Glossary of terms

A.B.S. - Anti Lock Braking System.
Operated by sensors fitted on the A.B.S. hub rings which measure a 4 Ohm resistance, when this drops due to lack of traction at a particular wheel when breaking, this sends a signal to the E.C.U to "pulse" the pressure to the other calipers to even out the braking efficiency and preventing skidding.

A.F.M. - Air Flow Meter
These devices are located between the air filter and the intake manifold and they measure the intake rate and temperature, passing on the infotmation to the E.C.U. so it can get the correct air / fuel ratio needed for optimum combustion.
These are also referred to as Hot Wire's as when you turn the engine off, a large voltage is sent to the wire to burn off any debris that may of passed through the air filter.

B.O.V. - Blow off Valve
A pressure release device used on turbo charged engines to vent the excess air build up within the intake system (between the manifold and the turbo).

There are 2 types of B.O.V. 
Vent to atmosphere - you can hear the "pssssst" on deceleration during under load conditions
Recirculating - where the vented air is recirculated back into the intake system

B.D.C
Bottom Dead Center
This is when the piston is at its lowest point within the compression chamber

Boost Controller
a) Dawes Type
Boost pressure is regulated by adjusting a nut located on the actuator (swing gate valve), and then set by locking with another nut tightened against it.
b) Electronic Boost Controller (aka E.B.C.)
These usually come with their own Solenoids and are plumbed into the intake system and swing gate valve controller, boost settings are then controlled electronically by the user.

C.P.S. - Crank Position Sensor
Also known as Crank Angle Position Sensors, they relay the position of the camshaft in relation to ignition timing, sending information to the E.C.U.

Connecting Rods
Part of the Steering, these are also commonly known as Tie Rods, Track Rods, and Track Rod Ends. These are fitted to the steering rack arms and are connected to an appropriate area of the hub carrier. These are always threaded and therefore adjustable for Wheel Alignment setup.

Drive Shafts
These drive the wheels (via the hub & bearings) and should always be checked out and tested if any sudden impacts occur - in the case of a skyline if the back end was to step out and hit the kerb. In a worse case scenario the whole differential will need to be replaced because the drive shaft would be forced further inside the differential, damaging crown, sun and planet gears. On such occasions the bearings should be checked and replaced along with any further damaged parts such as rear track rod arms & hicas unit or lock out bars.

E.C.U.
The Electronic control unit goes by many names, others are EMS Engine Management System, CPU Computer Processing Unit and more
The ECU is the "brains" of the car, as signals are sent from all the different sensors, the ECU is programmed to make sure the engine runs at its optimum in the given conditions, and if there is a fault within the system it will alert the driver by displaying the "engine" light on the dashboard. It should then be taken directly to your local garage for inspection and fault code diagnosis (in the case of a sensor malfunction or error).
It is also responsible for the ABS system in most cases, and other safety items such as the pre tensioners on seatbelts, airbags & impact sensors.
The first basic ECU's were introduced in the late 70's to early 80's as a replacement for the carburettor and were deemed more reliable and the car ultimately needed less time at the garage fine tuning the carb(s), therefore bringing the labour cost down a little. However when E.C.U's fail they can be very expensive to replace.

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