abacall

As suggested by one of the members, we need a place to look for when we don't know what an acronym means and what it is.

Please feel free to submit any words and questions. I will post all new questions and entries here.
If there are empty slots, please submit a definition. Also let me know if there are any mistakes or updates.
This is a very basic list and is meant to only give some background knowledge. Please do your own research to verify information and use common sense. Even though I will do what I can to verify information, and so will the rest of our members, this is the internet and not all you read is perfectly true all the time.

Also, if you need to find an acronym/term do the following:
Hit control+F on your keyboard. Type in the the desired acronym/term and hit enter. The Find feature will search the document for the acronym you entered.

__________________
My Foz is gone
But the STi lives!

abacall

Thread Starter

Numbers

5MT (Five Speed Manual Transmission) Refers to a five speed manual transmission

6MT (Six Speed Manual Transmission) Refers to a six speed manual transmission

4EAT (Four Speed Electronic Automatic Transmission) Refers to a four speed electronically controlled automatic transmission

5EAT (Five Speed Electronic Automatic Transmission) Refers to a five speed electronically controlled automatic transmission


A

AB: (Axleback) Refers to the section of the exhaust system that goes from the rear axle back to the end (tip). Includes the muffler and tip. Connects to the midpipe on a stock exhaust system

AFR: (Air fuel ratio) Ratio of air to fuel. See Lean and Rich.

Air Intake: The intake is simply the system the motor uses to suck in the air that it needs to burn the fuel.
However, typically in the performance oriented discussion, intakes refer to anything that replaces the stock airbox and snorkus assembly with a high flow tube or other type of box. Typically made from aluminum piping with a high flow air filter on the end. Two main types seen here in the US, short ram (draws air in from engine bay, filter situated in engine bay) and CAI (cold air intake, draws cold air from the fenderwell, air filter can be a little tricky to change). Other types are pod (similar to shortram) and induction box (similar to stock, freer flowing). SPT intake is a shortram and will not hurt your A/F ratios. Other known good are APS,COBB, ProDrive and K&N. Beware that many aftermarket systems can damage the MAF sensors and/or can cause the engine to run lean.

AVCS: (Active Valve Control System)

AVLS: (Active Valve Lift System) Subaru's answer to VTEC. Controls the camshafts intake profile to allow for lower and higher end power. The cam effectively has two profiles. One for 'round the town power, and one for kickn' arse power. The profile shifts depending on many variables.


B

Backpressure: The pressure created on the exhaust gas from having to bend and turn through the pipes on it's way out.

BHP: (Brake Horsepower) Horsepower measured BEFORE transmission, also referred to as crank horsepower.

Boost: Positive manifold pressure. Blow.

Boost creep/spike: Can be caused by a variety of reasons. Boost creep or spike is when you are getting a momentary spike in boost pressure. This can lead to lower overall boost and can even blow up your engine.

Boost Gauge: A boost gauge shows the driver how much vacuum and boost is in the tapped line. This usually give a good indication of the turbo is making the amount of desired pressure in the intake manifold. Gauge info

Boost Leak: Can be caused by a variety of reasons. Boost leak is when you are getting less pressure than you should be into your intake manifold. For example, your are only getting 8.5 psi when you should be getting 11.5 psi.

Boost threshold: The lowest RPM at which a turbo will generate positive manifold pressure at maximum engine load.


BOV: (Blow-Off Valve) Three main types:
Recirculating: Like stock it recirculates the air back into the intake tract.
Atmospherically venting: Vents the charge to the atmosphere. Can cause poor idling and will result in running rich between shifts as the ecm (ecu) has already compensated for this post MAF breath of fresh air.
50/50 / hybrid: Recirculates some of the charge back to the intake and some to the atmosphere. The point of an Atmospherically venting BOV is to call attention to yourself. Some people enjoy the sounds they make.


