Detailed exploration of a front wheel drive manual transmission and clutch assembly.
See "How a Car Engine Works" as part of our developing automotive series: • How a Car Engine Works
CREDITS
Jacob O'Neal - modeling, animation, texturing, vfx, music
Wesley O'Neal - research, writing, modeling
PATREON
Help us keep making videos:
/ animagraffs
PRIVATE WORK
Need 3D illustration and animation? Let's chat:
animagraffs.com/contact/
WEBSITE
See more explanations of how things work:
animagraffs.com/
SOFTWARE USED
We use Blender 3D to create these models. It's free and open source, and the community is amazing:
www.blender.org/
Chapters
00:00 Intro
00:31 The Clutch
03:36 The gears
04:23 Synchronizing gears
07:48 Shift change assembly
08:13 Shift lever
09:14 Reverse gear
09:35 Neutral
09:58 Oil
10:13 Outtro
Correction:
0:10 Before commenting, check the top pinned "VIDEO CORRECTIONS" thread.
VIDEO CORRECTIONS (compiled from viewer comments): Manual transmissions are common everywhere but the U.S., apparently. We're skilled researchers and this fact was absolutely not apparent before publishing, but it's good to know. Long live manuals. From Shady Janzier: You forgot to animate the flywheel/crankshaft center bearing and tip of the input shaft that goes into it. Those two are vital in keeping everything centered and functioning reliably. Without that concentricity, the input shaft would wobble and eventually warp;
Yep. Automatic transmission is the standard in the US, but we're the odd ones there. In the rest of the world, even in wealthy regions like Western Europe, manuals are the preferred option.
for example in middle east in Yemen and Egypt manuals are more than automatics gearbox's, specially in Yemen coz of the maintains auto's are just waste of money, u wont see a single heavy truck here auto never ever,it wont survive at all. any way really thanks for the wonderful animation
Automatic transmissions just seem to be more in line with American culture. I like manuals myself and have overhauled a few. I like to think how I want to shift, not have the car think for me.
Most cars in South Korea are automatic which means driving is very easy.
only Europe still use manual transmissions. God only knows why, rest of the world I had no problem getting automatic cars from rent agencies.
i’m no animator, but i have seen the inside of gearboxes. i feel like animating something so sandwiched, and tight is something much easier said than done. i’ve never seen an animation of something this mechanically technical so clear and concise well done 👍
The 'meta verse' will be the next step. Imagine getting trained on servicing manual transmissions, jet engine, excavators, Or even surgery. All from virtual reality / animations. That's pretty cool.
@@privatepilot9233 Meta is trash, real VR training uses Vives, they have actual detail and don't need charged every hour and half
@@Omalleyus vr training* . Meta probably is trash butnvr training is what I was getting at
It is in some ways, but not as difficult as you might imagine in others. What's difficult (although I suppose this is true with most other skills as well) is the years of learning the requisite skills required to even attempt something like this. Once you've got that down though, the actual process of creating something like this is pretty methodical. Modern software makes it pretty easy to manage large numbers of objects and only show what you need at any given moment.
@@zackakai5173 Once you're awesome you'll be awesome!
It blows my mind that this was thought of, manufactured , and utilized so often in all of our day to day lives and most don’t appreciate it
My thoughts exactly. It's an engineering miracle.
@@rahamsesgalvan8279 yes it is, it's sad that today 's mosts cars news ones are automatics.
I was trying to think of a way of saying the same thing in a coherent manner, thankfully you did it perfectly.
its like the air you breath
For real, just wait till you see how the inside of a computer works
It's just stunning that people could figure out how to design and make something like this, and that they were able to come up with it so long ago
you should have seen the analog mechanical calculator and the enigma machines back in 1940
@@043mehdi I wasn't alive then but I've seen them
People from the past are not less capable or intelligent than current people. This is a common misconception. There hasn't been enough time for humanity to "evolve" into being smarter. We are always born the same, but thanks to the education system we are able to build upon what the smart people from the past (going back thousands of years) have done and archived, be it on analog or, more recently, digital media. With many small contributions from many people, you end up building some pretty complex systems.
yes, you can hardly invent something purely new@@dscarmo
We still havent figured out how the egypt piramids were built, or have we?
I'm not an auto enthusiest, but watching a video like this gives such appreciation to the brilliance of engineering and the beautiful design that takes place. Even more impressive is they figured this out without computers.
nothin but paper, a pencil and sheer will I guess....
