1. Rotors
   Brake pads
2. Transmission
   Bell housing

When you apply pressure to your brake pedal, a series of car parts work together to help you stop. The brake pads like the ones in this photo work by applying pressure to the rotor. The friction helps you slow down.

1. Strut
   Shock absorber
2. Shock
   Control arm

You can thank your smooth ride for your suspension system including struts. Struts offer support for your car's handling, braking and riding comfort by working to keep your wheels as equally balanced as possible.

1. AC compressor
   Heater coil
2. Valve cover
   Radiator

Usually found at the very front of your car near the fan, you will find your radiator. The radiator has an important job keeping your engine's temperature running at just the right level. It is also where you would add coolant--never while it's hot, though!

1. Air filter
   Oil filter
2. Fuel filter
   Cabin filter

During normal use, the constant combustion can cause contaminants to build up in your engine. By having your oil filter replaced when you have your oil changed, you are reducing the carbon, dirt, and small particles that might be found in your oil.

1. Fuel pump
   Fuel filter
2. Carburetor
   Accelerator

In order for your car to move, combustion has to happen within the carburetor. The carburetor also controls the proper ration of air and fuel, which results in controlling your car's speed.

1. Serpentine belt
   Timing chain
2. Alternator
   Exhaust valve

In order for your engine's intake and exhaust valves to open and close at the proper times, the timing chain, or timing belt, handles the job. By syncing up the rotation of the crankshaft, the timing chain keeps everything running like clockwork.

1. Rotors
   Brake caliper
2. Brake pads
   Brake fluid reservoir

After you press your brake, the brake calipers squeeze your brake pads onto a rotor like the one in this picture. When your rotors become worn, they can create a lot of problems. Check your manufacturer's recommendation for when you should have them turned.

1. Timing belt
   Fan belt
2. V-belt
   Serpentine belt

The serpentine belt is the longest belt under your car's hood. It is responsible for delivering power to several of your engine's parts. The serpentine belt helps power the alternator, the power steering pump and the air conditioning compressor.

1. Oil stick
   Engine oil meter
2. Oil monitor
   Dipstick

For your engine to run at its most efficient, you must monitor your oil levels. To check your oil, you would look for a small stick near your engine's block. It is called the dipstick, and it is marked with measurements to let you know how much oil your car needs.

1. Spark plug
   Fuel injector
2. Fuel filter
   Piston

After burning gasoline expands, it needs to be pushed out of the cylinder and into the crankshaft. Pistons are the car part responsible for transferring the energy from burning fuel to your car's cylinders.

1. Exhaust valve
   Intake valve
2. Manifold
   Catalytic converter

As burning fuel and steam pressurize your engine, the emissions need somewhere to go. Thanks to the exhaust valve, these emissions and fluids are pushed into the exhaust manifold and into your car's exhaust system.

1. Shock
   Strut
2. Control arm
   Axle

Your car's suspension system is comprised of many stabilizing parts. One of the most important parts, the control arm, connects parts of your suspension system to the frame of the car and helps your car to react to every bump and curve with ease.

1. Head gasket
   Transmission
2. Bell housing
   Gear shift

A machine within a machine, your transmission is the car part which transfers speed and torque to the part of the car that makes it move. Inside the transmission, you will find a gearbox that contains both gears and gear trains.

1. Dead axle
   Crankshaft
2. Driveshaft
   Drive axle

Beneath your car, there are two types of axles. The drive axle, like the one you see in the photo, is responsible for connecting to the drive train. When it spins, it causes the wheel assembly to move.

1. Fuel injector
   Fuel pump
2. Fuel filter
   Inlet manifold

The fuel injector might be small, but it has a big job delivering fuel into the main combustion chamber. Every cylinder of a vehicle has a separate fuel injector, and some models have one or two located on the intake manifold.

1. Strut
   Control arm
2. Shock absorber
   Spring

Without the shock absorbers, your vehicle's tires wouldn't hold the road properly. Ride in a car with bad shock absorbers and you'd better have a good chiropractor!

1. AC Compressor
   Condenser
2. Receiver dryer
   Evaporator

While you might think there's an ice chest under your car's hood that controls your air conditioning, it is actually a series of parts including the AC compressor. The compressor is responsible for adding refrigerant to hot air to cool it before it comes through your vents.

1. Exhaust manifold
   Oxygen sensor
2. Exhaust joint
   Muffler

Working together with the other parts of your car's exhaust system, the muffler is the car part that helps keep engine noise to a minimum. Don't get this and the catalytic converter confused!

1. Battery
   Spark plug
2. Alternator
   Fuse

Although car batteries are capable of holding their charge for a long while, they do need to be recharged. Luckily, your car's alternator acts like a generator, recharges the batter, and supplies electricity to your car's other systems.

1. Air filter
   Oil filter
2. Fuel filter
   Windscreen

Most car manufacturers recommend that you should have your air filter changed every 15,000-30,000 miles. Air filters are essential to the breathing your car needs to do. They help to filter out dirt and other impurities.

