Inside an Automatic Gearbox: Key Components Explained

Automatic transmissions can seem like complicated things, but with a little knowledge, you can get your head around how they work. Let's open up an automatic transmission and find out about all those parts that you can't find in a manual.

Between the Gears: How an Automatic Transmission Works

You can think of an automatic gearbox like a brain that helps a car know when to change gear, without the driver needing to do it themselves. This brain consists of many crucial parts that work together to help lead the car smoothly. Without these parts, the car couldn’t shift gears by itself.

The Mechanics of an Automatic Transmission

In an automatic gearbox, there are a number of components that simply work together to ensure that your car shifts gears at the appropriate time. One key component is the torque converter, which provides power from the engine to the transmission. Another the planetary gear set that employs the use of the gears to aid the vehicle in moving at various speeds. The valve body might be thought of as the control center of the gearbox, determining when the car should change gears depending on its speed.

Automatic Gearbox Decoded: Here's What The Big Parts Are For

Let's explore some of the key components that make up an automatic transmission. A useful part that is included to ensure that the gearbox can be well lubricated and has all of these moving parts is the pump. Clutches and bands are similar to brakes that assist the car when it needs to change gears without bumping or jerking. The solenoids are like little switches that direct the flow of transmission fluid to help the gearbox know when to change gears.

Investigating the Virtual Components of Automatic Transmission

There are countless moving parts inside an automatic gearbox that are synchronized in order to ensure that the car runs smooth. It's a good thing too, because the transmission depends on fluid to keep everything moving without communicating that movement to the driver in an untoward way. The gearbox sensors do the car’s “feeling,” feeling how it moves and interpreting when it needs to shift gears. The whole works are computer controlled and monitor, and make sure, the car is OK.

What Are The Major Components Of An Automatic Transmission?

On the whole an automatic gearbox is sophisticated piece of equipment composed of a multitude of parts that all have to work properly if the vehicle is to maintain a smooth drive. Torque converter • Planetary gear set • Valve body • Pump • Clutches • Bands • Solenoids • Transmission fluid • Sensors • Computer All of these -- the torque converter, planetary gear set, valve body, pump, clutches, bands, the transmission fluid (and everything else in a transmission and gearbox that makes it run) -- play a role in allowing your car or truck to shift gears. Knowing how an automatic gearbox operates means we can now rightly place our appreciation in all the work that goes into ensuring our cars keep running as smooth and as efficient as they do.

Next time you're on the road in a car with an automatic transmission, keep the many important pieces at work underneath and behind you firmly in mind. And when you need a new auto transmission or other auto parts, make certain to visit Starshine for all of your automotive needs!