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Gilly's 
Glen
One of my biggest pet peeves is people who talk about cars but actually know nothing about them. That and people who are just plain ignorant about cars, even if they own one. To help combat this problem, I am creating a dictionary of car terms, with simple definitions, for simple people. Please take the time to learn, and even go to better sites than this one. It's really worth your while. I don't claim to know everything there is to know about cars, but I'm learning. This is stuff you don't learn in driver's ed, basically because no one thinks you will care, but you should!
Automatic Transmission
The car shifts gears for you. Your options include park, reverse, neutral, drive, 1 (low), 2 (high), and sometimes 3 and overdrive. Overdrive usually has one more gear than drive. SO if your car has 4 gears, then you can only shift into fourth while in overdrive. Take care of your transmission fluid, otherwise you'll kill the transmission, and your car won't run.
Axle
Connects the wheels, front-to-front and back-to-back. The one with power will be motorized, the other one will not. This is also what the brakes use to stop the car, by putting friction on the powered axle.
Backseat
A part of the car that is very special to some people. Many girls (and guys) lose their virginity there. Also good for carrying people when driving places. Some cars can fit up to 8 people back there, and clown cars can hold an endless number, as long as you don't mind b.o.
Brakes
When working properly they will cause your car to slow down and stop, by causing friction. There are a couple different types, but I don't know a whole lot about brakes.
Brake fluid
Helps your car to stop smoothly. Without it, you have to push harder, and it takes longer to stop.
Brake pads
They make contact with some moving part of your car, and cause friction, which slows your car down. When they get old, they start to wear thin, Eventually they will die completely and your car won't stop.
Clutch
The third pedal in manual transmissions. To turn most manuals on, this pedal must be pushed firmly to the floor. To shift gears this pedal must be pushed down. By pushing it down, it seperates the gears, so that they don't grind while moving from one gear to the next. If you tried to shift without pushing the clutch down, it would be like sliding gears together, while they are spinning. You can imagine what kind of damage this causes.
Coolant
See engine coolant
Dip Stick
Most commonly used to check oil. Bright colored handles are pulled out, revealing metal sticks with (hopefully) fluid on them. It will show you what level your fluid is at, and if you need to add more or change it. Oil must be checked with the car off. Transmission fluid should be checked with car running in Park, after the car has been driven or on for a few minutes.
Downshifting
In a manual transmission this is pretty self explanatory. There are two reasons why you want to downshift. First, you are going up a steep hill and losing speed. So you put the car in a lower gear, which will give you more power/torque, and step on the gas. You accelerate faster in lower gears. Secondly, you want to slow the car down without using the brake. Downshifting (without pressing the gas) causes your engine to rev up (higher RPMs), and your engine will try to slow itself down, and thus your car. An automatic does not do this, but occassionally they will downshift going uphill. An automatic can sense gas flow, and if you are giving it a lot of gas, but not accelerating, the transmission will go into a lower gear to allow you to accelerate.
Drive
Gear usually represented by "D." Only seen in automatics. Unless you have Overdrive, you will always use this gear while driving forward. This usually has 3 or 4 different gears.
Emergency Brake
The name is something of a misnomer. The emergency brake is really a back-up brake for the park brake in an automatic. It is usually a lever that you pull up, or a small pedal that you push down. Your car will still move with this brake on, so it's not as strong as the park brake. You only want to use this in an automatic when you are on a hill, otherwise it can get worn down, and eventually useless. In a manual you should always use this. Your other option is to put the car in first gear or reverse, depending on which way downhill is. However, this can wear down the gears, they were not made to hold the car, they are not a brake.
Engine
This is what your car is powered by. The number of cylinders determines how powerful your car is. Different types include I-4 (four cylinders, in a row-inline), V6 (six cylinders in a V shape), and V8 (eight cylinders in a V shape).
Engine Coolant
This fluid is what keeps the engine cool. It is stored in the radiator while the car is running, and then flows out in to a back-up tank when the car is turned off. You always want extra fluid in the back-up tank, in case your car leaks. The coolant stays cool in the radiator, because the radiator is cooled by air flowing into it from the vent on the front of the car. The engine coolant then flows through the engine (not in with the oil and rods though) to cool it off, in a constant stream.
