Perhaps you just purchased a vehicle with a manual transmission, or just curious what it takes to maintain one. Either way this article will show you the necessary procedures to prevent unexpected breakdowns caused by the transmission. Just like you would in any other vehicle, you will want to be on top of things. However the good news, is manual transmissions are fairly straight forward to service.

Clutch Replacement

The clutch is easily one of the most important components in the gear box. If your clutch fails completely, you are not going anywhere. The best way to prevent this is replacing the clutch at the mileage the manufacturer recommends. This information can be found in the owners manual or a credible online source. While this doesn’t guarantee the clutch to never fail, this ensures a worn out clutch gets replaced before failing.

Fluid Change

Just like your engine, a manual transmission uses fluid to help keep moving parts lubricated. You won’t need to change the fluid as often as an engine, but will be need done periodically. It can range from 30,000-50,000 miles, depending on what the manufacturer recommends. You will also want to replace the transmission fluid filter while you are at it too, just like an engine.

It is also worth noting flushing is not recommended by most manufacturers. As the fluid used for flushing out transmission fluid can get trapped in the transmission. Which can break down the transmission fluid prematurely, and can void your warranty if you have one on your vehicle. The transmission fluid to use depends on what the manufacturer recommends for your vehicle. Using the wrong fluid may not damage your transmission, but you do run the risk of damaging it.

Shift Linkage

If you bought a used car and noticed that gear changes are sloppy or it is difficult shifting gears. You may have worn shift linkage bushings that need replaced. Even if your car doesn’t have this issue, it is something you will want to keep in mind as the vehicle gets older. Some vehicles with cable ran shift linkages do not have this issue, but may require other parts to be replaced when they get older.

Manual Transmission Rebuild

Nothing lasts forever as the old saying goes, and the same goes for manual transmissions. If the transmission has difficulty going into gear or the car grinds when going into gear. This means the transmission will need removed to be replaced or have the internals rebuilt. While this can be costly, it is cheaper than rebuilding an automatic transmission generally. Plus it is cheaper than getting another car, especially in 2022 with rising used car prices.

While you could attempt rebuilding the transmission yourself, I recommend against it. This is because a transmission has a lot of moving parts, and better left to a professional mechanic. If you have access to a lift and transmission jack you could remove the transmission your self. Then take it into a mechanic saving the amount of hours you will have to pay for. However only do this with the proper equipment, and if you have the skills.

Conclusion

While this article was pretty short, that is all there is too servicing manual transmissions. Pair that with driving your vehicle responsibly, and not driving like a race car driver during your commute. You will likely have a reliable transmission that wont give you too many problems. The key is knowing what can fail and when to replace those components. With that said, I appreciate you taking the time to read my blog. If you would like to learn more about manual transmissions, I have other articles on this blog.

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You learned how to drive a manual transmission, and want to get a manual transmission equipped vehicle for yourself. That or perhaps you are just curious about the things to look for when the time comes to get another vehicle. Regardless of your situation, this article will help outline the big things to look out for when purchasing a vehicle. Saving you the pain and frustration of having to repair a lemon, or help you negotiate a better price for a project car.

What Will the Vehicle Be Used For?

How you use your vehicle is a good starting point for determining which vehicle to go for. The two main categories I go by are daily driver and weekend car. Aside from the obvious things such as low miles and great over all condition of the vehicle. For a vehicle that will be used as a daily driver, you may want to consider a vehicle that has a lighter clutch feel. However if you want a car to take on the race track, you will want a car that has a stronger clutch. There is trade offs, but if you are buying a daily driver make sure it is a car you are fine driving in traffic in almost everyday.

