Basic Transmission

Parts

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 A manual transmission is designed to
change the vehicle’s drive wheel speed
and torque in relation to engine
speed and torque

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 Transmission Features
❑ A manual transmission should:
 be able to increase torque to the drive
wheels for quick acceleration
 supply different gear ratios to match load
conditions
 provide a reverse gear
 provide an easy means of shifting gears
 operate quietly with minimum power loss

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 ❑ Gears are round wheels with teeth
machined on their perimeters
❑ They transmit turning effort from one
shaft to another
❑ When gears are different sizes, output
speed and torque change

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 Gear Drive

Small gear driving a larger gear

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 Gear Drive

Large gear driving a smaller gear

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 Gear Ratio
❑ The number of revolutions a drive gear
must turn before the driven gear
completes one revolution
❑ Calculated by dividing the number of
teeth on the driven gear by the number
of teeth on the drive gear
Gear Ratio = # of driven gear teeth
# of drive gear teeth

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 Gear Ratio
If the drive gear has 12 teeth and the
driven gear has 24 teeth, the gear ratio is
two-to-one
Gear Ratio = # of driven gear teeth
# of drive gear teeth
= 24
12
= 2 or written 2:1

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 Gear Ratio

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 Transmission Gear
Ratios
❑ First gear 3:1
❑ Second gear 2:1
❑ Third (high) gear 1:1
❑ Reverse gear 3:1

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 Gear Reduction
❑ Occurs when a small gear drives a
larger gear
❑ Increases turning force (torque)
❑ Used in lower transmission gears

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 Overdrive Ratio
❑ Results when a larger gear drives a
smaller gear
❑ Output gear speed increases
❑ Output torque is reduced

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 Gear Types
❑ Two gear types are commonly used in
automotive transmissions:
❑ spur gears
❑ helical gears

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 Spur Gears
❑ Somewhat noisy
❑ Teeth are cut parallel to the centerline
of the gear shaft
❑ Used for sliding gears such as reverse
gear

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 Helical Gears
❑ Teeth are machined at an angle to the
centerline
❑ Quieter and stronger than spur gears
❑ Used for main drive gears which are in
constant mesh

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 Gear Types

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 Gear Backlash
❑ Distance between the meshing gear
teeth
❑ Allows lubricating oil to enter the high-
friction area between the gear teeth
❑ Allows the gears to expand during
operation

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 Manual Transmission
Lubrication
❑ Bearings, shafts, and gears are
lubricated by oil splash lubrication
❑ As gears rotate, they sling oil around
inside the transmission
❑ Typically, 80W or 90W gear oil is used

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 Transmission Bearings
❑ Bearings reduce the friction between
the surfaces of rotating parts
❑ Three basic types are used:
 ball bearings
 roller bearings
 needle bearings
❑ Used between shafts and housing, or
between gears and shafts

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 Transmission Bearings

Three types of antifriction bearings used

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 Transmission Case
❑ Supports the bearings and shafts
❑ Provides an enclosure for gear oil
❑ Made of cast iron or aluminum
❑ Drain plug and fill plug are provided
 typically, the oil level should be level with
the bottom of the fill plug hole at
operating temperature

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 Extension Housing
❑ Bolts to the rear of the transmission
case
❑ Encloses the output shaft
❑ Holds the rear oil seal

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 Front Bearing Hub

❑ Covers the front transmission bearing

❑ Acts as a sleeve for the release bearing

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 Manual Transmission

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 Transmission Shafts
❑ At least four shafts are commonly used:
 input shaft
 countershaft
 reverse idler shaft
 output shaft

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 Input Shaft
❑ Transfers rotation from the clutch disc
to the countershaft gears
❑ Anytime the clutch disc turns, the input
shaft gear turns

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 Countershaft
❑ Holds the countershaft gears into mesh
with the input gear and other gears
❑ Located slightly below and to one side
of the input shaft
❑ Normally, it is locked in the case and
does not turn

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 Reverse Idler Shaft
❑ Supports the reverse idler gear,
❑ Allows reverse idler gear to mesh with
gears on both the countershaft and
output shaft

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 Output Shaft
❑ Holds the output gears and
synchronizers
❑ Connects to the drive shaft to turn the
wheels
❑ Gears are free to revolve on the shaft,
but the synchronizers are locked on the
shaft by splines

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 Transmission Shafts

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 Transmission Gears

Input shaft gear turns countershaft

gears. Countershaft gears turn
output shaft gears
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 Gear Ranges

Gear reduction Direct drive Output shaft

rotation is
reversed
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 Input Gear

Machined part of the steel input shaft

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 Countershaft Gear

Several gears machined from a single

piece of steel
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 Reverse Idler Gear
Assembly

