The main function of the transmission is to provide the necessary variation to the torque applied by the engine to the wheels. This is achieved by changing the gearing ratio between the engine output shaft and the drive shaft.

A car transmission is a vehicle’s gearbox. It’s roughly analogous to the gear shifter and chain system that bicycles use. These components are always mounted straight on the engine so that their attached belt and gear system can effectively convert the combustion power produced by the engine into physical momentum.

A transmission changes gears depending on car speed and accelerator input (i.e., how far down you push the pedal of your car) so that the engine’s RPM or “revolutions per minute” are kept appropriately low.

Your car battery provides the zap of electricity needed to put electrical components to work. Talk about a pretty huge responsibility. Without battery power, your car, as you’ve probably noticed, won’t start.

Let’s take a look at how that powerful little box works:

• A chemical reaction puts your car in action: Your battery converts chemical energy into the electrical energy necessary to power your car, delivering voltage to the starter.
• Keep the electric current steady: Not only does your battery provide the energy required to start your car, but it’s also stabilizing the voltage (that’s the term for the energy supply) to keep your engine running. A lot’s riding on the battery. Call it the ‘little box that could.’

While the battery is essential for starting your car when it’s off, the alternator keeps your car alive when the engine is running. The alternator powers most car’s electronic components while you’re driving around or idling, including your headlights, electric steering, power windows, windshield wipers, heated seats, dashboard instruments, and radio.

The alternator supplies all of them with direct current (DC) power. Your alternator is also responsible for charging your car battery while driving. The alternator works by turning mechanical energy into electrical energy. When your engine is on, it powers a drive belt that rests on a pulley attached to the alternator. The pulley turns the alternator’s rotor shaft, which spins a set of magnets around a coil.

The engine is a power generator/power plant or a motor, which provides power to drive the automobile.The engine is the heart of your car. It is a complex machine built to convert heat from burning gas into the force that turns the road wheels. It consists of two basic parts: the lower, heavier section is the cylinder block, a casing for the engine’s main moving parts; the detachable upper cover is the cylinder head.

In most automobile engines, the explosive power of the mixture of air and gasoline drives the pistons. The pistons turn a crankshaft to which they are attached. The rotating force of the crankshaft makes the automobile’s wheels turn.

Some automobiles are powered by another kind of engine, known as the rotary valve, rotating combustion engine, or Wankel engine. The rotary valve engine also draws in a mixture of air and fuel, which is then compressed and burnt.

The chassis of an automobile has the frame, suspension system, axles, and wheel as the main components. The frame could be in the form of a conventional chassis or unit construction may be adopted.

In a conventional chassis frame, the frame forms the main skeleton of the vehicle. The frame provides a foundation for the engine and the body of the vehicle. The frame is constructed from square or box-shaped steel members strong enough to support the weight of the body and other components.

The automobile frame is usually made up of a number of members welded or riveted together to give the final shape. The engine is mounted on the frame with rubber pads which absorb vibrations and also provide damping of these vibrations. Absorption and damping of vibrations protect passengers from discomfort caused by shocks.

A radiator helps to eliminate excess heat from the engine. It is part of the engine’s cooling system, which also includes a liquid coolant, hoses to circulate the coolant, a fan, and a thermostat that monitors the coolant temperature.

The coolant travels through the hoses from the radiator, through the engine to absorb the excess engine heat, and back to the radiator.

Once it returns to the radiator, thin metal fins release the heat from the coolant to the outside air as the hot liquid passes through it.

The function of the suspension system is to absorb vibrations due to the up-and-down motion of wheels, caused by the irregularities in the road surface. The springs, connecting linkages, and shock absorbers comprise the suspension system of a vehicle.

In the rigid system, the road springs are attached to a rigid beam axle. It is mostly used in the front axle of commercial vehicles and the rear axle of all types of vehicles. The independent system does not have a rigid axle. Each wheel is free to move vertically without any reaction on its mating wheel. The independent system is mostly used in small cars.

A car hood also referred to as a bonnet in some other countries is the hinged cover that rests over the engine of a front-engine vehicle. Its purpose is to provide access to the engine for repair and maintenance.

A concealed latch is typically used to hold down the hood. On vehicles with an aftermarket hood and on racecars, hood pins may be used to hold down the car hood.

Hoods sometimes also contain a hood scoop, wiper jets, power bulge, and/or hood ornament. Car hoods are typically constructed from steel and sometimes from aluminum.