Balance Shaft
Some engines have an inherent rocking motion that produces an annoying vibration while running. To combat this, engineers employ one or more balance shafts. A balance shaft is a heavy shaft that runs through the engine parallel to the Crankshaft. This shaft has large weights that, while spinning, offset the rocking motion of the engine by creating an opposite rocking motion of their own (aka. Counterweights). |
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Ball Joint
A ball joint is a part of a vehicle front suspension. Most cars have one or two ball joints at each front wheel. When a ball joint becomes bad, a vehicle could be unsafe to drive; a ball joint, when badly worn, can disjoin causing the vehicle to lose control unexpectedly.
:: Click for detailed Ball Joint information |
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Battery
The battery is the backbone of the electrical system. Most cars use a lead-acid battery. The battery is made of a plastic case, containing an arrangement of positive and negative lead plates separated by synthetic plate separators. The plates are connected to a set of terminals, which provide connection to the vehicle. The battery is filled with electrolyte, a mixture of sulfuric acid and water. The electrolyte and lead plates provide the chemical action necessary to store and release energy.
:: Click for detailed Battery information |
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Bearings
Bearings are the load-carriers inside virtually every part of the drivetrain. Bearings have numerous types of designs for different applications. Typical automotive designs include: tapered roller, straight roller, flat, ball, and needle bearings. Bearings usually receive lubrication from the main component where they’re located, but there are some bearings that need cleaning and lubrication as regular maintenance. Bearings are used to support loads and reduce friction of rotating parts in transmissions/transaxles, transfer cases, universal joints, front and rear drive axles, axle hubs, and wheel hubs among others.
:: Click for detailed Bearings information |
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BioDiesel - Fuel
Biodiesel has received increasing attention during the last several years because it is perceived to be an environmentally friendly fuel. In Europe, it is primarily produced from rapeseed oil, and in the United States, it is derived from soybean oil. Biodiesel is produced by chemically reacting an animal fat or vegetable oil with an excess of alcohol (usually methanol) in the presence of a catalyst to produce alkyl monoesters from the fatty acids present in the oil. These esters are usually referred to as biodiesel. They may be used neat or in blends with diesel fuel.
:: Click for detailed BioDiesel - Fuel information |
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Blow Off Valve
The Compressor Bypass Valve (CBV), also known as a blow-off valve, helps to keep the Turbo spinning when the driver lets off the throttle.
Without a CBV, the throttle plate would close, creating a wall to the pressurized air wooshing out of the turbo. The air would crash into the closed plate, then air behind it would pile up, and eventually a wave of pressure would travel back to the turbo. Besides being a shock to the turbo, it would basically cause the turbo to come to a stop.
:: Click for detailed Blow Off Valve information |
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Bluetooth
Bluetooth - is an industrial specification for wireless personal area networks (PANs). Bluetooth provides a way to connect and exchange information between devices like personal digital assistants (PDAs), mobile phones, laptops, PCs, printers and digital cameras via a secure, low-cost, globally available short range radio frequency. |
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BMW Assist
A telematics system with emergency call features and information services e.g. current traffic information.
A subsystem of BMW's ConnectedDrive |
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BMW Night Vision
Uses an infrared camera with a 36° (at the time of writing) wide-angle lens. It creates an image of the surroundings based on heat: warm objects such as animals or pedestrians appear as bright shapes. This image is displayed in black and white on the display monitor. The camera can detect forms up to 300 metres away, giving the driver plenty of warning about forthcoming obstacles. Driving at 100 km/h, for example, this equals seven seconds: more than enough time to take evasive action if required. A digital zoom feature can zoom in on objects far away if driving with higher speeds.
:: Click for detailed BMW Night Vision information |
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BMW Online
Enables the driver to access e-mail, news and stock market updates on the road.
A subsystem of BMW's ConnectedDrive |
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BMW TeleServices
Communicates directly with your BMW Service partners to ensure they have all the information they need to prepare for your next vehicle service appointment. Finally, the various driver assistant systems support the driver by enhancing vehicle safety – without diminishing the unique pleasure of driving a BMW. |
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BMW Tracking
Uses an integrated tracking module to enable the vehicle to be quickly located in the event of theft.
A subsystem of BMW's ConnectedDrive |
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Boost Controller
The purpose of a boost controller is to create a "controlled leak" in the feedback line to the wastegate. This effectively "tricks" the wastegate into sensing a lower pressure than actually exists, therefore delaying the opening of the wastegate. In turn higher boost pressures to be achieved.
:: Click for detailed Boost Controller information |
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Bore
aka. Cylinder Bore : The internal surface of a cylindrical volume used to retain and seal a moving piston and ring assembly. "Bore" is commonly used to refer to the cylinder bore diameter, unusually measured in inches or millimeters. Bore surfaces are machined or ground precisely to afford an optimum ring seal and minimum friction with the moving piston and rings. |
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Brake Assist
During an emergency, your foot comes off the throttle and on to the brake pedal faster than normal, which you then depress with more urgency than usual. This is registered by on-board sensors.