They did but back then the "computers" had heartbeats and wages. XD
It must be an odd feeling to make videos so good that you render all other videos on the same topic pretty much obsolete.
Lol no more odd than leaving the perfect compliment on our video for all the hard work we put in 🥲. Thanks for being here with us while we do what we do.
@@animagraffs Aww this comment.
I just wish it has a detail movement of all the components in an example of selecting a gear.
I agree. I've seen many gearbox animations and this is visually the best by far
i see animagraff segments used in fomula one videos when they explain how certain parts work... i'm guessing you get royalties right? i believe i've seen some of the plane segments in wendover too, or was it real engineering...
I'm in a mechanic field. Working as a tractor mechanic in India almost for two years, no one at my workplace would explain about all of this mechanical stuff. I've got no traditional diesel mechanic course. These are the type of videos which are able me to learn about mechanical stuff. And I've got so much better knowing them.
Glad the internet is finally starting to do its job of helping as many people as possible, drive safe and have fun friend 🙏
I'm happy for you.
Two questions. How were you allowed to work as a mechanic without superficial knowledge? And what is your monthly salary for such work with such knowledge?
@@yabloki.3689 that's a great question and he may be a helper, just like many children they go and help the mechanic and watch him when he is working how he works so that's how they learn and the salary for that in my country is below the minimum or the minimum salary
@@yabloki.3689 he’s said he was in India…So there’s your answer to the first question.Lol
Finally. I anyways wanted an animation which showed modern manual transmissions. You know, the ones with cable based shifters and front wheel drive. Unsurprisingly, it was Animagraffs who made it possible! Kudos to you. You are simply amazing!
Это уже старая мкпп. Посмотри какая огромная. Современные делают компактней за счет изменения угла косых шестерен. Размещения синхронизаторов и немного иной механизм переключения. Даже лада уже так делает. Что позволяет снизить кол-во масла. Компактней разместить. А вот с сцеплением пока, что ничего нового не придумали.
Anyone ever stop and think about how absolutely brilliant someone had to be to come up with this from nothing? Like there are so many parts it's amazing how something we use everyday is so intricately made
Think about people who came up with an engine. How abstract it is to build such a thing.
But then these don't come from nothing; they're all changes made upon earlier & simpler designs.
@@ashyu_ Still, it's nuts.
Everything is given by God
@@CamiRevi Then you look at an automatic transmission... alien technology
This is an excellent video. I'm a car enthusiast, former mechanical engineer and current educator and this is one of the best illustrated and explained videos of manual transmission function I've ever seen.
Support for your creations! This is a work of art!
Awesome Animation! From one small Blender Creator to another big creator. You have given us Hope. Love your quote "It's possible to make a living with high quality honest work," We render in Eevee :)
EEVEE for lyfe, bros! 😎 Let's keep never, ever pulling cheap shots together. Some people just want to watch the world learn 🤝
This video was so good I just spent 2-3 times longer than the runtime just taking notes and rewinding to re-watch clips. Absolutely incredible. I need more videos like this. I’m lucky to have found this explainer
this mans work ethic is insane. W vid watching this at 3am
Bruh. So much props for this. I’ve worked on my own cars and done major engine work when needed. I have a complex understanding of most everything- but Transmissions always were so tough to understand. This got me from like 30% understanding to 80% in 10 min and that’s dammed impressive ! I’ll watch it a few more times and try to get to 100
Same. I've been into cars and how they work for years and never realized the way gear selection works is by basically by pushing the gear onto the syncro hub...
This is the best demonstration of how synchromesh works that I've ever seen! A lot of videos seem to brush past it but you really went into the details and now I understand it so much better. Thank you for everything you do, I hope your passion for it never wavers
It is genuinely impressive how great this video is at explaining a rather complex mechanical system in an easy to absorb fashion. Fantastically done, thank you!
The easiest way to tell you've made an informative video is for your viewers to come out of the video feeling like they understand less about a topic than when they started the video. The Dunning Kruger effect in action! By the way, would be cool to get a video like this for automatic transmissions, and dual clutch transmissions!
Right? Everything shown clearly and repeatedly from multiple perspectives and with big red arrows...and I'm still mystified--not really, but I had that sensation.
What? Wtf are talking about?