C

CAN: (Controller Area Network)

Controller-area network - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Cat: (Catalytic Converter) Catalytic converter is a device used to reduce the toxicity of emissions from an internal combustion engine. A catalytic converter provides an environment for a chemical reaction wherein toxic combustion by-products are converted to less-toxic substances. 03-05 models have 3. One on the up pipe, and 2 on the downpipe. 06+ models only have 2, on the downpipe

CBE: (Catback Exhaust) Refers to the section of the exhaust system that goes from the stock catalytic converter location(about where the front axle is) back to the end (tip). Includes midpipe, axleback (muffler). This will connect to the cat on a stock exhaust system, or to the downpipe on an aftermarket unit.

CEL : (Check Engine Light) That annoying little amber light on your cluster.

CO2 – Carbon Dioxide

Compressor: The side of turbo that compresses the intake charge. AKA the cold side.


D

DOHC : Double Overhead Camshaft

DP: (Downpipe) Flows the exhaust gases from the turbo back to the center pipe
Downpipe info

E

EBC: (Electronic Boost Controller) A way to control the amount of boost fed to the engine with an electronic unit.

EGT: (Exhaust Gas Temperature) Forester XT models have a probe in the uppipe to monitor exhaust temperatures. Too high EGT can cause a catalyst to burn up, too low can cause the catalyst to beome plugged. High EGT is often caused by running too lean, low EGT can be caused by running rich.
04 and 05's have the cat in the uppipe - later ones are catless.

EJ205 - Subaru 2.0 Litre Turbo (SF5 UK/Euro Spec)

EJ25: Subaru 2.5 litre 4-cylinder engine code (NA SG9 Forester)

EJ255: Subaru 2.5 litre turbo engine (SG9 Forester XT and MY06+ WRX)

EJ257: Subaru 2.5 litre turbo engine (US WRX STi, possibly the MY06+ STi)

EDM: (European Domestic Market) Refers to parts that are originally available on vehicles manufactured for sale in Europe

ECU: (Engine Control Unit) The computer controlling the engine

EM: (Engine Management) The addition of a stand-alone or piggyback engine management solution
EM info

EL: (Equal length) Refers to the length of headers, or exhaust manifold. The piping length is equidistant from the engine outlet to the header outlet for all piping. This gets rid of the "Boxer Rumble" and replaces it with a normal exhaust tone.
Unabomber thread for more info

Exhaust: The gases expelled by the motor from burning fuel and air.Exhaust info

Exhaust Manifold: (Header) Header info

F

Flash : Reprogramming the ECU

FMIC: (Front Mount Intercooler) An intercooler mounted in front of the motor. An intercooler cools the pressurized air from the turbo. The cooling allows for safer operation of the turbo and allows more boost. Considered more efficient than its top mount counterparts due to the lack of heatsoak from the radiant engine heat. It should be noted that the increase in piping from the turbo to the intake manifold may increase lag.
FMIC info

FOD: (Foreign Object Damage) Often used in relation to a turbocharger failure, IE The damage to the exhaust turbine was FOD. Typically caused by a catalytic converter on the up pipe breaking up and getting sucked into the turbo. There are also cases where improper filtration can lead to material getting sucked up into the intake.

Foz/Fozzie/Forrie : Nickname for Forester, believed to be the best vehicle ever produced.

Fuel Injectors: Nozzles that spray fuel into the cylinders. Come in various sized that indicate flow (ex. 650cc, 750cc, 1000cc).
Fuel info


FX/FXS/FXT/FXST/FSTi: Shorthand for various Forester trim levels; Forester X, Forester XS, Forester XT, Forester Sports XT, Forester STi respectively.
Forester model/trim info & specs


G


H

H4 : Horizontally Opposed 4 cylinder (AKA boxer)

H6: Horizontally Opposed 6 cylinder (AKA boxer)


I

IDC: (Injector duty cycle) Usually discussed in % of max output. For example, if the IDC was at 80%, the fuel injectors were operating at 80% of their max flow capacity.

IHI : Manufacturer of turbos (the VF range)

Inlet pipe: Pipe that connects the turbocharger to the airbox.
Inlet Info

Intake Manifold: An intake manifold or inlet manifold is a part of an engine that supplies the fuel/air mixture to the cylinders.


J

JDM: (Japanese Domestic Market) Refers to parts that are originally available on vehicles manufactured for sale in Japan


K

kW: (Kilowatts) Generally a way to measure power in markets other than USDM

kW ATW: (Kilowatts At The Wheels) Measurement of kW power to the wheels.


