A Transmission is a Beautiful Thing

Considering all the abuse that transmissions receive, it's amazing that they last as many miles as they do.  A transmission is the most complicated mechanical part in your auto or truck.  Think about it.  A computer controls the mechanical, electrical and hydraulic systems that cause rapidly spinning gears - subject to hundreds of foot-pounds of force - to change position while driving at speeds of up to 65 mph (or more).

Why won't my car go?

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Putting Power to Work

When you drive your car, a lot of things are happening that you take for granted.  The power that is created in a car's engine must be transferred to the wheels for it to go forwards or backwards.  Since an internal combustion engine has an optimal operating range which does not correspond to the speed range of stop and go driving, the power coming out of the engine must be adjusted.  This is done with the torque converter and the transmission.

Making a Vehicle Move

At low speeds, in and around town, an engine runs much faster than the wheels.  The power required by the wheels to begin moving a vehicle is greater than what the engine directly produces.  So, the transmission and the torque converter take the torque produced by the engine at high speeds and change it to the power required to move a vehicle at various speeds.

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Driving the Wheels

There are many variations in how transmissions work.  Generally, there are rear wheel drive, four wheel drive and front wheel drive systems.  In rear wheel drive vehicles, the drive shaft comes out from the transmission and spins gears in the differential to cause the spinning to change its power at a right angle in the final drive of the wheels.  This can be utilized with two or four-wheel drive systems.

A transaxle takes power from an engine to cause a front wheel drive car to move.  Normally, a sideways mounted engine provides power to the transaxle which is usually directly connected to the final drive and wheels.

Manual Transmission

In manual transmission, you control the gear-ratio between engine and wheels with a stick, lever or push-buttons.  A manual transmission eliminates some moving parts and therefore is easier to maintain (and usually less-expensive, too).

Automatic Transmission

In an automatic transmission, the clutches and bands control the planetary gear sets which glide along paths as the flow of power shifts from low gear to higher gears.  This is usually monitored by a computer which causes the clutch plates and clutch disks to interact within the drum.  Oil pressure activates the sequence which determines the proper gear ratio.

Transmission Failure

In all of these systems there are oodles of things that can go wrong.  Generally, the parts just wear out.  Salt and dirt accumulation, bad bumps, and collisions often contribute to early transmission system failure.  At Hanover Transmission, we get to the heart of why a transmission failed and what it takes to make your car run confidently again.

The More You Know the More You Trust Hanover Transmission

Obviously there is much more to the way the mechanisms work within the transmission, but when we talk to you, we want you to have a general background in how your car works.  The more you know, the more you can trust Hanover Transmission to work for you.

We're here to help - and we're easy to find:  located just above Historic Downtown Hanover - alongside the railroad tracks that carried Abraham Lincoln as he passed through Hanover to give the Gettysburg Address.