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Cars have become so complex over the last several decades that mechanics refer to each other as "techs," keeping up with the latest technology. While it's not quite rocket science (yet), there are car parts out there that sound like they belong on a space ship. We hope this list gives some indicator of just how complicated modern day cars really are, and how vast the knowledge of mechanics needs to be in order to understand how everything functions.
1) Starter Solenoid - No, this isn't the part that caused the satellite disaster in that Gravity movie, it's the part of an automobile that relays a large electric current to the starter motor, which then sets the engine in motion, making your car start.
2) Constant-Velocity Joint - Otherwise known as a CV Joint, these fancy-sounding parts allow a drive-shaft to transmit power through a variable angle, at constant rotational speed, without an increase in friction and play. While mainly used in FWD vehicles, they are also used in RWD cars with independent rear suspensions.
3) Planetary Gearset - At the center of an automatic transmission, the planetary gearset is the one part that creates all of the different gear ratios that the transmission can produce. It contains 3 main components: the sun gear, the planet gear and the ring gear.
4) Electronic Instrument Cluster - This fancy sounding term is just the complex way of saying your dashboard lights and instrument panel. The very first use of the electronic instrument cluster was in the 1976 Aston Martin Lagonda. You can also just call it the digital dash.
5) Crankshaft Position Sensor - This star-wars sounding part is found in internal combustion engines and is used to monitor the position or rotational speed of the crankshaft. This part is important because it's used to control ignition system timing and other engine parameters.
6) Harmonic Balancer - The harmonic balancer is connected to the crankshaft of an engine in order to reduce the torsional vibration and serve as a pulley for the drive belts. The other names for this strange sounding part are a crank pulley damper, torsional damper, or a vibration damper.
7) Catalytic Converter - This advanced sounding system actually does perform a fairly complex task. It converts toxic pollutants in exhaust gas into less toxic ones, thereby reducing the pollution your engine is producing. The "cat" was invented by Eugene Houndry, a French mechanic engineer and expert in catalytic oil refining.
8) Supplemental Inflatable Restraint Systems - Unless you're trying to confuse everyone around you including yourself, you would normally just call these airbags. Originally, air bags were designed with the thought of serving as a replacement for seat-belts. Obviously, this did not end up being the case, hence the term "supplemental."
9) Secondary Air Injection System - This is another aspect of the automobile which aims to help vehicles meet government emissions standards, and is often the target of tuners and backyard mechanics looking to get a little more out of their vehicle.
10) Limited Slip Differentials - Anyone who's ever watched My Cousin Vinny knows what a limited slip differential is. The benefit of a limited slip differential is that it prevents excessive power from being allocated to one wheel when a car's wheels are "slipping," and therefore keeping both wheels in powered rotation.
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