Engine Oil
Flows through the engine while the car is running. Keeps engine parts from rubbing against each other and wearing down. It is important that you check it frequently, because it is very dangerous when low. Old cars tend to burn or drip oil, they must be checked more frequently.
Firewall
Those of you who are computer geeks know this term, but it has another meaning in cars. The firewall seperates the engine compartment (everything under the hood) from the passenger part of your car. It is right behind the dashboard. I think it's actually fireproof, so if you're engine starts on fire, you have a few extra seconds to escape before your car explodes.
Five-speed
See "Manual Transmission"
Four-wheel drive
Both the front and rear axle have power. This is helpful when you are on especially slick road, or when you are driving off road. The theory is that at least one wheel will be on the ground, no matter what, so if all wheels have power, then you can drive anywhere.
Front wheel drive
Most newer cars have this. Basically, the front axle is the one where the power is, the front wheels pull your car forward, or push it backward. This is safer in slick weather, because the front of the car is heavier, so the tires stick to the road better. The rear wheels are merely dummy wheels, they just spin.
Fuel Injection
All new cars come equipped with this. When you turn your car, fuel (gas) is immediately pumped into your engine, to keep it running. Older cars, that don't have this, require you to pump the gas a few times before turning the car on. Fuel injections can malfunction very easily, and the best remedy is fuel injection cleaner. You just put it in your gas tank when you fill it up. This can help to prevent it from breaking, but won't fix it if it's broken. You know that something is wrong with your fuel injection when your car starts and dies immediately, or if it starts and sounds like it's gonna die, but doesn't.
Gears
Remember when you were little and got your first 10-speed bike? Wasn't it fascinating to watch the gears changing? Cars work much the same way. The faster you go, the faster the engine must turn to maintain speed (RPM). If you tried to go 60 in first gear, your car would probably explode (hyperbole). That is why there are gears. In the higher gears, your engine doesn't have to turn over as fast to maintain higher speeds.
Headlights
Lights on the front of your car that enable people to see you when it's dark. Many new cars have a thing called DRL (Daytime Runnin Lamps), which are basically unnessecary lights that stay on all the time. If someone has one headlight out, it's called "piddiddle." (I'm not kidding) There are three different settings for your headlights. There is the parking lights, which are orange, the regular lights which are aimed low to the ground, and your brights, which are pointed upwards, directly where the eyes would be of a car coming your way. This is why you're not supposed to use your brights on a crowded road, only when you're alone. Otherwise people can't see and run off the road.
Hood
The big metal sheet covering your engine and the rest of your car's mechanics. There is usually a lever inside the car to "pop" this open. Know where this lever is to avoid looking like a fool. Once you pop this lever, there is usually another lever just underneath the hood that allows you to open it up. Know where this is as well, to avoid looking like even more of a fool. In fact, practice this daily, when checking your oil. One more thing--in older cars the hood opens from the windshield side, in newer ones, it opens from the very front of the car.
Manual Transmission
Also known as 5-speed, and stick shift. With this car, you must shift gears on your own. You do this by compressing the clutch and moving the "stick" from one gear to the next one in sequence. Usually the shifting sequence looks like this:
Master cylinder
Directs the flow of brake fluid to the brakes when you press the brake pedal.
Neutral
In an automatic this is represented by "N." In a manual this is anytime you are not in a gear, if the stick is just hanging out in the middle of the pattern. In this position, the car will roll if on a hill or pushed, which is handy if you run out of gas, but not so handy if you're parked and don't want to move. Basically the way it works, is that all gears are disengaged, so there is nothing holding the car in place.
Oil
See "Engine Oil"
Overdrive
Only seen in automatic transmissions. Denoted by a "D" encircled by an "O." If you have this gear, you should always use it, because it has one more gear than drive. This means that at higher speeds your car will not have to run at such a high RPM, thus saving you gas. This usually has 4 or 5 gears.
Overheating
Your car's engine becomes too hot and shuts itself down. You can prevent this by turning the heat up, which pulls heat away from the engine. This most commonly happens in the summer when stuck in traffic. That is because, when you are not moving, the radiator gets little air, which means the engine coolant heats up, especially in the summer, which means it cannot work as well to cool the engine off.
