Automotive Terms Dictionary

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Electrolyte
Any solution that conducts an electrical current, such as a mixture of sulfuric acid and distilled water found in automotive batteries.

Electronic Fuel Injection System
A system that injects fuel into the engine and includes an electronic control unit to time and meter the fuel flow.

Electronic Ignition System
An ignition system that uses transistors and other semiconductor devices as an electronic switch to turn the primary current on and off.

EPA Fuel Economy Rating
Comparative mileage figures generated from laboratory fuel-economy tests administered by the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) using simulated weight and drag to approximate real driving conditions.

Exhaust-Gas Recirculation (EGR)
An exhaust-emission control system in which a portion of the exhaust gas is picked up from the exhaust manifold and sent back to the intake manifold t be reburned in the engine. Mixing exhaust gases with the fresh air/fuel mixture lowers the combustion temperature and reduces the formation of oxides of nitrogen in the exhaust.

Exhaust Manifold
The network of passages that gathers the exhaust gases from the various exhaust ports and routes them toward the catalyst, the muffler and the exhaust system.