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Balanced Valve

A type of hydraulic valve that produces a pressure change that is proportional to the variations of spring pressure or the movement of a mechanical linkage.

Balancer

A heavy crankshaft pulley that aids in overall crankshaft balance as it rotates.

Balancing

The process of proportioning weight or force equally on all sides of an object. Most crankshafts, for example, are balanced both statically and dynamically.

Balancing Coil Gauge

An indicating device, such as a fuel gauge, that contains a pair of coils in the instrument-panel unit.

Balk Ring

A rotating device found in a manual transmission that prevents premature engagement of gears while shifting.

Ball And Ramp

A common kind of caliper-actuated parking brake.

Ball And Socket

A term often used for tie rod end.

Ball Bearing

An anti-friction bearing with an inner and outer race having one or more rows of balls between them.

Ball Check Valve

A one-way valve having a ball and seat.

Ball Joint

1. A joint or connection where a ball moves within a socket, allowing a rotary motion while the angle of the rotation axis changes. 2. A suspension component that attaches the steering knuckle to either control arm featuring a ball-and-socket joint to allow pivoting in various directions. Also known as a spherical joint.

Ball Joint Angle

The inward tilt of the steering axis from the vertical.

Ball Joint Centerline

An imaginary line drawn through the centers of the upper and lower ball joints.

Ball Joint Free Play

The allowable radial and axial motion between the ball-joint housing, checked with the load removed.

Ball Joint Inclination

The inward tilt of the top of the steering axis centerline through the ball joints as viewed from the front of the vehicle.

Ball Joint Internal Lubrication

A ball joint assembly may be pre-lubricated and factory sealed or it may have provision for periodic scheduled lubrication.

Ball Joint Preload

A term relating to certain ball joints, often spring-loaded, having constant friction between the ball-and-joint housing socket.

Ball Joint Seal

A Neoprene rubber seal that fits over a ball-joint stud against the housing to retain lubricating grease and keep unwanted foreign debris, such as sand or dirt, out.

Ball Joint Slack

A term often used for ball joint free play.

Ball Joint Suspension

A type of front suspension in which the wheel spindle is attached directly to the upper and lower suspension arms through the ball joints.

Ball Nut

In a re-circulating ball nut steering gear, the ball nut has internal threads that are meshed to the threads of a worm with continuous rows of ball bearings between the two. The ball bearings are reticulated through two outside loops called ball guides. The sliding ball nut has tapered teeth cut on one face that mate with teeth on the cross-shaft sector.