Matt's Old Cars.com

Fiddling with Rambler's since 1995

Technical Information

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Automotive Dictionary

This page is a list of some lesser known automotive terms likely to be used on this web site. If you find a term you don't know the meaning of, send it to Contact Form and I'll post the definition here.

3-Link - A variation on the 4-link suspension described below. An upper link is typically removed. This arrangement was used on lower powered cars to reduce cost.
4-Link - A suspension setup that uses 4 rods (or links) to locate an axle. Depending on the arrangement of the links, a panhard rod or watts link may be used to control side to side motion. This type of suspension was used in most American designed rear wheel drive cars built from the 60's, 70's, and 80's.
Drive Gear - This is a gear connected directly to a power source.
Driven Gear - This is a gear that meshes with a drive gear. It turns in the reverse direction of the drive gear it meshes with.
Kneuter Valve - This is the part that usually causes weird problems with a car (like when it stalls making a left hand turn past a church on the third Wednesday after a new moon) when it fails.
Ladder Bars - Rigid triangular suspension devices used to locate an axle front to rear. These are used almost exclusively in drag race cars due to the fact that they bind when cornering. A panhard rod or a watts link is used to locate the axle side to side.
Panhard Rod - A device used to control side to side motion in a ladder bar, torque-tube, or 4-link rear suspension. A panhard rod connects one side of the axle with the opposite side of the car. These rods induce some side to side motion in the car as the suspension travels up and down.
Torque-tube - A large diameter tube that connects the transmission and the axle and locates the axle front to rear. A panhard rod controls side to side motion. This was the factory setup on most AMC's made before 1967.
Watts Link - A device used to control side to side motion in a ladder bar, torque-tube, or 4-link rear suspension. A watts link has a pivot point in the center of the axle and a rod that runs to each side of the car. This design eliminate the side to side motion of a panhard rod.

Last Updated 01/05/04 08:48:47 PM