In Which Black Aeronaut Teaches You About Cars

[Black Aeronaut]

Hey guys!

I would have posted this in the usual videos thread, buuuuuuut given that there's so much to cover here, I figured it might be best off in its own thread.  In this way, the videos shouldn't get buried too quickly, giving you a chance to bookmark the thread for later perusal, and it will cut down on posts I'd otherwise be making to the regular video thread.

Some of ya'll might remember that wonderfully explanatory video I posted some time back about how the manual transmission in an automobile works.  Well, in this thread, we're gonna see that video again, along with more videos that will show you:

• How does an automatic transmission work?
  
• How does a torque convertor work?
  
• Automatic Transmissions Vs. Manual Transmissions - The Pros and Cons of Both
  
• The Best of Both Worlds: The Dual Clutch Transmission
  

And best of all, these videos are all from the same group, so it should be easy enough to follow along.

Let's start off with a refresher on the manual transmission.




Next up, Automatic Transmissions.

[Black Aeronaut]

So, we've seen what's what in a manual transmission.  So what's the mysterious voodoo in an automatic transmission?  The answer is surprisingly elegant and simple.




Next, we'll cover the torque converter and the mechanical magic therein.

[Black Aeronaut]

So, now you know about automatics.  But the torque convertor was only glossed over in the previous video.  How do it werk?

The answers are in this video.




So, now you're probably wondering, which is better?  That's coming up next.

[Black Aeronaut]

So, two different types of transmissions.  They both have their pros and cons.  This video covers them in-depth.



But is there a happy-middle to be had?  That's in the next video!

[Black Aeronaut]

Behold!  The strength of the manual transmission with the continuous power output of the automatic!

Put your thinking cap on for this one - it's a bit tricky to follow, but they do a good job of breaking it down in the end.




This concludes my module on transmissions.  Stay tuned to this channel for more stuff where I demystify the automobile for you folks.

[Dartz]

There're two kinds of people.

People who can drive a car with a manual gearbox
People who can't drive.


I will admit to going for the clutch in an automatic more than once. With the expected result when my left foot stomps on the brake pedal.

[LynnInDenver]

Yeah, my dad was pretty insistent that learning to drive stick was of nothing but benefit - that there wasn't anything I couldn't drive (at least in the passenger category) with that knowledge.

Only recently have my parents moved over to getting automatic transmissions (1 of their 2 Subarus), and I'll admit my current Subaru is going to be the last manual I'll own.

(Yeah, you'll notice a running theme going forward with my family.)

[Black Aeronaut]

Eh. Rally racing is proof positive that there are things you can only do in a car that has a manually actuated clutch that you can't do in a car with an automatic. Granted, a lot of that you don't typically do in every day driving conditions, but even so...

[LynnInDenver]

Yeah, it's just that... it's getting harder to get manual transmission in the USA, and flat out, I'm in my late forties now (so I'm already having to acknowledge that some things will need to change as I get ever older) and wasn't really into performance anyway, although it makes certain snowy conditions and driving back from the mountains much easier to manage. The snow, it doesn't hurt that my current "steed" is AWD. If I require much more than that to get to work when it snows, then I should be staying home anyway.

[ECSNorway]

There are some things that are automatic to do with one that will really screw with the other.

I nearly blew up when I saw one fellow (after discussion of parked cars not staying put) who (rather loudly) insisted that the only proper way to park any car was with the transmission in gear and the parking brake locked.

For a manual shift, this may well be correct.

Doing this on an automatic transmission is a good way to kill your transmission, and I had to say so.

[LynnInDenver]

Yeah, I recognize that automatics are "always park it in Park, never Neutral or Gear, use the parking brake only if you're on some sort of incline", manuals are "in gear or neutral, parking brake always always always".

[Jinx999]

Yeah, I recognize that automatics are "always park it in Park, never Neutral or Gear, use the parking brake only if you're on some sort of incline", manuals are "in gear or neutral, parking brake always always always".

My dad who would have been over 90 now, was "always park in gear, especially on an incline, the parking brakes are not strong enough to hold a car in place on their own".

I find driving automatics weird. It's as though you're only half driving, and half my reflexes are wrong.

[hazard]

Always learn how to drive in a manual clutch vehicle. Look for a driving school that offers that option, and take it.

Even if you only ever drive automatic afterwards, it teaches you about how the car and engine behave under different conditions you just don't get with an automatic because the computer will cover for the edge cases, and experiencing those conditions teaches those lessons much better than just reading about them.

And should you end up with a manual transmission car after years of driving automatic, you still will know what to do and how to handle the transmission and engine. Or at least the basics for it, unlike someone who drove automatic and learned on an automatic car and thus might just wreck the engine or transmission due to sheer inexperience. Because they know how to drive already and will drive as if the car was an automatic without thinking about it.

[Black Aeronaut]

There are some things that are automatic to do with one that will really screw with the other.

I nearly blew up when I saw one fellow (after discussion of parked cars not staying put) who (rather loudly) insisted that the only proper way to park any car was with the transmission in gear and the parking brake locked.

For a manual shift, this may well be correct.

Doing this on an automatic transmission is a good way to kill your transmission, and I had to say so.

Nooot quite true.  The nature of the torque converter prevents this from being an issue.  The real issue is that should the parking brake fail, then there is nothing preventing the vehicle from moving.  Which is why automatics have the "Park" feature in the first place.

Really, what will ACTUALLY destroy an automatic is relying on "Park" without the parking brake engaged.

Most vehicle manufacturers and auto mechanics do not recommend using the transmission's parking pawl as the sole means of securing a parked vehicle, instead recommending it should only be engaged after first applying the vehicle's parking brake. Constant use of only the parking pawl, especially when parking on a steep incline, means that driveline components, and transmission internals, are kept constantly under stress, and can cause wear and eventual failure of the parking pawl or transmission linkage. The pawl might also fail or break if the vehicle is pushed with sufficient force, if the parking brake is not firmly engaged. Replacement can be an expensive operation since it not only requires removing the transmission from the vehicle, but it's usually the first component to be installed in the gearbox case during a complete rebuild.

Article with citations and a helpful picture here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parking_pawl

Yeah, I recognize that automatics are "always park it in Park, never Neutral or Gear, use the parking brake only if you're on some sort of incline", manuals are "in gear or neutral, parking brake always always always".

My dad who would have been over 90 now, was "always park in gear, especially on an incline, the parking brakes are not strong enough to hold a car in place on their own".

Actually, it's the exact opposite, though your dad can be excused for not being right because gear ratios back then are not the gear ratios used now.

Thing is, cars were HEAVY back then, and then engines didn't have nearly as much power or torque as they do now.  So 1st gear usually had to be something absurdly low, like 3.9:1, whereas modern light-vehicle transmissions now use a ratio like 2.5:1 for 1st gear.

I've seen my light pick-up actually begin rolling backwards on an incline while it was parked in 1st gear - the parking brake at the time was broken and I'd been working on getting it fixed.

Really, if your parking brake isn't strong enough to keep the vehicle in-place on an incline on its own, then your parking brake has failed and you need to get it looked at - like yesterday even.