The catalytic converter converts pollutants in exhaust gas into less pollutant substances like carbon dioxide and water.

In a four-stroke cycle engine there is always one piston delivering power, one exhausting gases, one drawing in the air-fuel mixture, and one compressing that mixture.

A differential is designed to drive a pair of wheels while allowing them to rotate at different speeds. A transaxle is a transmission that incorporates the differential in one package. Most front-wheel drive cars use a transaxle while rear-wheel drive cars use a transmission and separate differential connected via a drive shaft. The differential is incorporated into the drive axle which splits engine power delivered by the drive shaft between the two drive wheels. All-wheel drive cars typically use a transaxle that includes an output shaft to the rear differential.

The stoichiometric ratio defines the proper ratio of air to fuel necessary so that an engine burns all fuel with no excess air. For gasoline fuel, the stoichiometric ratio is about 14.7:1 or for every one gram of fuel, 14.7 grams of air are required. Too much air results in a lean air-fuel mixture that burns more slowly and hotter while too much fuel results in a rich mixture that burns quicker and cooler.

An independent suspension allows the wheels on either side of an axle to move independently from each other. The fact that the left front wheel didn't move up in response to the right front wheel moving down is evidence of this.