A field guide to automotive technology

Open the hood of your car and you’ll find a confusing mishmash of wires, tubes, and mechanical devices. What are all of those things? Written for mechanical novices who may not know their catalytic converters from their universal joints, A Field Guide to Automotive Technology will help them gain a basic understanding of how their automobiles function. How does an airbag know when to deploy? What is rack and pinion steering? And where exactly does a dipstick dip? Even seasoned gearheads will learn from this guide as it traces the history and development of mechanisms they may take for granted. A Field Guide to Automotive Technology has more than 130 entries, each with a clear photo to make recognition easy. Devices are grouped according to their “habitats”—under the hood, inside the car, and more—to help the reader identify the technology in question. Once the “species” is discovered, the entry will tell you its “behavior”—what it does—and how it works, in detail. This guide also includes sidebars on related technical issues, such as how to mix up a batch of homemade windshield wiper fluid. It even discusses other vehicles found on our nation’s highways—buses, motorcycles, bicycles, and more—as well as a few off-road vehicles.