Alternator - All the alternator does is create power. It is always? belt driven. The belt spins a magnet inside a coil of many many wires creating current. As long as the belt is turning (ie. the motor running) the alternator should be creating power. The only purpose of the vehicles battery is to run accessories when the engine isn't running and to start the car. Once the motor is running the battery can be removed and the vehicle will still run off the power supplied by the alternator.
note: This used to be the case but now with newer cars disconnecting the battery like that will probably blow some sensitive circuitry in the ECU and probably shouldn't be tried.
Fuse Box - Most, if not all, of the cars electrical system goes through a fusebox. There are generally more than 3 in any given vehicle becuase of the mass of wires and their different functions. Wires go from the positive post on the battery to the fusebox, where it gets distributed through various rated fuses and to each individual unit or accessory they run, or even to another fusebox full of fuses. Fuseboxes can also hold relays and other electrical units like flashers and small computers
Intake - System designed for the intake of air into the engine combustion chamber. On older cars (pre 86ish) it consisted of an intake tube, a filter, and a carbeurator. On newer cars it consists of a filter, a MAF (mass airflow sensor) and the intake manifold.
MAF - Mass Airflow Sensor, a device in most fuel injected vehicles that provides information on intake air temperature, density, velocity, and various other tidbits. It sends this crucial info to the ECU which, combined with other input from various sensors, makes changes in fuel delivery and such to ensure optimum performance
Intake Manfold - Essentially a mixing jar. A rather large unit with tubes extending into each cylinder (through each respective intake valve). The intake manifold mixes the air/fuel mixture and sends it on into the cylinders on a fuel injected vehicle. On a carbeurated vehicle the mixing is done in the carb and the intake manifold just distributes the mixture between the cylinders
Exhuast manifold - Close to same size and shape (somewhat) of the intake manifold, the exhaust manifold catches the exhaust gasses as they exit the cylinders via the exhaust valves, it then joins all the cylinders into usually one tube (2 in and V shaped engine) attached to the exhaust system.
02 Sensor
Coolant Overflow Tank - Because the fluid in the cooling system goes through such a large change in temperature, and it is a sealed system it would explode if the hot coolant could not escape when it needed to. So excess fluid gets routed into the overflow tank via a rubber hose attached directly near or at the top of the radiator. The vent hose is submerged in the fluid in the overflow tank so when the radiator requires more fluid or requires the fluid it just expelled, it gets sucked back into the system.
Radiator
Cruise Control
A/C High/Low Pressure lines
AC Compressor
Valve Cover
Distributer - As it says the distributor send voltage out through each individual spark plug wire to each individual spark plug. The "dizzy" is tied in to the timing system somehow, toyota speaking, it meshes with a gear on the end of the camshaft in most cases. It consists of various components most important of all is the cap and the rotor. The distributor cap(which remains stationary) gets a high volume of power through its center directly into the rotor. The rotor spins (because it is connected to the gear on the camshaft) and connects with a series of 'points' on its circular travels, each point is embedded in the cap and attached to a spark plug wire. So in each revolution of the rotor each spark plug wire gets a shot of power only once, at precisely the right time.
note: some brand new cars ie. the 7th gen celica, have a distributorless ignition. Don't ask me how it works cuz I have been ignorant and haven't taken the time to look into it.
Wiper Motor - Wiper motor makes your windshield wiper go back and forth, it does this by going round and round (confused yet?
) Through a series of rods and gears, its all physics really
Master Cylinder
Clutch Master Cylinder
EGR
Vaccum Tubes
Power Steering Pump
Power Steering Lines
Starter - The starter works off the same theory as the alternator but backwards. Power is applied to the coil of wires, making the magnet and starter gear spin. The starter is mounted right up against the flywheel and when it gets its juice, (when you turn the key) the gear kicks out about a half inch and meshes with the flywheel, then it spins with enough force to turn the motor over via the flywheel. The turning of the motor starts a series of events that eventually starts the car.
Transmission
Turbo
Temp Sensor
Oil Pressure Sensor
Low/High Radiator lines
Timing Belt Cover - A plastic cover designed to keep dirt, debris, grease, oil etc. away from the all poweful timing belt.
Timing Belt - This is what makes the world go round. Some cars, usually older ones, had timing chains. Same idea. In order for an engine to run smoothly everything has to happen at a certain millisecond in time (the valve has to open when the crankshaft is here, and the spark has to fire exactly this millisecond when both valves are closed the the piston is here and so on, its very crucial). The timing belt makes this happen, essentially it begins meshed with a gear on the crankshaft, because everything gets timed according to the position of the crankshaft. And it attaches to a gear on the camshaft which runs the entire top half of the engine. It is very important that the belt is on the right tooth of the gear or the engine will run poorly or not at all, or worse.
Oil Fill Cap - A cap to keep the oil in the engine and other stuff out. Located on top of the valve cover or somewhere very near that general area. Usually says "oil" on it. It unscrews or unclips in certain situations and then oil can be poured into the gaping hole it leaves.
Intake Tube (AFM to TB) - A rubber tube that runs from the MAF sensor to the intake manifold/throttle body. In fuel injected vehicles It must be an airtight system beacuse the airflow is measured before the tube and extra air in there will screw up the ECU's careful calculations and cause poor running conditions. On carbeurated vehicles, the intake tube just routes air from a colder-than-the-engine location to the filter housing or airbox and is really not all that necessary except to keep hot air and water out of the sytem
Intercooler
Brake Booster
Spark Plug Wires - These carry the voltage from the distributor to each individual spark plug. They are specially insulated because of the large current that travels through them and are set to certain resistances to apply to different vehicles.
There I did a few, in laymans terms
. But I gotta go to bed, feel free to edit them to your satisfaction I took some liberties to make it more understandeable but they might have the opposite effect for somebody
. But I gotta go to bed, feel free to edit them to your satisfaction I took some liberties to make it more understandeable but they might have the opposite effect for somebody
;D