Synchromesh Assembly

As I mentioned in one of my previous articles, “How a Manual Transmission Works” the synchromesh assembly is what allows the transmission to go into gear in most modern cars. If this part of the transmission is worn, it wont go into gear with out double clutching. The best way to diagnose this issue is by listening to the car. If you hear a grinding noise, then it is not working properly and will need repaired

Shift Linkage

Another common failure that can be found on vehicles equipped with manual transmissions is worn shift linkages. The best way to diagnose this issue is to carefully try moving the shifter from side to side when in gear. You will want to be careful, and only do this when on the test drive to not potentially damage the transmission. If it feels lose that means the shift linkage is worn and will need the rubber bushings replaced. These rubber bushings allows the shift linkage to move as required for selecting a gear. If the gear shifter didn’t move much when in gear, you are good to go.

The other test for this component is to take it for a drive. If the gear changes feel smooth, and there is no slop in the shifter. This means the shift linkage isn’t worn and you are good to go. It also worth mentioning this only applies to older vehicles, newer vehicles should not have this problem. If a newer vehicle has this issue, it could potentially be a lemon or driven by someone who drove the vehicle hard. Either way I would avoid a newer vehicle with this problem, but it is acceptable in an older vehicle. Just be sure to replace it as soon as possible.

Clutch

This is the most important part of any transmission, and it wont work with out it. So you will want to make sure the clutch is in proper working order, or you are prepared to have it replaced. Some of the common symptoms of a bad clutch are: burning smell, not able to shift gears, and slipping. Slipping is when the clutch doesn’t catch the flywheel as needed to transmit the power to the transmission from the engine. You will notice this when the engine revs even letting of the clutch during driving. Make sure to not confuse this with being in neutral, as the engine should be able to rev in neutral.

Buying the Car

With these things in mind, you can now carry out a multi point inspection when looking at vehicles. That can make sure the manual transmission is working properly as it should. If it doesn’t it can help diagnose what needs done if you are buying a project car. Otherwise it gives you a warning to not buy a certain vehicle or negotiate a deal to have it fixed. I hope this helps, and wish you best of luck on your next vehicle purchase.

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Sliding Mesh Transmission

This is an older style of transmission that isn’t used much these days. However they are commonly seen in cars built before the 1950s, so should you find your self driving one. You will at least not be surprised when the gears grind when shifting. The good news is you can minimize that by double clutching, and getting used to the gear spacing. Also don’t be alarmed if you hear a more pronounced whirring noise when driving. These transmissions are known to be noisier than more modern transmission designs.

As the name implies this transmission works by sliding the gear ratios together with the shifter fork. As opposed to being fixed in place as seen on modern synchromesh transmissions. Because you have to slide the gears in place, this requires the driver to have those speeds match perfectly. Otherwise the transmission will grind and not go in gear. Doing this too often can cause damage to the transmission, hence why modern transmissions use an easier to shift synchromesh design.

Dogbox

These types of transmissions are common on motorcycles and race cars. They are used in these applications, because they save weight and are more durable. This is because they don’t have synchronizer rings as seen in road going cars now days. Which also means you have to double clutch these transmissions, just like in a sliding mesh transmission. However more experienced drivers successfully shift these transmissions with out a clutch. Keep in mind it takes practice to master shifting gears with out the clutch.

These transmissions have constant mesh gears much like the synchromesh transmissions, but the big difference is how each gear is selected. Instead of using a synchronizer ring that spins and locks onto the chosen gear. These transmissions have sliding gears that are attached to the shifter fork, and they are called dog clutches hence the name “dogbox.” They have teeth that slide into the grooves of the chosen gear once the speed is properly matched.

Auxiliary Overdrive

These are non existent on modern vehicles, as over drive gears are built directly into transmissions now days. However back in the early days of freeways when cars where going faster all of a sudden. Many cars at the time didn’t come with an overdrive gear. Which is a gear ratio that allows the engine to spin slower than the output shaft of the transmission. Instead of developing a whole new transmission, motor companies would simply add a reduction planetary gearset outside the transmission.

To keep it simple a planetary gearset is a set of gears that orbit around a sun gear. When the sun gear is activated via mechanically or electro magnetically. It would reduce the speed of the output shaft of the transmission. Thus having the same benefits of an extra gear with out the complexity of a five or six speed manual. However now due to better technology, it is less cost prohibitive to manufacture transmissions with more gears.