L

Lean: Too much air, not enough fuel (very dangerous and leads to detonation and engine failure).


M

MAF (mass air flow) Device to measure the amount of air being used.

Map: A set of numbers controlling how the engine/turbo works over a range of revs and other parameters. Used by different forms of engine management solutions.
EM and map info

MBC: (Manual Boost Controller) A way to control the amount of boost fed to the engine with a mechanical unit.
Boost control info


Midpipe: Connects downpipe to muffler, often called center pipe

MIL: (Malfunction Indicator Lamp) A.k.a. CEL

Mod: (Modification) Changing a vehicles stock parts with either aftermarket or another models. Fun!

Muffler: (Canister) The large roundish canister at the end of your exhaust system. It quiets the exhaust system flow to tolerable levels. The different types allow more/less flow and change the sound of the exhaust system.

MPT : (Multi Plate Transfer)

MYxx: (Model Year xx) Describes the model year of the car. MY04 is Model Year 04.

N

N/A: (Naturally Aspirated) Refers to the non-turbo engines.

NVH: (Noise/Vibration/Harshness) Usually referred to when discussing bushing replacement and frame stiffening. Often these type of upgrades increase NVH in the vehicle.


O

OBD-II / OBD-2: (On board diagnostics 2) a standard for connecting to car ecu's for diagnostics, data logging and possibly flashing. Newer Foresters support OBD-II or CAN. Wiki info

OE (Original equipment): something that came as a stock part on a car eg. leather seats are OE in the luxury models. Effectively the opposite of aftermarket.

OEM (Original equipment manufacturer): a confusing term in that means stuff sold that was made by someone else. Generally in the car industry it means stuff sold by the manufacturer of the car, but that might be made by someone else (eg TD04 is OEM - sold by Subaru, but made by Mitsubishi Heavy Industry). Is occasionally misused in place original equipment (OE).

Off boost - When the engine is below its boost threshold. Often incorrectly called lag. eg. "below 3000rpm there was a lot of lag"


P

PCV: (Positive Crankcase Ventilation)

Pulley: Pulley info

PSI: (Pounds per square inch) A measure of air pressure used in the US. Usuallt referred when discussing pressure generated by the turbo

PZEV: (Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle) A vehicle that will sometimes emit no recognizable pollutants.



Q


R

Rich: Too much fuel, not enough air. Will not cause damage to the engine but leads to loss of power and increase in fuel consumption. Rich conditions may also foul spark plugs and lead to excess carbon deposits

RPM: (Revolution per minute) Usually used to express the speed that the engine is turning

S

SAE : (Society of Automotive Engineers) The US motor vehicle engineering standards promulgator and US counterpart to the German DIN

SF: Chassis code to refer to the first generation of the Forester (MY98-02); can be gathered from position 4 and 5 in the vehicles VIN.

SG: Chassis code to refer to the second generation of the Forester (MY03-08); can be found in position 4 and 5 in the vehicles VIN.

SH: Chassis code to refer to the third generation of the Forester (MY09+); can be found in position 4 and 5 in the vehicles VIN.

SOA: (Subaru of America) The company that sells Subaru in North America

SOHC: (Single Overhead Camshaft) Engine design using one overhead camshaft

Stage 1: Refers to the addition of engine management on an otherwise stock motor. The Cobb AccessPort is considered the basis for this, but there are many other options.

Stage 2: Refers to the addition of engine management and a turbo back exhaust system on an otherwise stock motor. Critical components include engine management and a downpipe

Stage 2.5: Refers to the addition of engine management, a turbo back exhaust system, a VF series STi turbo, and an STi intercooler.

