Your car’s transmission is one of its most important components, but you may not understand its purpose entirely. Understanding the Ford parts that comprise the transmission system it can help you understand and describe issues with it when you need repairs.
What is a Car Transmission?
Your car’s transmission transforms the chemical energy generated from burning gasoline into mechanical energy which rotates the hubs, or centers of your wheels. It enables gear changes by transferring an amount of mechanical energy proportional to your speed.
In a manual transmission, gear settings correspond to certain gear combinations across multiple sets of gears. In an automatic transmission, automatic transmission fluid (ATF) performs the same function. In a continuous variable transmission (CVT) sensors distribute torque dynamically, eliminating the need for a set number of gears.
Parts of a Car Transmission
Valve Body
In an automatic transmission, the valve body controls how the pressure generated by the oil pump reaches the rest of the transmission. Alongside the Transmission Control Module (TCM), it dictates the amount of ATF sent to each subsystem. A malfunctioning valve body cannot allocate ATF properly, stopping power transference to the wheels of your car.
Planetary Gear Set
A planetary gear set, named after planets orbiting around the sun, uses one set of concentric gears to create the same gear options while driving as a manual transmission. Comprised of the innermost sun gear, planetary gears around it, and the outermost ring gear, each gear setting corresponds to a certain gear configuration. Certain gears move, causing others to remain locked in place.
Output Shaft
The output or main shaft transfers the power from the rest of the transmission to the driveshaft, which rotates your car’s hubs. It is connected to the input shaft, coming out of the front of the transmission, but can rotate independently.
Get the Ford Parts You Need at Kearny Mesa Ford
If you experience car transmission problems, visit Kearny Mesa Ford to identify the issue and learn how to fix it.