These are some of the best animations on KZhead: Visually sumptuous yet crystal clear in intent and function. Brilliant
I appreciate all the detail here. Really shows how it works accurately. You even animated how the shifter actuates the selector forks via cable which was helpful to see in this FWD model. Even the clutch assembly and operation is accurate. You can really see why you need to be smooth when selecting gears to not damage the synchros as well as why not to press the clutch down unnecessarily to prevent wear on that pressure plate bearing which is under immense force when used. You can see why these are still some of the most reliable transmissions, if treated properly.
Thanks! Seriously so amazing. I love driving a manual and always had a vague understanding of what's hshappening,, however, the level of work that must go into making a video like this one (among the others that I've watched on your channel) is mind blowing to me. I really appreciate it and feel like the education you're providing is worth so much. That we can watch them free on KZhead feels like a crime :-) thanks again!
I have watched 2 of your videos now... I am 49 years old and you have schooled me for all those years! I am impressed and really like your videos. I am a CAD designer and appreciate the modeling that goes into your animation.
I use videos like these ones to explain to new drivers (especially those wanting to learn about the differences between AT, MT, DCT, CVT etc) and this one knocks the rest I've used out of the park by 20 kilometres. This is the best one I've ever seen, well done!
You usually go months between uploads and it's easy to see why. The amount of work that goes into research, animation, and overall quality is clearly very substantial and it's definitely applauded.
When I was kid I used to stare at that "transparent car" on cyclopedia for long time. I stare too often that it was the most wrinkled page of the book. Today that wish is complete with your animation. Thank so much for your bravo work.
This is incredible, what a time to be alive. I could not think of a better way to explain stuff like this. Your videos are amazing.
Transmission function has always eluded a good intuitive grasp for me, but this broke it down in an absolutely stellar way. Definitely found a new favorite channel!
This is easily the best manual transmission explanation video that I have ever seen! Incredible job putting this together :)
I knew most of the principles, but it's the first time I see it all together and in such an easy to visualize way. Great job!
This really makes you appreciate the mechanical engineers building this. Too bad manuals are dying out. Thanks for the video.
Automatic transmissions are even more cleverly designed and remarkable. They are essentially analog computers. But yes, manual cars have their charm.
@@Yogachara Automatic transmissions are gross.
Wow, this is a marvel of both presentation (animation) and engineering (how the gearbox works). I've been driving stick for several decades, never thought it was so complex.
Taking my ASVAB soon and needed to learn about how a car works. These videos are awesome and great at teaching. Thanks
Holy educational animations, Batman!! I have literally seen the insides of engines (I mean more than just "the hood is open" 😜) and watched demos transmissions working (IRL*and* in other animations like this) but I have never seen it explained with such excellent visuals. I've been fascinated by cars basically forever, and have owned/driven manuals my whole driving life, but after watching this video I feel like I am finally *actually* starting to understand how it all really works! 😆 THANK YOU for making this! I'm sharing it with ALL my friends. (No, seriously, I just posted it on my FB page... 'cause WOW. Just wow 😄)
I drive a little manual shift car and this video made me appreciate the level of engineering put into it and how damn smart Human beings are. We are such a crazy life form lol Amazing! Thanks for our incredible work Animagraffs!
The most detailed explanation on how a manual transmission and clutch works! Hard to imagine how this mechanism could be invented and assembled from hundreds of separate part. Besides it is like a magic to visualize this sophisticated process. Thank you!
Best diagrammatical description of clutch / gearbox assembly, components and operation I have ever seen. Top marks. Thanks
This is the best explanation on how the gearbox works I've ever seen. The information broken down to its finest possible level. You're the best🙏👍👌👏
A blessing for engineering students
Jake..you have singlehandedly restored my faith in the internet! Excellent job........
another 10/10 video i am absolutely impressed at the quality and consistency of this channels accuracy. Im glad I followed and I have not been let down so far
I'm really amazed by the level of details you are able to put in these animations...😲 I feel less stupid after watching your videos 😆 Keep going with your stunning work 👏
Just so you know, manual transmission is still the most prevalent and common in some European countries, even for new vehicles.
Anywhere around the word but in north America, I'd add.
