by

Russell Krick

Publisher

The Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Tinley Park, Illinois
Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

 Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

(8 Topics)

Basic transmission parts

Purpose of a manual transmission
Gear fundamentals
Manual transmission construction

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

(continued)

Transmission types
Transmission power flow
Speedometer drive
Manual transmission switches

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Input shaft
Gears
Synchronizers
Shift forks

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Shift linkage
Gear shift lever
Output shaft
Transmission case

Basic Transmission
Parts

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

A manual transmission is designed to

change the vehicles drive wheel speed
and torque in relation to engine
speed and torque

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

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

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

 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

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Gear Drive

Small gear driving a larger gear

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Gear Drive

Large gear driving a smaller gear

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

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

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

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

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Gear Ratio

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Transmission Gear
Ratios
First gear
Second gear
Third (high) gear
Reverse gear

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

3:1
2:1
1:1
3:1

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

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

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

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

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

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

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

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

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

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Gear Types

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Gear Backlash
Distance between the meshing gear
teeth
Allows lubricating oil to enter the highfriction area between the gear teeth
Allows the gears to expand during
operation

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

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

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

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
Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Transmission Bearings

Three types of antifriction bearings used

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

 Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

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

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

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

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Front Bearing Hub

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

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Manual Transmission

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

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

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

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

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

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

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Reverse Idler Shaft

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

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

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

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Transmission Shafts

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Transmission Gears

Input shaft gear turns countershaft

gears. Countershaft gears turn
output shaft gears
Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Gear Ranges

Gear reduction

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Direct drive

Output shaft
rotation is
reversed

Input Gear

Machined part of the steel input shaft

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Countershaft Gear

Several gears machined from a single

piece of steel
Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Reverse Idler Gear

Assembly

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Output Shaft Gears

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

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

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

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
Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Synchronizer
Construction

Hub is splined to the output shaft

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

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
Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Synchronizer
Operation

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

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
Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Synchronizer
Operation

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

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

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Shift Forks

Transfer movement from the gear shift

linkage to the sleeves
Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Shift Fork Assembly

Movement of shift linkage moves

the shift fork
Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

External Shift Rod

Linkage

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Internal Shift Rail

Linkage

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Internal
Shift Rail
Linkage

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Column Shift
Mechanism

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

 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
Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

 Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

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
Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

First Gear

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

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

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Second Gear

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

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
Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Third Gear

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

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

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Reverse

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

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

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Neutral

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

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

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Five-Speed, Overdrive
Transmission

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Five-Speed, Overdrive
Transmission

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Five-Speed, Overdrive
Transmission

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Five-Speed, Overdrive
Transmission

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Five-Speed, Overdrive
Transmission

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Five-Speed, Overdrive
Transmission

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Five-Speed, Overdrive
Transmission

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

 Many transmission design variations

are used by the numerous auto
manufacturers
Whether rear-wheel-drive, front-wheeldrive, or all-wheel-drive, all
transmissions use similar principles

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Five Speed
Transmission

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

Front-Engine, FourWheel Drive Vehicle

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

 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

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

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

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

 Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.

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

Goodheart-Willcox Co., Inc.