W
Water pump
A device that circulates coolant through a vehicle's cooling system.
Water pump weep hole
A small orifice on a water pump behind and below the exposed end of the shaft.
Watts
A measure of the amount of power that an amplifier is capable of producing or a speaker is capable of enduring.
Weather strip
The rubber stripping around a vehicle's doors and hatches or their portals.
Well-to-wheel
See "Environmental impact."
Wheel alignment
The adjustment of various components to meet predetermined specifications for camber, caster, toe and ride height.
Wheel bearings
The assemblies that permit smooth rotation between the wheel hub and spindle.
Wheel covers
A decorative metal or plastic disc that obscures a vehicle's stamped steel wheels, lug nuts and/or hubs from view.
 
 
Wheel cylinders, rear
In drum-type brakes, small-bore hydraulic cylinders that are fitted between the brake shoes and are actuated when the brakes are applied.
Wheel diameter
The diameter, in inches, of a vehicle's wheel.
Wheel locks
Special lugnuts intended to prevent wheel theft that can only be installed or removed with a specific wrench or key.
Wheel lug nuts/bolts
The nuts that hold a wheel onto its hub.
Wheel offset
The distance from a wheel's hub-mounting surface to the centerline of the wheel. Zero offset means the hub-mount surface is even with centerline. Positive offset means the hub-mount surface is towards the front (or outside) of the centerline. Negative offset means the hub-mount surface is towards the back (behind) of the centerline.
Wheel specs
The dimensions of a vehicle's wheels.
Wheel speed sensor wiring
Electrical connections of the system that relay the speed of each wheel to a computer that makes adjustments in brake application to prevent wheels from locking up.
Wheel width
The distance of a wheel from bead to bead.
 
 
Wheelbase
The distance between the center of a vehicle's front axle and the center of its rear axle.
Wholesale value
The price at which dealers purchase vehicles from other dealers or from lenders, usually at auction.
Wideband oxygen sensor
A faster, more sensitive oxygen sensor that enables an engine control unit to make changes to the air/fuel ratio more rapidly and precisely than with a conventional sensor.
Width
The width of a vehicle at its widest point.
Window control
The manner in which a vehicle's windows are operated: manual control, power control, one-touch, automatic or remote control.
Window sticker
See "Monroney sticker."
Wireless data link
A method of transferring digital data wirelessly through Bluetooth or WiFi technology.
Wiring harness
The groups of wires and connectors that carry electric current through the vehicle.