Automated Manual

While technically not a manual some automatic transmissions operate more akin to a manual. Instead of the typical torque converter and planetary gearset design. They use a computer controlled clutch with constant mesh gears like you would see in a manual transmission. Sometimes they come with two clutches, and are called dual clutch transmissions. The benefit of automated transmissions is they shift super quick and allow for either manual or automatic gear selection. However these transmissions are known to be costly to repair, when compared to traditional manuals.

Tractor Trailers

These large vehicles probably have the most unique transmissions out of any vehicle on the road. Because of their heavy weight and low revving diesel engines. They tend to be seen with 10 to 18 speeds now days, older trucks had even more gear ratios. However much like older cars, trucks from the 50s till the 70s had two transmissions. The auxiliary however would usually be a full on transmission, much like the main transmission.

Now days the extra gear ratios are accessed via toggles on the gear shifter. Usually on a 10 speed, they come with one toggle which essentially accesses additional ratios. Transmissions with more gears will have an auxiliary over drive similar to what is seen on classic cars. However these are usually air operated instead of being electronically activated. Many modern trucks just like supercars also can be seen with automated manuals. However just like with cars they get mixed reviews from different drivers.

Conclusion

As you can see from this article there is many different manual transmissions that are used in various different applications. That range from weight or speed the vehicle will be operated at, or just simply the time period when the vehicle was manufactured. With this knowledge you can pretty much drive anything you want to now with some practice. I hope this article helped you gain some insight, and I appreciate you reading this far.

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Hopefully by this point you are comfortable with driving a vehicle equipped with a manual transmission. If you are new, I have another article that is a great starting point for beginners. In the previous article, I briefly went over how a manual transmission works. If you haven’t read that yet I highly recommend checking it out here. Knowing how a manual transmission works, will give a good background as to why these techniques are used frequently by experienced drivers. As well as keeping you aware what can happen if these techniques are not properly executed. More on that as we go, but with out further or do let us a take a look at the first shifting technique.

Rev Matching

As the name implies, this technique involves you the driver matching the revs of the engine flywheel. With the clutch that is spinning with the rest of the drive train when shifting gears. This is the easiest technique I personally found to learn first. As you will see later this technique is used with the other two shifting techniques. Mastering this technique will be the foundation for the other techniques I will show you.

The first thing to note before rev matching, you will want to let your engine fully warm up first. Secondly be smooth when trying this, revving your engine too high on downshifts can cause added wear to your clutch. I would also try it at first in a safe area like a race track or empty parking lot. We claim no responsibility for property damage or injury that could occur. Now that we have that safety warning out of the way, let’s get into how to rev match.

The rule of thumb when rev matching, is shifting from a lower gear to a higher gear the engine revs must drop to match the speed of the drivetrain. This is something you might already do, ever notice when you have a smooth transition when shifting to a higher gear? Now what about going from a higher gear to a lower gear? Well you do the opposite, in other words you will need to give the gas pedal a moderate tap with your right foot right before releasing the clutch.

You will know you have a perfect rev match when there is no weight transfer, until you accelerate. If you down shift a gear with out rev matching when driving faster. It will cause a sudden transfer of energy that causes the car to lurch. This weight transfer can be dangerous, and can cause cars to spin out of control. This is exactly why race car drivers, and car enthusiasts practice rev matching.

Heal Toe Downshifting

When you need to slow down you will need to down shift gears, or else the car will stall. However if the car is moving fairly quick you will still want to rev match your gear changes. However this situation requires three pedals to be used at once, and we only have two feet. So this requires one of our feet operating two pedals at the same time.

That foot will be your right foot, where your left foot will operate the clutch as normal. There is two ways to position your feet for this. One is putting your toe end of your shoe on the brake pedal and your heal on the gas pedal. This is typically how it should be done however taller drivers like my self find this harder to do. So instead you can put the left side of your shoe on the brake and right side on the gas pedal. If you find yourself using the second method you will want wider toe shoes.

