty

Wax injection:

The injection of corrosion-inhibiting wax into car body cavities

Wax lancing:

The injection of corrosion-inhibiting wax into car body cavities

Wax-type thermostat:

A thermostat in which the expansion of melting paraffin wax (in a rigid cylinder) deforms a molded rubber membrane and displaces a piston/pin from the cylinder; this has the advantage of being insensitive to sudden temperature fluctuations or to the pressure in the system

Way:

See:
oil way
one way clutch

Way catalytic converter:

See three way catalytic converter

Way clutch:

See one way clutch

Ways:

1. The machined abutments on which a sliding brake caliper rides
2. Special sliding surfaces machined into the anchor plate and caliper body where these parts of a sliding caliper make contact and move against one another.

Sign My Guestbook View My Guestbook