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 Output Shaft Gears

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 Synchronizers
❑ Synchronizers have two functions:
 prevent the gears from clashing (grinding)
during engagement
 lock the output gear to the output shaft

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 Synchronizer Theory
❑ When the synchronizer is away from an
output gear, the gear freewheels (spins
freely) on the output shaft
❑ When the synchronizer slides against
the output gear, it is locked to the
synchronizer and to the output shaft
❑ Power flows through the output shaft to
the drive wheels

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 Synchronizer
Construction

Hub is splined to the output shaft

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 Synchronizer
Operation
❑ When the driver shifts gears, the
synchronizer sleeve slides on its
splined hub toward the output gear
❑ Blocking ring cone rubs on the side of
the drive gear cone, causing friction
between the two
❑ Output gear, synchronizer, and the
output shaft begin to spin at the same
speed
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 Synchronizer
Operation

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 Synchronizer
Operation
❑ As soon as the speed is equalized, the
sleeve can slide over the blocking ring
and spur gear teeth on the output gear
❑ This locks the output gear to the
synchronizer hub and to the shaft
❑ Power flows through that gear to the
drive wheels

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 Synchronizer
Operation

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 Fully Synchronized
Transmission
❑ All the forward output gears use a
synchronizer
❑ Allows the driver to downshift into any
lower gear (except reverse) while the
vehicle is moving

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 Shift Forks

Transfer movement from the gear shift

linkage to the sleeves
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 Shift Fork Assembly

Movement of shift linkage moves

the shift fork
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 External Shift Rod
Linkage

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 Internal Shift Rail
Linkage

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 Internal
Shift Rail
Linkage

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 Column Shift
Mechanism

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 ❑ There are several types:
 three-speed
 four-speed
 five-speed
❑ Some transmissions have overdrive in
high gear
❑ Extra gear ratios are needed for small,
low-horsepower engines
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 First Gear
❑ Linkage rods move the shift forks so
that first gear synchronizer is engaged
to the first output gear
❑ Input shaft gear turns the countershaft
gears
❑ First gear is locked to the output shaft
❑ Small gear on countershaft drives
larger gear on the output shaft
❑ Gear ratio is about 3:1
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 First Gear

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 Second Gear
❑ First gear synchronizer is slid away
from first gear
❑ Second-third synchronizer is then
engaged
❑ Power flow is through second gear on
the output shaft
❑ Gear ratio is about 2:1

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 Second Gear

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 Third Gear
❑ Synchronizer is slid over the small
teeth on the input shaft gear
❑ Synchronizer locks the input shaft
directly to the output shaft
❑ All the output shaft gears freewheel on
the shaft
❑ Power flow is straight through the
transmission
❑ Gear ratio is 1:1

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 Third Gear

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 Reverse
❑ Synchronizer is moved into the reverse
gear on the output shaft, locking the
gear to the output shaft
❑ Power flows through the countershaft,
reverse idler gear, reverse gear, and to
the output shaft

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 Reverse

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 Neutral
❑ All the synchronizer sleeves are
located in the center of their hubs
❑ All the output shaft gears freewheel on
the output shaft
❑ No power is transmitted to the output
shaft

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 Neutral

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 Overdrive
❑ In many transmissions, high gear is an
overdrive
❑ Gear ratio is less than 1:1
 e.g. 0.87:1
❑ Overdrive increases fuel economy

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 Five-Speed, Overdrive
Transmission

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 Five-Speed, Overdrive
Transmission

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 Five-Speed, Overdrive
Transmission

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 Five-Speed, Overdrive
Transmission

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 Five-Speed, Overdrive
Transmission

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 Five-Speed, Overdrive
Transmission

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 Five-Speed, Overdrive
Transmission

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 ❑ Many transmission design variations
are used by the numerous auto
manufacturers
❑ Whether rear-wheel-drive, front-wheel-
drive, or all-wheel-drive, all
transmissions use similar principles

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 Five Speed
Transmission

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 Front-Engine, Four-
Wheel Drive Vehicle

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 ❑ Worm gear on the output shaft drives
the speedometer gear and cable
❑ Gear on the output shaft turns a plastic
gear on the end of the speedometer
cable
❑ Cable runs through a housing up to the
speedometer head

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 Vehicle Speed Sensor
❑ Most vehicles now use a sensor with
an electronic speedometer
❑ A sensor may be mounted at the
transmission location where the
speedometer cable would be driven, or
in the back of the speedometer head,
with a conventional speedometer cable

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 Back-up Light Switch
❑ Closed by the action of the reverse
gear shift linkage
❑ When shifted into reverse, the linkage
closes the switch
❑ Switch carries current to the back-up
lamps

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