All the components of a car play an important role within its operating mechanism. Still, there are some, such as the transmission system, that is key for the vehicle to start up and fulfill its objective: to move you from one place to another.
What is a Transmission in a Car?
The transmission system is a set of parts that transmit the power generated by the engine directly to the wheels so that the vehicle can move; In other words, it is the instrument in charge of transforming thermal energy into mechanical energy so that movement occurs. During this process, the engine torque is adapted to the driving needs, determined by driving conditions that vary depending on the speed, the type of road, and the load.
How does the transmission of the car work, and what elements make it up?
To know how a car’s transmission works, it is necessary to know the different elements that make it up and how they interrelate. In any gear, these components must work together and incoordination.
Clutch: this part, located between the gearbox and the engine, engages or disengages from the DMF each time you step on the pedal, allowing you to disconnect the transmission from the engine to achieve a progressive gear change and start.
Gearbox: this can be automatic or manual and is located between the clutch and the drive shaft. It is what makes you can modify the speed of rotation of the propeller by changing the gear.
Transmission shaft: incorporated only in the prototypes that carry the engine on an axis other than the wheels it moves, it can transmit the movement from the gearbox to the driving axle.
Differential: it makes the rotary movement compatible with the axes of the wheels, facilitating linear movement after making it go from a longitudinal axis to a transverse axis, and in curves, by letting its outer wheels turn more than the inner ones.
Driveshafts: also known as driveshafts are bars that rotate with the same orientation of the drive wheels and are no less prominent task of transmitting to movement coming out of the differential.
What is a manual car transmission, and how is it different from an automatic one?
Another essential aspect that you must address to understand the transmission of a car and how it works is the mode with which this complex system operates, which can be manual or automatic.
To understand the manual transmission of a car, you must first visualize the gear lever in the car, that part, usually between the pilot and passenger seat, that allows you to change from one gear to another.
In the case of the manual transmission, the gear lever must be activated by pressing the third pedal, in addition to the brake and the accelerator, which releases and engages the clutch disc for you to select the gear according to convenience. For its part, the automatic transmission is the one that can change gear by itself, both in the traditional presentation and in the double-clutch. This type of transmission has only two pedals, which makes driving in general much more accessible.
Central breakdowns that can occur in a transmission system
Learning about the operation of a transmission system also implies knowing the failures that these can experience. In the event of any unforeseen circumstance, you know how to handle the situation. In this sense, it is possible that at some point, you will detect the following symptoms:
Vibrations: they can be caused by an imbalance in the bearing.
Humming when accelerating or braking: indicative of problems in the differential due to wear or misalignment of the bearings.
Metallic noise when turning: possibly this is due to a looseness in the anchor due to the wear of a gasket.
Skating: lack of oil can cause the automatic transmission not to accelerate properly. Now that you know what the information of the vehicle consists of do not forget that it is essential to understand how to drive a car correctly, both manual and automatic, to take care of its transmission system and thus contribute to extending the useful life of the entire vehicle.