1. Muffler
   Exhaust joint
2. Catalytic converter
   Intake manifold

During normal use, gasoline-powered cars create emissions that include carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides which are responsible for both smog and acid rain. The catalytic converter assists with reducing emissions by converting harmful pollutants into less harmful forms.

1. Intake manifold
   Receiver dryer
2. Air filter
   Exhaust pipe

Your car's engine needs air to do a lot of things. In an injected type of combustion system, the intake manifold works to push air directly into each cylinder. In other types of engines, it distributes an even stream of the combustion mixture.

1. Head gasket
   Idler arm
2. Water sensor
   Piston ring

Without the piston rings, your car's combustion chamber would be left exposed. The piston rings act as sealed barriers between the chamber and the air flow or water flow that may interrupt proper engine performance.

1. Clutch
   Flywheel
2. Ignition switch
   Gearbox

If you've ever driven a car with a manual transmission, you have used a clutch. The clutch is more than the pedal on the floor--the clutch is the car part that allows shifting.

1. Drive axle
   Crankshaft
2. Dead axle
   Flywheel

Your car is able to move thanks to the crankshaft. The crankshaft is connected to your car's pistons via a connecting rod. When the crankshaft rotates, it powers the drive train of your car.

1. Flywheel
   Piston rod
2. Wheel stud
   Dipstick

Your car's flywheel stores rotational energy that connects to your car's gearbox. It is also connected to the crankshaft by the piston rods. When all of the parts work together, the torque it creates allows your car to slow down, speed up or stop.

1. Bell housing
   Radiator
2. Cylinder block
   Transmission

Sitting at the top of your engine, the cylinder block houses many of your car's vital pieces and parts. Inside the cylinder block, you can find the cylinders with their respective pistons and rods.

1. Battery
   Alternator
2. Starter motor
   Fusebox

Although we tend to think that the car's battery powers the car, it is a myth. In fact, the car's battery simply provides the electricity necessary to power the car's starter motor. From that point on, the alternator powers your car's electrical system.

1. Water pump
   Water filter
2. AC Compressor
   Radiator

It might not be the largest part under your hood, but your car's water pump is vital. The water pump makes sure to regulate the flow of water to the radiator, hoses and the engine block to keep your car running at the correct temperature.

1. Steering column
   Power steering pump
2. Driveshaft
   Clutch

Filled with hydraulic steering fluid, your power steering pump lets your car steer with ease. Although it is possible to drive short distances with a faulty power steering pump, steering becomes as difficult as it was before the invention in 1951.

1. Head gasket
   Piston ring
2. Heat shield
   V-belt

Sitting between the cylinder head and the engine block, the head gasket helps to prevent oil and coolant from mixing together. Inside the engine block, both coolant and oil flow in separate places.

1. Heat shield
   Condenser
2. Heat pump
   Heater core

When you activate your car's heater, warm coolant is pumped into the heater core. There, the heater core acts as a heat exchanger that allows warmed air to be directed to your car's vents.

1. Serpentine belt
   Timing belt
2. V-belt
   Drive belt

V-belts are smaller than belts like the serpentine belt, but they are no less important. V-belts are the types of belts that help to power other car parts like the alternator, power steering pump and the fan.

1. Radiator
   Condenser
2. Grill
   Air intake

Located between your car's grill and the radiator, the condenser is the car part responsible for holding the refrigerant necessary to power your air conditioning. Once liquidized by the condenser, the refrigerant is then pumped to an evaporator in your car's cabin.

1. Catalytic converter
   Intake manifold
2. Oxygen sensor
   Fuel monitor

In order for the proper fuel and air mixture to be sent to your car's engine, the levels of oxygen need to be monitored. The oxygen sensor lets your car's fuel system know how much unused oxygen remains in your exhaust so that it can adjust accordingly.

1. Fan motor
   Starter motor
2. Power steering pump
   Piston rod

After a lot of use, a car's starter motor can wear out. The starter motor is the car part that receives electricity from the battery. Once it starts your car, the alternator takes over power duty from there.

1. Heater core
   Fan motor
2. Heat exchanger
   AC Compressor

In order for warm air to reach your car's cabin, hot fluid must be converted to warm air. The heat exchanger's function is to transfer one source of heat to another. Your car has one in the form of the radiator and another in the form of a heater core.

1. Carburetor
   Fuel injector
2. Evaporator
   Pressure plate

When driving a car with a manual transmission, you must use a clutch to shift gears. The pressure plate allows for the clutch to operate by providing friction to stop a spinning flywheel. When the pressure plate begins to age, shifting becomes more difficult or erratic.

1. Throttle
   Fuel monitor
2. Oxygen sensor
   Valve ring

When you want your car to go faster, you press the gas pedal, which activates the throttle. The throttle allows for an increase or a decrease of the flow of fuel to your car's engine.

1. Idler arm
   Shock absorber
2. Control arm
   Strut

To stabilize your car's steering, the idler arm is connected to your car's frame and your car's steering mechanisms. It is a pivoting car part that supports the center part of your car's steering linkage.