Frequency Range of Musical Instruments for Car Audio
Part of the Car Audio For Dummies Cheat Sheet
To get great sound in your car, you need to accurately recreate the sound of musical instruments by reproducing their frequency range. Use this graph to set up the frequency ranges of common musical instruments for your car audio system.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryA V-shaped or flat serpentine belt that’s driven by a crankshaft pulley and transmits kinetic energy to various accessories, such as the alternator, air conditioning compressor, fan, power-steering pump, and water pump.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryThe element in the air cleaner that removes impurities from the air. Most air filters are disposable, although some aftermarket types can be cleaned and reused.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryAn engine part that generates electric current that’s stored in the battery and used to start the car and run the electrical equipment.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryA transmission that selects gears automatically, either by means of a hydraulic converter and a system of bands and clutches, or with an electronic transmission controller.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryA box filled with a solution of water and acid called electrolyte. The box contains metal plates that store current generated by the alternator and deliver it to the parts of the car that operate electrically.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryDevices that keep the engine warm in very cold weather when a vehicle isn’t used. These are especially important for starting diesel engines at extremely low temperatures.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryIn a vehicle with power brakes, a brake booster is located between the brake pedal and the master cylinder to increase the force applied to the pistons in the master cylinder.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryThe liquid used in the hydraulic brake system to stop or slow the car.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryA system of hoses and metal tubes through which the brake fluid flows from the master cylinder to the brakes at each wheel.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryA high-friction material that’s attached to the brake pad or brake shoe. When the pad is pressed against the disc, or the shoe is pressed against the brake drum, the lining grabs the disc or the inside of the drum, which slows the wheel and thus the car.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryCurved pieces of metal on which are bonded high-friction brake linings that are forced against the brake drums to slow or stop the car.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryA device that vaporizes fuel and mixes it with air in proper quantities to suit the varying needs of the engine. Carburetors have been replaced by fuel-injection systems on most vehicles built since 1990.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryA pollution-control device that consumes unburned gas in the tailpipe and reduces nitrogen oxide emissions.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryIn a manual transmission, a device that disconnects the engine from the transmission to allow the driver to change gears and then allows the engine and transmission to resume contact and turn together at a new speed. In an automatic transmission, a clutch performs a similar function.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryA rectangular box that contains the air filter. It performs the same function as the air cleaner.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryA device used to check the amount of pressure created in a cylinder when the piston is at its highest point and is squeezing the fuel/air mixture into the smallest possible space.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryAn ethylene glycol or propylene glycol solution that raises the boiling point and lowers the freezing point of the water in the cooling system, prevents rust and corrosion, and lubricates the water pump.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryA hollow, tube-shaped pipe in the engine block in which the piston rides up and down to compress the fuel/air mixture that drives the engine.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryThe part of the engine above the engine block that contains the combustion chambers and the valves. The spark plugs screw into the top or side of the cylinder head.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryAn engine that burns diesel fuel instead of gasoline.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryFuel for cars with diesel engines. It’s similar to home heating oil, kerosene, and jet fuel.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryA metal stick that’s inserted into a reservoir to check the level of the fluid in the reservoir by means of markings on the stick. The most common dipsticks check the levels of engine oil, transmission fluid, and power-steering fluid.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryBrakes that have calipers with high-friction brake pads, which grab a brake disc (sometimes called a rotor) attached to the wheel and force it to stop turning, thus stopping the car.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryThe part of the ignition system that distributes the proper amount of electrical voltage to each spark plug in the correct sequence. This task is now performed electronically on distributorless ignition systems.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryA cap that over the distributor that has an outlet for each spark plug wire, plus an outlet where the wire from the ignition coil enters the cap to conduct high-voltage electrical current to the rotor.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryThe path of power from the engine to the drive wheels. Consists of the clutch, transmission, driveshaft, differential, and the axle on which the drive wheels are situated.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryBrakes that use hydraulic pressure to force curved brake shoes against the inner walls of a hollow metal drum attached to each wheel.