A nice video of manual transmission operation from SAE

Ed Huntress · 2013-08-02T14:56:21+00:00

SAE's online operations produce some good videos of mechanical operation of car parts. Here's a video on contemporary manual transmissions (conventional) that they link to at If detents, synchronizers, blocking rings and clutch cones are a little vague in your mind and you want to see them in action, take a look at this.

Aug 02, 2013 21 Replies

Rate this thread:

Ed Huntress 12 years ago

If you don't know how a synchro manual transmission works, that video I linked to isn't going to help you. As I said, I linked to it for people who DO know how they work, but are a little vague on the relationship of those parts.

People like me, for example. I last had a manual transmission apart in

1969, when I took the synchro rings out of my Alfa Romeo to make it a poor-man's racing crashbox. That was a common work-around for low-bucks racers.

I knew how all those parts related then, but it's been a long time, and the video refreshed my memory.

Vote

Ed Huntress 12 years ago

Transmissions are very tricky to work on; you were better off leaving it to pros, because you need some special tools for many of them and a pretty good knowledge of more mechanics than just turning wrenches.

The Alfa was straightforward but it was still a PITA. It's not something I would have done if I wasn't a hopeless gearhead and usually broke, between girlfriends and trying to make my sports cars raceworthy.

And I broke a huge limb on a maple tree in my parent's yard hauling out a Jaguar engine -- they weighed like sin. So I wasn't getting any family help.

Vote

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required