Understanding How an Automatic Gearbox Works

Most automatic gearboxes feature a set of gears. These gears are referred to as an epicyclic or planetary gear train. The gear train is made up of the following components:

  • A central gear, referred to as a sun gear
  • An annulus or ring gear – an outer ring featuring an internal gear
  • Two or three gears called planet gears that rotate between the ring gear and sun gear

If you need gearbox repair services in Epping, you can take care of any issues you may have with your transmission and the operation of the gears.

Understanding How Your Car’s Gears Operate

By understanding how the gears work, you can better understand how checks and repairs serve you from a cost and performance standpoint. For example, drive one represents the first gear, whilst drive two represents the second gear. The top gear is represented by “drive.”

Driving in Reverse

The “reverse” gear is marked as an “R” on the selector. When the car is put into reverse, the forward-drive clutch becomes disengaged. The first ring gear freewheels in response.

The reverse clutch is then engaged and the engine propels the sun gear. The operation causes braking of the second planet carrier, whilst the planet gears drive the second ring gear by way of the sun gear. The second ring gear is driven in the opposite direction to provide a reverse drive.

As you can see, this process is detailed and complex. If you want to make sure your car performs well in this respect, you need to speak to a gearbox expert.


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