Double Clutching

This one isn’t really that important on modern cars, but it still comes in handy. Plus once you are comfortable with the above two shifting techniques, this one will be quick to learn. Double clutching is a slightly different type of rev matching, that allows the internals of the transmission to match up better. Non synchronized transmission common on motorcycles, tractors, and semi trucks are shifted this way.

Just like rev matching you will want to match your engine revs with the speed of the drive train. The only difference is this time you will do this with transmission in neutral with the clutch fully released. Now when it comes to the clutch you will press and release it twice hence double clutching. The first time is for taking the transmission out of gear and into neutral. Second time is for going into your next gear from neutral, once the engine revs are properly matched.

I personally find shifting from a lower to higher gear the hardest to master with this technique. It requires you to perfectly time the shift, where downshifts are more at my own pace. If you shift to slow, you can always give a little throttle a blip to match the revs again. Now this technique isn’t the most necessary, but it actually can help prolong the life of your transmission. Because when you double clutch, it basically reduces the speed difference your synchro rings would other wise endure.

I personally use this technique if I want to skip a gear in the transmission. While the topic of skipping gears is controversial, and I would rather not open that can of worms. I am of the opinion that double clutching when properly done virtually does no harm to the synchromesh assembly. It may also help to double clutch if you have a worn synchro ring on your car. Out of all techniques this is the one your transmission will appreciate the most.

Practice Makes Perfect

I hope there was something you where able to take away from this article. With this knowledge you can help prolong the life of your transmission, and have smoother gear changes. Keep in mind this knowledge is only good if you practice and get good at these techniques your self. With all this said and done, I appreciate anyone who read this far!

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The Clutch and Pressure Plate Assembly

The Clutch is a plate made out of similar materials to a brake pad. That presses up to the back side of the flywheel. The flywheel is connected to the back side of the engine via the crankshaft. They are pressed together with a diaphragm spring inside the pressure plate. The clutch pedal controls a hydraulic mechanism, that separates the clutch from the flywheel. Sometimes it is done pneumatically (compressed air) or non assisted.

In the first article I mentioned how you don’t want to leave the car in gear with the clutch in. The reason why is because it causes the pressure plate assembly to be under tension. Which can cause the pressure plate assembly to wear out faster when used more often. To the point where your clutch won’t engage anymore until repaired. This helps make sure that you get the longest life possible out of your pressure plate.

Shift Linkage Assembly

The shifter in your car is connected to the transmission via the shift linkage. Usually the shift linkage is made up of a pair of metal rods. However some modern vehicles use a cable linkage instead. The shift linkage then connects up to the shifter forks. These basically connect or disconnect the gears inside the transmission to the rest of the drive line. I will explain more on how this works in the next section.

Synchromesh Assembly

This only applies to modern cars with constant mesh transmissions. Meaning a gear ratio is made up of two gears constantly meshed together, regardless if they are selected or not. These two gears are housed on two different shafts in the transmission. The input shaft connects to the clutch side of the transmission, while the out put shaft connects to the differential. Sometimes a transfer case if the vehicle is equipped with four wheel drive.

When selecting a gear, the appropriate shifter fork will move the chosen shifter collar. Typically two gears will share a collar, for example first and second share a collar. This collar slides over the synchronizer ring teeth, which locks in and pushes against the blocker ring. Which is connected to the set of gear ratios by either the input or output shaft. Depending on the design of the transmission. The synchronizer ring will also be slightly off plane from the blocker ring to allow the speeds to match up evenly.

Once the teeth on both the Synchronizer ring and blocker ring are matched you will have an effortless shift into that gear. Sometimes with worn transmissions, cars that where driven hard, or poorly designed can have damaged synchro rings. This means that the transmission will grind when trying to shift gears unless it is double clutched. This is a technique I will cover in a later article. If you remember in the first article I recommended against resting your hand on the shifter. That habit damages the teeth in the synchromesh assembly over time.

Putting it all Together.