Thx for helping us all understand this fact! I'm into it. It's an odd reality being on this side of KZhead, because now I'm always trying to get ahead of the endless "THIS TECH IS DEAD" comments from stragglers as they flow through our videos. I used to wonder why creators seemed a little salty, but after reading the same dismissive comments for months, it makes me want to inoculate the video some by hinting that we are well aware of the status of gas powered cars and accompanying tech. At least in the U.S. We do what we do because we feel like it, and because it's beautiful, despite the situations the world now finds itself in. We can appreciate the beauty and innocence of those who design these wonderful mechanical puzzles, without immediately drowning ourselves in the existential problems that modern tech has brought upon us. The one does not equal the other, and clever engineering is neither good nor evil in itself.
Safe to say 50% of your audience live where automatic is still luxury and with manual most prevalent 😄
@@animagraffs Makes sense, I assumed you mentioned it because most of your audience is US based.
@@Mike-Bell automatics are not that much expensive than manuals these days. Some people just prefer manuals for a lot of reasons.
this is by far the best transmission and clutch explanation video ive found
These videos are very useful when you want to explain things to your children on how things work so that they can use them more knowledgeably and respectfully. great job!!!!!😃
The content you guys post is so damn fantastic literally the best i have come across. Its easy to see the amount of effort you guys pour into the animation and information. I recommend doing a video on all the different sensors and actuators in the vehicle. Keep up the great job!
I’ve owned 4 cars that were all manual. I now have an automatic (I guess I got a bit lazy with age) Lol! However, there are days I miss it. Also when I drove heavy dump trucks with 18 speeds. Amazing graphics of how all the components work! Plus I think of how many people it takes to design these things to work with all the little moving parts. Keep up the great work!
Were you shifting all those 18 gears without skipping gears?
@@Dubai892JK Of course I would skip. Lol. I would really only use the splitter and go through all 18 when I was fully loaded. ;)
I owned and own only cars with a manual and I still enjoy it, if it's in a performance car, but I can't even imagine having 18 speeds. How exactly do you decide what speed to shift? I mean 18 is a lot to choose from. Some people are unable to learn even on a modern 4 speed passanger car and others like you drive dump trucks.
@@cheekydemon6131 It’s honestly not that hard. You choose your gear based on engine rpm, speed and size of load. It’s a standard H pattern with a low/high range selector on the front of the shifter and a splitter selector on the side. Think of splitter like an overdrive for every gear. You go 1-4 in low, then repeat H from 5-8 in high. So that’s 8 gears, splitter makes them 16. And a low and high for reverse. Voila. 18. The interesting part is learning to downshift. ;) Getting a good shift with the jake on is music to the ears. Lol!
@@Driver0378 Thanks for the explanation. I guess it's all about having the chance to drive a vehicle with 18 speeds and then it comes naturally when you see that it's still a car and not a spaceship.
That’s the most comprehensive and most self explanatory video which I’ve have seen in KZhead , thanks for that
Never clicked on a video so quickly.
NOOOOO you only have 3 videos on cars. I was hoping to see the full ins and outs of their workings. You have taught me a lot already on them. Keep up the good work man, excited to see more!
I watched 10s of videos before it but my search ended here. This animation looked better than any animation online right now. Im your fan now.
I've been attending my local CTI school, for the past two years since I was a freshman in high school, taking Auto Mechanics. Out of all the students, this year, I have the top score. I would love to thank you for these videos because I would've never had a clear cut understanding of how these components/systems work. I went into this program with no knowledge about vehicles. Sitting here today, I have a deep passion. THANK YOU.
Before the synced gearbox came, there was the non-synced one, where you had to rev up the engine in neutral gear before shifting into a *lower* gear. As the box cannot sync the gears as described in the video, the driver was supposed to approximately match gear rpm speeds before joining them together (shifting). It is actually easy to learn *if* you already easily drive a manual vehicle, just a single extra action and also takes some extra time for the whole downshift procedure. But you can still do it on a contemporary synced gearbox, simply ignoring the comfort of having the synchronizer. Just for the fun of it, for practice, and also you save a bit on the wear and tear of the synchronizer: that part of the video where he narrates about it acting like a minuature clutch. If your gears are pre-matched speed-wise, then there is no friction in those conical syncers as they are equal speed and dont rub against each other picking up speed. You can feel that "rubbing" as some resistance on your shifting lever, actually, if you select a lower gear the "normal" usual way.
This is how the manual transmissions work in semi trucks (non-sync'd); you have to manually feather the throttle to match the appropriate RPM and gear to the road speed. As you're getting closer to the correct RPM, you can feel the teeth getting snyc'd up by a vibration in the shift stick, until they match speed and it drops into gear........it's a bit of an art form, really.
