Operation CHARM: Car repair manuals for everyone.

M

MAGNET - Any body with the property of attracting iron or steel.

MAGNETIC FIELD - The area surrounding the poles of a magnet which is affected by its attraction or repulsion forces.

MAGNETIC GAUGE - Special type of instrument gauge, used in the electro-mechanical instrument cluster, that accurately show values even when the ignition is off.

MAGNETIC PICKUP COIL - Coil used in the distributor of the breakerless solid state ignition systems to determine exactly when to switch off the coil secondary.
MAGNETIC RELUCTANCE - The resistance of a magnetic path to the flow of magnetic flux lines through it.

MAGNETIC SWITCH - A switch operated by a small electromagnet. Solenoids and relays are magnetic switches.

MAGNETO - A type of generator used in early vehicles which produced an extremely high voltage spark.

MICROCOMPUTER - A device that takes information, processes it, makes decisions and outputs those decisions. Microcomputers are generally small and portable, and are located inside a processor.

MICROPROCESSOR - A small processor contained within the on-board computer (processor).

MINIMUM SPEED LOCKOUT (MSLO) - An additional safety feature added to Ford speed control systems that prevents speed control operation at very low speeds.

MODULE - A control assembly. A module could be any package that is intended to perform a specific task (such as ignition). Usually modules can be disconnected and replaced easily.

MOTOR - Electromechanical device that converts electricity into mechanical energy.

MULTIPLE FUNCTION WARNING INDICATOR - A warning indicator assembly, first introduced on the 1987 Mustang GT that indicates low oil, low coolant, low fuel, and low washer conditions.