While it may seem complex at first, understanding how a manual transmission works. Will help you as the driver better understand what is going on when you are driving. Which is important for knowing how to shift gears smoother, and avoiding un-necessary repair bills. Now that you have a better understanding for how a transmission operates. In the next article I will show techniques that race car drivers and truckers use for better shifts. I appreciate anyone who read this far, and see you on the next one!

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In the previous article I mentioned the basics of operating a manual transmission. Now you will get the opportunity to try it for your self (car not included). Before you go for your first drive, I will give you some tips and tricks to practice. To help out I recommend going on your first few drives with a veteran to three pedal vehicles. While not absolutely necessary, the feedback they can give you can speed things up. However if you follow this guide, I can get you started on your own if necessary. For safety reasons please do this in an area with little to no traffic, empty parking lots are an ideal place.

Gearshift Layout

As I briefly mentioned in the last article each transmission will have it’s own “h pattern” to select gears. Just like a bicycle, a car will come with different gear ratios for different speed or power demands. Most cars you will see now days come with 5-7 gears, older cars can come with 3-4 gears.

Typically first gear is the one that gets you going from a stop. However sometimes, bigger vehicles (i.e. large pickups) are meant to be started in second gear. As first gear is used for getting moving with a heavy load. This is sometimes called a “granny gear” or “crawler gear.” Most transmissions have a layout with first gear being the furthest left and up. However sometimes first gear can be below reverse, also known as a “dog leg” by many drivers.

Neutral will be in the middle, and you will be able to move the shifter side by side. Reverse is usually locked out by pushing down on the shifter, but sometimes there is a collar to pull up on. Other wise reverse is below the top most gear or in a dog leg pattern. Please be careful not to put the car in reverse when moving forward. As this can cause severe damage to the drive train. Before starting the car I recommend getting familiar with the shift pattern on your vehicle. Then we can move onto the next step!

Getting Moving

Now it is time to learn how to get the vehicle moving from a stop. This is the most difficult part, and requires patience and practice. Don’t worry after a few times it will be easy, also avoid steep hills for now. As manual vehicles can stall on steep hills and roll back when not moving. Later on I will give you some tips I use when I drive my convertible in the mountains. Again patience is key, just like learning any new skill.

To begin, you will want to start the engine. Then make sure to immediately put the vehicle in neutral with the parking brake on. When you are ready release the parking brake, press in the clutch all the way and select first gear or second if applicable. Then you will want to slowly let off the clutch, to get a feel for where the clutch engages. You will notice the car beginning to creep forward or the engine stopped running.

If the engine stopped running this is called a stall. If this happened don’t worry, and keep practicing until you get the car to creep forward. Once you get a feel for the clutch we will next add some throttle. This will allow the car to take off a little bit faster with out stalling. When you do this focus on only rising the engine RPM by 300-500 from idle. This will be displayed by your tachometer in your dashboard, also note older cars didn’t always come with tachometers.

Shifting Gears

Once you are comfortable with getting moving from a standstill. Then the next step is to get used to shifting gears. The best starting point is at the low traffic area from the previous exercise. Before setting off make sure you remember the shift pattern of your transmission. When you get going, as a rule of thumb you can let off the clutch a little faster when shifting gears while moving.

This is because when you are moving the clutch doesn’t need to be slipped as much. Slipping is when your clutch needs to catch up to the speed of your engine. Think of it like a brake, but instead of it stopping it is connecting your engine to your transmission. Ideally you will want as little slipping as possible to reduce wear and tear on your clutch. This is done by timing shifts perfectly, and rev matching on shifts from a lower gear to higher gear. I will teach rev matching in a later article, but for now it is best to focus on smooth gear changes.

Practice Makes Perfect

I hope things go well for you on your first drive! It can be nerve racking at first, it was for me at least. However after a while, it will get easier to the point of becoming second nature. Just like with anything else practice makes perfect. I appreciate anyone who read this far, and when you are ready. There will be more articles to help polish your skills for even smoother operation of a manual transmission.

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