Stage 3: Refers to the addition of a larger turbo with a custom tune on an aftermarket engine management unit

STi : (Subaru Tecnica International) In the late 1980s, Subaru created the Subaru Tecnica International (STI) division to coordinate development for the FIA World Rally Championship and other motorsports activities.
The Legacy was the basis for the introduction of the Impreza lineup. FHI allowed the production of a smaller, lighter chassis, after it made use of it's extensive R&D and won a WRC championship in the BC chassis Legacy that Subaru had been campagining since 1988 or 89. After Subaru won a championship, the Impreza line was given the green, and the Legacy was never rallied again.
The division was then used to create high-performance consumer versions of the Subaru Impreza WRX, with the all-wheel drive driveline and turbocharged flat-4 engine (which started its life in the Legacy chassis), leading to the development of the Impreza WRX STi. Subaru has used a race-prepared version of the WRX STI as its rally platform since the model trim's creation.


S/AFC: (Super Air Flow Converter)


T

Tach: Tachometer (displays the RPM's)

TB: Throttle Body. Connects the air charging system to the intake manifold.

TBE: (Turboback Exhaust) Refers to the section of the exhaust system that goes from the turbo back to the end (tip). This usually replaces the catalytic converters after the turbo. Includes downpipe, midpipe, axleback (muffler).

TGV (Tumble generator valves): Devices to induce swirl in the air intake.

TMIC: (Top Mount Intercooler) An intercooler mounted on top of the motor. An intercooler cools the pressurized air from the turbo. The cooling allows for safer operation of the turbo and allows more boost. A top mount intercooler allows for quicker air flow due to the lack of plumbing and can reduce lag in stock location turbo Subarus
TMIC info

TSB: (Technical Service Bulletin) Recommended procedures for repairing vehicles. Not to be confused with recalls, a TSB is issued by a vehicle manufacturer when there are several occurrences of an unanticipated problem.

Turbo: (Turbocharger) A turbocharger is an exhaust-gas driven forced induction device used in internal combustion engines to improve engine performance by forcing compressed air into the combustion chambers, allowing more fuel to be burned, resulting in a larger power output.
Turbo info, Wiki info

Turbo lag: The time between hitting the throttle and the turbo providing full boost

Turbo Timer: Keeps the car running even after you remove the key.
Turbo timer info

TPS - (Throttle Position Sensor) sensor that detects how far your gas pedal is depressed.


U

UEL; (Unequal Length): Refers to the length of the header, or exhaust manifold. The piping on the driver's side of the engine will be longer than the passenger's side. Creates the characteristic "Boxer Rumble."
Unabomber info on headers


UP: (Up Pipe) - Diverts exhaust flow to the turbo.
Up pipe info

USDM: (United States Domestic Market) Refers to parts that are originally available on vehicles manufactured for sale in the US


V

Vacuum: Negative manifold pressure. Suck.

VF30/34/39 etc: range of IHI manufactured turbos used on some Subaru models and generally compatible with Forester engines.
Lots of VF turbo info here...

VIN: (Vehicle Identification Number). A number stamped on the vehicle to identify it. It also includes some manufacturing information
Subaru-specific VIN decoder


VTD : (Variable Torque Distribution)

W

Wastegate: Valve on the exhaust side of the turbo. Two types; Internal (part of turbocharger assembly), and external (mounts in uppipe). It opens and closes via an actuator to a pre-determined PSI to keep the turbocharger from producing too much pressure. External wastegates can either be externally venting or recirculating. Recirculating dumps back into the downpipe, external vents to the atmosphere and makes happy fun noises.

Wastegate Flutter: What happens when a wastegate lets off pressure when not wanted. This results in lower boost pressure as it gets vented into the exhaust system.

WDC: (Wastegate duty cycle) Usually discussed in % of max opening. For example, if the WDC was at 80%, the wastegate was open 80% of its max opening.

WHP: (Wheel Horsepower) Horsepower measured at the wheels. Much more effective measurement of a vehicles power, but can vary greatly due to the way it is measured.

WOT: (Wide Open Throttle) Gas pedal all the way down to the floor. Throttle plate completely open.

WRB: World Rally Blue.

WTQ: (Wheel Torque) Torque measured at the wheels. Much more effective measurement of a vehicles power, but can vary greatly due to the way it is measured.


X


Y

Y pipe: Connects the pressurized air from the turbo to the intercooler.
Y pipe and IC hose info

Z

__________________
My Foz is gone
But the STi lives!

joe r

ttiwwop.

joe r

greentrees

Aye. It shall be a picture dictionary.

joe r

Sweet & great Idea you have here.If you need any pics let me know,would be more than happy to donate some.

joe r

abacall

Thread Starter

Not my idea. Greentrees had it, I just started the post.
I will need all the help I can get, so feel free to help me fill in the holes and add some new terms.

