Vehicle explorer
Explore the whole car
Vehicle explorer
The whole car
Whole vehicle shown.
Text version
The car, system by system
Everything the 3D explorer shows, in words. The car is laid out as a front-engined, front-wheel-drive car with the engine mounted across the nose — the most common arrangement for everyday cars.
Body & exterior
The body is the car’s protective shell. It carries the loads fed in by the wheels, keeps the occupants safe in a crash and shapes the air flowing past.
WhereEverything you see from outside: roof, pillars, sills, floor, glazing, two doors and front and rear clamshells that tilt open.
PartsBody shell, Front clamshell, Rear clamshell, Doors, Windscreen, Cabin
Engine & fuel
The engine turns the chemical energy in fuel into a turning force at the crankshaft. The fuel tank stores the fuel, and the accelerator pedal tells the engine how much power you want.
WhereUnder the front clamshell, ahead of the front wheels. The fuel tank sits low, just ahead of the rear axle, and the accelerator pedal is in the footwell.
PartsEngine, Accelerator pedal, Fuel tank and line
Show in 3DLesson: The Four-Stroke CycleFour-Stroke Engine Laboratory
Transmission & drivetrain
The drivetrain carries the engine’s turning force to the driven wheels. Gears trade speed for torque, and a differential lets the two wheels turn at different speeds in a corner.
WhereBolted to the left-hand end of the engine, with the final drive on the front axle line and driveshafts running out to both front wheels.
PartsClutch and bellhousing, Transaxle (gearbox), Final drive and differential, Driveshafts
Show in 3DLesson: Drivetrain LayoutsManual Gearbox Laboratory
Brakes
The brakes turn the car’s movement energy into heat. Pressing the pedal pushes fluid through the pipes to the calipers, which squeeze pads against a disc spinning with each wheel.
WhereA disc and caliper inside each wheel, the pedal in the footwell and the servo and master cylinder on the bulkhead in front of it.
PartsBrake discs, Brake calipers, Brake pedal, Brake servo and master cylinder, Brake pipes
Suspension & wheels
The suspension lets each wheel rise and fall over bumps while keeping the tyre pressed onto the road, so the car stays comfortable and keeps its grip.
WhereAt all four corners, just inboard of each wheel.
PartsWheels, Tyres, Coil springs, Dampers (shock absorbers), Control arms, Rear hubs and stub axles
Steering
Turning the steering wheel spins a small pinion gear that slides a toothed rack sideways. Tie rods at each end of the rack swivel the front wheels.
WhereSteering wheel and column in the centre of the cabin; the rack runs across the car just behind the front axle line and links to both front hubs.
PartsSteering wheel, Steering column, Rack-and-pinion steering gear, Tie rods
Electrical system
A 12-volt battery starts the engine and powers the car while it is parked. Once the engine runs, a belt-driven alternator supplies the electrical loads and recharges the battery.
WhereBattery in the front right-hand corner of the engine bay; alternator and starter motor mounted on the engine.
Parts12 V battery, Alternator, Starter motor, Battery cables
Cooling system
The cooling system carries surplus heat away from the engine. Coolant flows through passages around the cylinders, then through the radiator at the front, where passing air takes the heat away.
WhereRadiator and fan at the very front, ahead of the engine, joined to it by hoses.
PartsRadiator, Cooling fan, Coolant hoses
Exhaust system
The exhaust collects the hot gas leaving the engine, cleans it in a catalytic converter, quietens it and releases it behind the car.
WhereFrom the back of the engine, down and along the centre of the floor, past the fuel tank to a silencer behind the rear axle.
PartsExhaust manifold, Catalytic converter, Exhaust pipework, Rear silencer