Does My Standard Car Still Have a Transmission?

The transmission is an essential part of a car’s drivetrain, responsible for transferring power from the engine to the wheels. It is a complex piece of machinery, and it can be confusing to determine if your standard car still has a transmission.

There are two main types of transmissions: manual transmissions and automatic transmissions. Manual transmissions require the driver to shift gears manually, while automatic transmissions do this automatically.

Manual Transmissions

Manual transmissions are less common in standard cars today than they once were, but they are still found in some models.

A manual transmission consists of a set of gears, a clutch, and a gear shift lever.

The gears are mounted on a shaft called the transmission input shaft.
The clutch is a device that connects the input shaft to the engine flywheel.
The gear shift lever is used to select the gear.

When the driver presses the clutch pedal, the clutch disengages the input shaft from the flywheel. This allows the driver to shift gears.

Once the driver has selected a gear, they release the clutch pedal, and the clutch re-engages the input shaft to the flywheel.

Automatic Transmissions

Automatic transmissions are more common in standard cars today than manual transmissions.

An automatic transmission consists of a set of planetary gears, a torque converter, and a valve body.

The planetary gears are mounted on a set of shafts called the input shaft, the output shaft, and the reaction shaft.
The torque converter is a device that transfers power from the engine to the transmission.
The valve body is a device that controls the flow of fluid through the transmission.

When the engine is running, the torque converter transfers power to the input shaft of the transmission.

The valve body then directs fluid to the planetary gears, which causes them to engage and disengage in different combinations.

This, in turn, causes the output shaft of the transmission to turn at different speeds.