- The transmission is the part of the vehicle that transfers power from the engine to the wheels. When a car (or truck) is moving at low speeds, the engine is producing too much torque for the wheels to work effectively. A transmission harnesses the engine power and reduces it for the needs of the moment. A manual transmission is a transmission in which the gear shifting is done by the driver. It has fewer parts than its counterpart, an automatic transmission.
- The flywheel is attached to the crankshaft, which is in turn attached to the engine. It is connected to the clutch with a pressure plate, which pushes it firmly against the clutch to ensure that the energy generated by the engine is transferred to the clutch and subsequently to the transmission.
- The clutch is the actual connection between the engine and transmission. When it is engaged, it turns the gears attached to the transmission. However, its key feature is that it can be disengaged. When the driver presses the clutch peddle, the clutch moves, disconnecting the engine from the transmission. This allows the driver to shift gears -- otherwise, he would be shifting against a moving flywheel, which would damage them.
- Most transmissions have six gears of differing ratios, five of which go forward and one that goes in reverse. The higher the ratio, the more power is being transferred to the wheels.
The gear ratios are how the engine's power is reduced. If a gear has twice as many teeth as the driving gear, then it is going to need to spin twice for every one time the driving gear spins. By changing gears (using the shifting knob), the driver can direct the amount of power he needs to his engine depending on the conditions.
The gears are identified by numbers on the gearshift inside the vehicle. The lower gears (starting with 1) are for driving slow speeds, while higher gears (such as 5) are for faster speeds.
Flywheel and Pressure Plate
Clutch
Gears
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