Next, a brake pedal load-sensing switch and speed sensor determine if you have braked hard enough. If not, the system instantly determines how much extra braking force is required. Then the brake actuator distributes the extra braking force to all four wheels to help you achieve smooth, safe, maximum braking.
It all happens in a split second and is so unobtrusive that you'll probably never know that Brake Assist has been at work. |
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Brake Booster
The brake booster(aka. Vacum Brake Booster) uses the differential of engine vacuum (negative pressure) and atmospheric pressure (positive pressure) to multiply force from the driver’s leg. This applies increased force to the pushrod of the master cylinder, generating more pressure from the master cylinder than from use of the driver’s leg alone.
:: Click for detailed Brake Booster information |
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Brake Drying
Periodically and transparently dries the brake pads on the rotors based on input from the rain sensing wipers to ensure maximum performance regardless of weather conditions. |
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Brake Energy Regeneration
The alternator is activated only when you take your foot from the accelerator or apply the brake. The kinetic energy that would otherwise go to waste is now used efficiently, converted into electricity by the generator and stored in the battery.
Producing electricity in this highly efficient way delivers an additional advantage: when you apply the accelerator, the generator is deactivated - so the full power of the engine can be directed to the drive wheels.
Brake Energy Efficiency thus increases fuel efficiency while simultaneously enhancing driving dynamics. As a safety precaution, the Brake Energy Regeneration system monitors the level of battery charge and will, if necessary, continue to charge the battery even during acceleration to prevent a complete discharging of the battery.
By charging the battery only when the car is braking, coasting or decelerating, Brake Energy Regeneration improves fuel efficiency by up to three percent and ensures that the full power of your engine is available for acceleration. |
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Brake Fade
This refers to a reduction of braking effectiveness caused by brake overheating. It can occur during excessively long and hard brake applications, and can be reduced with ventilated disc brakes. |
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Brake Fade Compensation
System that recognizes heat-induced brake fade, as might occur going down a long, steep hill, and increases hydraulic pressure so you don’t have to push harder on the brakes. |
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Brake Fluid
A specially formulated liquid used in the brake hydraulic system. Brake fluid must meet one of three U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) specifications. DOT3 and DOT4 are glycol-based fluids, which absorb water. DOT5 is a silicone-based fluid and does not absorb water. The main difference is that DOT3 and DOT4 absorb water, while DOT5 doesn't. Most cars use DOT 3 fluid from the factory.
:: Click for detailed Brake Fluid information |
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Brake Force Display
A simple yet effective way of communicating to following traffic that the car in front is stopping quickly, providing extra advance warning of a potential road hazard ahead. This should help lessen the need for harsh emergency braking by following drivers who now have extra reaction time.
:: Click for detailed Brake Force Display information |
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Brake Horsepower
Brake horsepower (aka.bhp) is always measured at the flywheel or crankshaft by a "brake" or absorbing unit. Gross brake horsepower describes the power output of an engine in stripped-down, "race-ready" trim. Net brake horsepower measures the power at the flywheel when the engine is tested with all standard accessories attached and functioning. |
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Brake Troubleshooting
This is a quick Brake Troubleshooting guide ..
How often should my brakes be checked by a competent mechanic?
Of course much depends on the type of driving you do - city verses highway, etc. - but you should have them inspected at least every 24,000 miles. Check your owner's manual or come on by and we will inspect them for free.
:: Click for detailed Brake Troubleshooting information |
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BTDC
Before Top Dead Center : Any position of the piston in the cylinder bore before its highest point in the stroke (TDC). BTDC is measured in degrees of crankshaft rotation before TDC. For example, the point at which the intake valve opens (IVO) may be indicated as 30-degrees BTDC. In other words, the intake valve would open 30 degrees before the intake stroke begins (the intake stroke begins at TDC). |
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Bumper Bars - Brief History
In 1925, front and rear bumpers became standard equipment on all cars. What were then simple metal beams that attached to the front and rear of a car have evolved into complex, engineered components that are integral to the protection of the vehicle in low-speed collisions. The majority of modern plastic bumper system fascias are made of thermoplastic olefins (TPOs), polycarbonates, polyesters, polypropylene, polyurethanes, polyamides, or blends of these with, for instance, glass fibers, for strength and structural rigidity.
The use of plastic in bumpers and fascias gives designers a tremendous amount of freedom when it comes to styling a prototype vehicle, or improving an existing model. Plastic can be styled for both aesthetic and functional reasons in many ways without greatly affecting the cost of production. Plastic bumpers contain reinforcements that allow them to be as impact-resistant as metals while being less expensive to replace than their metal equivalents. Plastic bumpers generally expand at the same rate as metal bumpers under normal driving temperatures and do not usually require special fixtures to keep them in place. |
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