Park
AKA the parking brake. This is not really a gear but it's included in their roster in an automatic. Manual transmissions do not have this. When your car is in this "gear," it is locked up, it will not move, no matter how hard you push the gas pedal, much like neutral, only your car will not roll. Unless your car is on a hill, this will be the only brake you need to use to keep the car from rolling. Using the "emergency brake" all the time will only wear it out. Espcially if you forget to take it off before moving. Do not put your car into this gear unless it has completely stopped moving. If you put your car into this while in motion, you will probably be shot right through the front window, seatbelt or not. It would be a repeat of the Chris Reeves horsing accident, essentially.
Parking brake
See Park.
Radiator
The radiator is what keeps your engine cool enough to run. Newer cars will have a back-up fan, too keep the engine from overheating in emergencies. The radiator is located at the front of your car. Air from the vent in the front, while the car is moving, keeps the engine coolant in the radiator cool. The engine coolant then is pumped through the engine chamber and cools off the engine. Do not open this while the car is hot!! It is pressurized, and once you start opening the cap it could shoot off. In the old days, radiators would be filled with water because it was cheaper, but it would have to be replaced more often. The radiator is located right behind the vent at the front of your car, it is just a thin, long box. It's more complicated than that, but that's what it looks like.
Rear wheel drive
The back axle has power, pushes the car forward or pulls it backward. In slick weather these cars are dangerous because the back end of your car weighs very little, giving the wheels very little grip. If you have a rear wheel drive car, you will want some weight in the trunk, like sand bags. You can buy them at a Home Depot type place. Get heavier bags for a bigger car. For example, I had two 70 pound bags for a convertible. This weight will keep your car on the road, and keep you from spinning or fishtailing, but drive slowly anyway.
Reverse
Propells the car in a backwards motion. In both a manual and automatic it is represented by "R." Stop moving forward before shifting into this gear, otherwise you will grind your gears. There is just one gear in reverse, so don't try to go to fast, or you'll kill your engine.
Rods
A part of the engine, which is damaged when the RPMs get into the red zone, or there is not enough engine oil. To throw a rod means that it was moving so quickly that it came lose. The engine is all metal, so it probably won't shoot out of the engine, but it will knock around in your engine, and rip it apart pretty quickly. So don't rev the car into the red zone, or let your car get low on oil.
RPM (Revolutions per Minute)
How many times the engine turns over (just a figure of speech, the engine itself is fixed, the parts inside turn) in a minute. Maybe you've noticed the odometer on your car? That tells you the RPMs. At a certain point the numbers are red instead of white or yellow. When your engine turns that fast, it is dangerous. I'm not exactly sure what happens, but it's not good. The higher your RPM, the louder your car is. Those of you with automatics may notice your car kind of revs up and gets quiet again, and again, while you're excelerating? That's the RPM noise. It is loudest right before your car shifts. The higher RPM you maintain, the more gas you use.
Seatbelt
This is a very difficult one for people to understand. It is a strap that goes around your waist and (usually) chest, that keeps you from flying out of the car in an accident (Autounfall). Use it!
Shifting
In a manual transmission, this means to take your foot off the gas, compress the clutch and move the stick from one gear to the next one in sequence, and then lift the clutch while pressing down the gas, to keep the engine from dying. You know to shift when the RPMs get to a certain level, usually about 3000, depending on how quickly you want to accelerate. If you really want to accelerate quickly you let the RPMs get higher before you shift, but don't go into the red zone! With an automatic transmission the car does all of this for you, monitoring the RPMs and shifting appropriately. It will even downshift for you when going uphill in top gear.
Shotgun
AKA the front passenger seat. The rules for "calling" shotgun are simple. You must be able to see the car, and you must be the first to say it, you must also be outside. Other ways of getting the front seat include racing to the car. If you're democratic, you may just take turns, but where is the fun in that?
Stick shift
See "Manual transmission"
Transmission
The part of the car which has the gears. In a manual, you tell the car what gear to be in, with an automatic the cars does it on it's own. Automatic transmissions usually have more problems than manuals.
Transmission Fluid
Lubricates automatic transmissions, level can be checked using a dip stick. With out enough of this fluid (8 or 9 quarts) your car will not be able to stay in gear, or shift out of first or second. This is very debilitating, essentially your car will be undrivable. I know this because it's happened to me. Don't let this happen to you!
Don't see something? Don't understand something? Let me know!