How Automatic Transmission Works

An automatic transmission or “automatic gearbox” is, in the automotive industry, a gear change system, or gears, that takes care of itself to change the engine speed ratio autonomously, as its name indicates, to as the vehicle moves. Gear changes occur spontaneously to adapt the speed to the number of revolutions per minute followed by the engine, achieving a series of advantages over a mechanical or traditional transmission, which make it highly demanded in many countries:

• Avoid motor overheating.
• Save fuel by wearing the most appropriate gear at all times.
• Freeing the driver from having to change gear manually.
• Less distraction when driving the vehicle.
• Greater smoothness throughout the ride.

In vehicles that integrate this type of transmission, it can be seen that there is no clutch pedal, and that the gear lever is significantly different, which, instead of presenting the different indicated speeds from 1 to 5 (or more) and the R of “Reverse” or reverse gear, comes with the symbols P, R, ND, 2, 1, which we will explain. These symbols are not speeds but different engine speeds that are used to make the vehicle more comfortable at certain times of driving. Let’s just say, special. For example, if the vehicle is loaded with a lot of weight or on a long and steep slope, it will require a lower gear range than if it is empty or on level ground. In other words, once we select the speed regime that we consider most suitable for our journey, the transmission system will do everything else, changing gear automatically as speed increases or decreases.

With this transmission system, driving becomes very simple, since the driver will only have to worry about pressing the accelerator or brake depending on the circumstances, and the vehicle will automatically change gears, without jerks or distractions for the driver having to letting go of the steering wheel every time you had to change gears in a conventional vehicle with the manual transmission. Gear lever positions in an automatic transmission, most automatic transmissions allow you to manually select the speed or type of gear that the journey requires, in addition to distinguishing whether you want to have the vehicle stopped, locked, or in reverse gear.

Importance of understanding the operation, it seems complicated, but in reality it is very easy to understand the operation of an automatic gearbox, and well, the whole heart of the matter is resolved by understanding the difference between these positions, or regimes, of low gears (“2”) and very short (“1”) that we have just described, and that of the direct or “D” (Drive).
However, it is surprising how many people do not know what the “2” or “S” position of automatic transmissions is used for, and this lack of knowledge, not only makes driving these people inefficient from an economic point of view, but has made many people distrust the benefits for which this type of transmission has been designed, and not only doubting that they are capable of reporting them, but by affirming that their disadvantages are greater.

Controversy about the convenience or not of automatic transmissions, there is currently a huge controversy about which is better, whether an automatic transmission or a conventional manual transmission is better. While in countries like the United States and Mexico the majority of cars, by far, are automatic, and this has been practically since this system was invented, in Europe and in most of the world manual transmissions are still preferred. Among those who defend the use of manual transmissions, they allege that automatic vehicles consume more, and that sometimes the gear change occurs at inopportune moments, for example when we want to brake with the engine, or that it does not occur when required. For example, when overtaking.

They also allege that the breakdowns are more complicated and expensive to correct in an automatic choke than in one with a manual transmission. In countries where fuel is cheap, the first claim is naturally not given much weight, and as for the next two, automatic transmission advocates argue that the gear shifting problem is due to a lack of understanding of the operation of the gear regimes that are available from the lever, described above.

As for the problem of breakdowns, there is no discussion. There is unanimity that automatic transmissions are more prone to failure, that repairs are more complicated, and that parts are more expensive. The controversy is, therefore, served, and both defenders and detractors of automatic transmissions do not seem to agree. The most sensible thing is, therefore, that everyone draw their own conclusions from it. To comment on something, you first have to try it. Although it is possible that in this sense the taste of each person has more weight than all the arguments for or against.

First understand how these systems work, then try it out, and finally you can have a say in it. By the way, your opinions will be very welcome in the comments at the end of the text.  An automatic transmission is a complex system that incorporates many components.

What do you need for automatic transmission?

• Car
• Automatic transmission

Instructions for automatic transmission

1. Oil: It must present a good condition for the correct operation of the transmission, and a long useful life of all its components.
2. Solenoid box.
3. Valve box. They act on the different conduits whose passage or obstruction of the oil determine the gear that must work at all times.
4. It is responsible for accommodating and protecting all transmission components
5. Automatic transmission oil tank.
6. Torque converter.
7. Planetary Set. Which includes:
8. Piece that rotates inside around the central axis.
9. Pieces that can rotate both around their own axis and around the central pinion.
10. Satellite carrier As its name indicates, it houses the satellites rotating in the indicated trajectories.
11. In whose toothed interior the satellites mesh, enclosing the entire epicyclic train.
12. Oil pump. It serves to generate pressure inside the gearbox, which is very important to control for a correct condition of the transmission.
13. They are the ones that determine the gears that the vehicle supports in a very similar way to manual transmission systems.
14. Oil filter. Prevents the passage of impurities that could erode or damage the transmission.
15. Solenoids or electromagnets. There are two types. Some are involved in the development of the gears, and the others serve to regulate the pressure that exists inside the inside of the pump, and which are called actuators.

Tips for automatic transmission

The meaning of the symbols that appear on the lever according to the scheme of an automatic transmission is as follows:

1. “P” (Parking). We place the lever in this position when you want the vehicle to remain stopped or parked. With the lever in position “P” no force is transmitted to the wheels, which also remain locked, preventing movement even if there is a slope or the vehicle is being pushed.
2. «R» (Reverse)To start the wheels moving backwards. It is usually placed after the “P” position because it is usually the last movement made when parking, and the first one made before leaving the parking lot.
3. “N” (Neutral)In this position, the third in an automatic transmission scheme, there is also no transmission but the wheels do not lock. It is the equivalent of “neutral” in a manual transmission scheme. If we leave it like this on a slope and without a handbrake, the vehicle will go away.
4. “D” (Drive)Means “to drive”. It is the indicated position for traveling on the level, on a well paved road and with a moderate load in the vehicle, or without load. In the “drive” gear regime, the vehicle will use all its gears to accommodate the speed it describes at all times.
5. «2» or also marked with «S»(Sport) which means “sport”, or “sports”, works in a similar way to the “D”, but maintaining a regime or set of shorter gears to exert greater “repris”, that is, so that force and grip prevail over speed. This can be convenient not only for sporty driving, but also when the vehicle is heavily loaded, or when there is a gentle uphill slope. This position is also indicated when the vehicle has to stop every few meters and restart intermittently.
6. «1» or sometimes marked as “L”(Low) It maintains a speed or a set of gears even shorter than in the previous case, allowing a greater number of revolutions to the engine, in exchange for achieving greater power. This is the indicated regime, therefore, for when the vehicle is loaded excessively, or when there is an extraordinarily steep slope upwards, and a predominance of the traction force over the speed of the vehicle is necessary. Depending on the model and type vehicle, there may also be two more positions:
7. «M» (Manual)That allows, as a “Switch”, to activate manual driving with the same gearbox. When we have manual mode activated, by pressing the “+” and “-” buttons we can change gears at will, something very convenient when we want to brake with the engine on very steep downhill slopes.
8. «W» (Winter)It is not at all frequent to find it, and even less that people know what it is for. It is very similar to the “D” position but the transitions from one gear to another are much smoother so that the wheels do not start to spin when there is ice.