__________________
My Foz is gone
But the STi lives!

FXTRunner1

I have one for you but I don't know what it means; NVH
i think i found it while reading a suspension thread.

SkiPhast

NVH= Noise/Vibration/Harshness, and relates to in cabin NVH. Doing certain mods like stiffer bushings, stiffer mounts, stiffer sidewall tires, stiffer springs, and louder exhausts can all contribute to an increase in NVH.

pleiad7

NVH = noise vibration harshness

That would be a term for a similar thread in the suspension forum.

__________________
-Silke
04 FXT PP PSM ~ "Subed"
98 Forester S ~ "Slynki"

greentrees

Hey this is great! You rock. Look at all that info in just a few hours. Your organizational talents are benefiting many. Thanks for taking the idea to the next level of execution.

This forum is great because of great people.

funkymonkey1002

Random thought, couldn't we start a subaruforester.org wiki with all this information?

__________________
04FXT/4EAT Snorkus Free, WRX suspension, sti up, prodrive ypipe, rota/falken/racingbrake/hawk

dicknose

ecu - computer controlling engine
flash - reprogramming the ecu
map - a set of numbers controlling how the engine/turbo works over a range of revs and other parameters.
OBD-II / OBD-2 (on board diagnostics 2) - a standard for connecting to car ecus for diagnostics, data logging and possibly flashing. Newer Foresters support OBD-II or CAN. Wiki - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OBDII
CAN - a newer protocol for OBD.

MAF (mass air flow) - device to measure the amount of air being used

IHI - manufacturer of turbos (the VF range)
VF30/34/39 etc - range of turbos used on some Subaru models and generally compatible with Forester engines.
TGV (tumble generator valves) - devices to induce swirl in the air intake.

OEM (original equipment manufacturer) - a confusing term in that it means stuff sold that was made by someone else. Generally in the car industry it means stuff sold by the manufacturer of the car but that might be made by someone else (eg TD04 is OEM - sold by Subaru, but made by Mitsubishi Heavy Industry). Is occasionally misused in place original equipment.

OE (original equipment) - something that came as a stock part on a car eg leather seats are OE in the luxury models. Effectively the opposite of Aftermarket. *NOTE* - maybe add to aftermarket entry to refer to OE

Off boost - when the engine is below its boost threshold
*NOTE* for boost threshold. Add mention of "off boost" Its probably worth mentioning that this is often incorrectly called lag eg below 3000rpm there was a lot of lag

__________________
MY05 XT Luxury Manual - Blue

abacall

Thread Starter

Thanks. Updated!

__________________
My Foz is gone
But the STi lives!

Hondaslayer

EGT: Exhaust Gas Temperature. Forester XT models have a probe in the uppipe to monitor exhaust temperatures. Too high EGT can cause a catalyst to burn up, too low can cause the catalyst to beome plugged. High EGT is often caused by running too lean, low EGT can be caused by running rich.

Lean: Too much air, not enough fuel

Rich: Too much fuel, not enough air

FOD: Foreign Object Damage. Often used in relation to a turbocharger failure, IE The damage to the exhaust turbine was FOD. Typically caused by installation of a ricer whistle (see BOV) on a stock car

BOV: Blow off Valve. Three main types. Recirculating: Like stock it recirculates the air back into the intake tract. Atmospherically venting: Vents the charge to the atmosphere. Can cause poor idling and will result in running rich between shifts as the ecm has already compensated for this post MAF breath of fresh air. 50/50 / hybrid: Recirculates some of the charge back to the intake and some to the atmosphere. The point of an Atmospherically venting BOV is to call attention to yourself. Some people enjoy the sounds they make

Inlet pipe: Pipe that connects the turbocharger to the airbox

__________________
It's real velour. Just let yourself go!

I Want Candy!

This was an excellent post by pete_mac over at GTRydaz

Link

__________________
VW Golf R MY12 DSG leather in Candy White