The Science Behind a Stick Shift Transmission

Last weeks post was about a regular car engine but this weeks post is about a very simple stick shift transmission. 

Citation - 

"How Manual Transmissions Work." HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.

From the engine comes the power which is created by the pistons. The power from the crankshaft is transferred to the Layshaft which is the red bar at the bottom of the picture. From the Layshaft, the power is transferred to the seleced gear which is the big blue gears in the picture labeled 1, 2, 3, 4, ,5, and Reverse. On the Gear Shift, there is a number patter like this - 

Link:

http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Gear_shift_1-2.gif

When you choose the gear want, and you move the gear shift to there, say 2nd gear, the gear shift knows you only want to move to 2nd gear. The Gear Selector Fork as labeled in the picture, moves to the right and matches the patteren of the 2nd gear and sticks in it. Then when you want to move to 3rd, you just press the clutch and move the gear shift in the pattern it shows on how you get to 3rd gear and then the Gear Selector Fork in between 3rd gear and 4th will move left to match the pattern of the 3rd gear.

And thats how a Stick Shift Transmission works.

My dad taught me how to drive a stick shift when I was 7 years old on an old farm tractor at my Grandpas. About 3 years ago, he bought a 1985 Jeep CJ7 and I fell in love with it. Later he let me know that it would be mine when I turned the age to drive. A good thing about a stickshift car is that you cant talk to text on the phone. I recommend a stickshift for every kid learning to drive, but you have to know how to drive it correctly!