CVT stands for Continuously Variable Transmission. The first CVT patent was awarded to Daimler-Benz in 1886. The CVT concept had been applied to saw mill machinery seven years earlier by an inventor named Milton Reeves. Down through the decades, CVTs have appeared in numerous automobiles, motorcycles and more recently in snowmobiles and ATVs. As you … Read more
Have you ever been shopping for cars online and then filter your search by ‘manual transmission’ because all of the cool cars have them? If you haven’t, try it now. I’ll wait. See?? Isn’t that awesome what you find? Now, try sorting by price and start from the bottom of the barrel and tell me … Read more
Today, gears are a major part of our lives. Mostly hidden by appropriate enclosures, they do their work in all manner of servile devices from washing machines to laser printers to chainsaws. Many aspects of life would be far different and more difficult without gears. Two specific types of gears are in common use worldwide. … Read more
Have you ever attempted to leave for work in the morning, only to find that your automatic transmission is stuck in the park position? If so, you are certainly not alone. While indeed troubling, this issue is far more common than one might think. Luckily, when a transmission is stuck in park, a minor mechanical fault … Read more
Outside of your engine, the transmission is the most complex part of your vehicle. But an automatic transmission doesn’t get half the attention of an engine, and it’s a shame because your vehicle’s tranny is a work of art that is a fantastic piece of innovation when everything is running correctly. But what makes up … Read more
As soon as a car owner or driver notices a burning smell from the engine area, it becomes an issue serious enough that the car should be stopped driving. Even though transmission problems often occur in specific cars rather than in other makes and models, as long as you have driven your car long enough, … Read more
Imagine traveling at one speed throughout your journey. It’s not an appealing thought. The transmission is the part of your vehicle that helps you change speeds smoothly. When a specific gear is selected, the transmission controls how much power feeds through to the engine. It doesn’t matter if it’s an automatic or manual transmission; they … Read more
A clutch master cylinder links your left foot to the clutch in a three pedaled vehicle with a hydraulic clutch. If the master cylinder has completely failed, it will likely leave you stranded, unless you can figure out a way to limp home without the use of the clutch. This is especially dangerous if the brake … Read more
We take our cars for granted. When you think about all the moving parts that work together, they are amazing inventions. What we find the most interesting, though, is how the cars handle vibration. We’re talking about thousands of small parts that are rattling around in the body of the car continually. You’d think that … Read more
In order for the gears inside your vehicle to move smoothly, they rely on transmission fluid to do the job. Checking the amount of transmission fluid that you have left is similar to the way in which you check your level of engine oil. The only difference is that you check your transmission fluid while … Read more