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryThe cast iron, aluminum, or ceramic block in which the cylinders and the crankshaft are located.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryThe most powerful computer onboard a modern vehicle, also called a powertrain control module (PCM). Controls most engine functions and processes signals from the various engine, emissions, and related sensors.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryA device for measuring the distance, or gap, between two surfaces, such as between the center and side electrodes on a spark plug.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryThe sequence in which the cylinders fire on a particular engine to distribute the shock of combustion evenly and to reduce engine vibrations.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryA device that removes impurities from the fuel before it gets to the fuel injection system. In fuel-injected cars, the filter is found either in the fuel line under the car, or mounted on the firewall.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryA fuel system without a carburetor that employs an electronic fuel management system to deliver a specific amount of fuel to each combustion chamber in response to changes in engine speed and driving conditions.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryFuses protect the electrical components and wiring on your vehicle the same way they do in your home. They’re located in a fuse box (or boxes) that usually are found under or near the dashboard or under the hood.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryThe space between the spark plug electrodes. Adjusting this space is called gapping.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryThe seal between the cylinder head and the engine block. This gasket keeps the coolant out of the cylinders and free from contamination by exhaust gases.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryAn alternatively fueled vehicle that combines a small internal combustion engine and an electric motor to get maximum power with minimum emissions and maximum fuel economy.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryAn engine that works on power released by vaporized fuel and air burning inside the engine itself, rather than on an outside source of combustion as, for example, a steam engine does.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryCables used start a car with a dead battery by conducting current from another battery.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryA vehicle transmission system in which gears are selected by the driver by means of a hand-operated gearshift and a foot-operated clutch.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryA device that stores brake fluid and hydraulically forces it through the brake lines to the brakes when you step on the brake pedal.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryA can-shaped device that screws onto the outside of the crankcase and cleans the oil as it circulates through a vehicle's lubrication system.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryA brake system that uses a brake booster (or power booster) to make braking easier.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryA device that uses hydraulic power to help the driver steer more easily.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryA radiator cap on a coolant recovery system or radiator that allows the cooling system to operate under pressure at higher temperatures for greater efficiency.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryA device that cools the liquid in the cooling system by allowing it to circulate through a series of water channels that are exposed to air ducts.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryDevices located near each wheel to cut down the vertical bouncing of the passenger compartment on the springs after the wheels go over a bump or the vehicle stops short.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryA device that delivers an electrical spark to an engine's combustion chamber, igniting the fuel/air mixture that produces the power that drives the engine.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryThe space between the center and side spark plug electrodes, across which the spark must jump to ignite the fuel/air mixture in the engine's combustion chamber.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryA small electrical motor that causes the engine crankshaft to begin to turn, which starts the engine running and so starts the car.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryA device that uses electrical current to start and engage the starter.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryA device that keeps the hot coolant confined to the engine cooling passages to help the engine warm up more quickly. After the engine has warmed up, the thermostat allows the coolant to flow to the radiator, where it’s cooled and recirculated through the engine to prevent overheating.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryA part of the clutch, activated by the clutch pedal, that allows the clutch to disengage. If you allow the car to idle in gear with the clutch pedal pressed instead of shifting to Neutral, you can wear out the throw-out bearing.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryA thin oil that fills the automatic transmission so that it can run on hydraulic pressure. It’s also found in many power-steering pumps.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryThe process of replacing a vehickle's fuel filters, air filters, and spark plugs to ensure that air, fuel, and spark are available in good condition to obtain maximum engine efficiency.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryA device that circulates liquid through the cooling system by pumping it from the engine water jackets to the radiator.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryA device found on diesel vehicles that removes any water that may have contaminated the diesel fuel.
Auto Repair & Maintenance GlossaryThe inner and outer bearings found at each wheel that cushion the contact between the wheel and the spindle it sits on.
