MANUAL TRANSMISSION

PURPOSE OF A MANUAL TRANSMISSION

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

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

GEAR FUNDAMENTALS
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

GEAR DRIVE
Small gear driving a larger gear Large gear driving a smaller gear

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 = number of driven gear teeth number of drive gear teeth

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 = number of driven gear teeth 24 = number of drive gear teeth 12

= 2 or written 2:1

TRANSMISSION GEAR RATIOS

First gear 3:1 Second gear 2:1 Third (high) gear 1:1 Reverse gear 3:1

GEAR REDUCTION
Occurs when a small gear drives a larger gear Increases turning force (torque) Used in lower transmission gears

OVERDRIVE RATIO
Results when a larger gear drives a smaller gear Output gear speed increases Output torque is reduced

GEAR TYPES
Two gear types are commonly used in automotive transmissions: spur gears helical gears

SPUR GEARS
Somewhat noisy Teeth are cut parallel to the centerline of the gear shaft Used for sliding gears such as reverse gear

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

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

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

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

TRANSMISSION BEARINGS
Three types of antifriction bearings used
ball bearings roller bearings needle bearings

MANUAL TRANSMISSION CONSTRUCTION

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

EXTENSION HOUSING
Bolts to the rear of the transmission case Encloses the output shaft Holds the rear oil seal

FRONT BEARING HUB

Covers the front transmission bearing Acts as a sleeve for the release bearing

MANUAL TRANSMISSION

TRANSMISSION SHAFTS
At least four shafts are commonly used:
input shaft countershaft reverse idler shaft output shaft

INPUT SHAFT
Transfers rotation from the clutch disc to the countershaft gears Anytime the clutch disc turns, the input shaft gear turns

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

REVERSE IDLER SHAFT

Supports the reverse idler gear, Allows reverse idler gear to mesh with gears on both the

countershaft and output shaft

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

TRANSMISSION GEARS
Input shaft gear turns countershaft gears. Countershaft gears turn output shaft gears

GEAR RANGES
Gear reduction

Direct drive

Output shaft rotation is reversed

INPUT GEAR
Machined part of the steel input shaft

COUNTERSHAFT GEAR
Several gears machined from a single piece of steel

REVERSE IDLER GEAR ASSEMBLY

OUTPUT SHAFT GEARS

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

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

SYNCHRONIZER CONSTRUCTION
Hub is splined to the output shaft

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,
Output gear, synchronizer, and the output shaft begin to spin at

causing friction between the two

the same speed

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 shaft Power flows through that gear to the drive wheels This locks the output gear to the synchronizer hub and to the

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

SHIFT FORKS
Transfer movement from the gear shift linkage to the sleeves

SHIFT FORK ASSEMBLY

Movement of shift linkage moves the shift fork

EXTERNAL SHIFT ROD LINKAGE

INTERNAL SHIFT RAIL LINKAGE

INTERNAL SHIFT RAIL LINKAGE

COLUMN SHIFT MECHANISM

TRANSMISSION TYPES
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

TRANSMISSION POWER FLOW

FIRST GEAR
Linkage rods move the shift forks so that first gear synchronizer is 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

engaged to the first output gear

Gear ratio is about 3:1

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

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

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

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

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

FIVE-SPEED, OVERDRIVE TRANSMISSION

OTHER TRANSMISSION DESIGNS

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

FRONT-ENGINE, FOUR WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLE

cable

Worm gear on the output shaft drives the speedometer gear and

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

SPEEDOMETER DRIVE

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

MANUAL TRANSMISSION SWITCHES

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