Awesome animation! Hopefully at some point you'll do a short video on differentials, and how different types of LSD diffs work too (especially torsen diffs! Those are wild!). I have a buddy that just cant quite wrap his head around diffs for some reason, perhaps my explanation sucks, but maybe your animations will make it click in his head
I have never in my entire life seen a better video explain how this all works. I have so many questions over the past few years but man, this is an award winning video I that deserves so much recognition. Keep up the amazing work! Looking forward to seeing the rest!
Me never knowing how a transmission worked this video was literally perfect for me, I now understand how it works, the animation and explanation is incredibly good!
DAMN it's complicated asf 👁️👃👁️🙏
It is when it's in a two dimensional display as seen here but if you were to have the assembly in front of you in all 3 dimensions and had this same audio track guiding you, you would find its actually a very simple bit of engineering based on the even simpler rope and pulley system.
Beautiful animation design and excellent explanation!
Please make more of these for cars. I’d love to see stuff about steering and brakes.
This is so complicated and I barely took any of that in, but your understanding of it and transferring it to such detailed graphics is phenomenal. I drive a manual and I wanted to understand how it works, mechanical engineering brilliance is taken for granted when we drive our cars but it's amazing how it all works together. I loved your other vids about how engines work, very educational and informative..
Man i have seen many videos with manual transmission but none of them had information like this especially the synchronisation part. Thanks for making these videos.
Wowww!! This attention to detail.
I don’t think I have ever seen a breakdown that is this detailed and easy to follow.. The addition of the remote cable gear lever opens up completely new perspective that I never understood
This is a great video, thank you! I can't imagine developing something like this out of scratch.
This is incredible, Can you please do a Double Clutch transmission next, DCT
Yes waiting for it
Yes please, Double Clutch would be incredibly interesting!
I'm really curious about that especially the Twin 2-Speed DCTs the Rimac Concept Two has, they never showed its process but I guess it's a trade secret.
the worst part of this video is that it ends
What an amazing job! Thanks very much! Video structure, modeling, animation, voice and tempo, background music, didactically orientated... Everything is outstanding.
While it's not entirely clear to me on the first watch this is absolutely amazing! I drive a standard/manual transmission and this makes it much easier to understand what's going on in there. The only thing I would have liked to see is a shift sequence from 1st to 6th but that's much more work to animate. You've earned my subscription sir. Thank you.
An idea for a video, and something im personally curious about; how does a ballpointpen work? Probably a lot simpler than this video :). Specifically I was wondering about the difference in force i need to apply to the (for lack of a better word) button once i've "activated" the pen, as it seems to become easier. Love~ PS: I commented this yesterday on your last video, but since you might not see it now I thought I would post it again here.
The ball point moves only a tiny bit laterally, almost too small to notice. Its main function is to rotate and bring ink from the back to the front a tiny bit at a time. The reason why we sometimes have to forcefully press and scribble the pen to get working is because the ink gets jammed and with friction and heat it starts flowing again.
Nice suggestion, now I'm curious
Manuals are definitely not rare in newer consumer cars. Most cars sold in Europe and Asia are still manuals as they are cheaper, offer better control, are more fuel efficient and are less expensive to maintain and repair compared to automatics. Autos outnumber manuals only in North America.
True but that is changing fast. I'm British and drive a manual but EV's and automatics are taking over.
It’s always worth the wait for one of these videos to show up. Really love the attention to detail in everything.
Wow. Great video. It saves me a lot of explanation when teaching others how manual tranmissions and transaxles work and why many people prefer them. Sharing video.
I could fell that this guy is a perfectionist and is really enthusiastic about what he is doing. The sense of self-indulgence and merticulousness is monumental!
I'm blown away by the precision and accuracy of this engine mechanism video. It's a true work of art and a testament to the power of human innovation.
Wow it's crazy how something that's usually deemed the simple transmission type is so damn complex! Best animation of a transmission I've ever seen!
Absolutely brilliant video. One of the best ive seen on youtube, and absolutely the best for explaining manual transmissions. Thank you for your hard work!
This is definitely the best video I've seen on gears! You explained and showed absolutely everything so well! Thank you so much 😊
The best videos i have ever found. Narration and detailing is excellent really helped understand more from the theory i learnt in mechanical school 👏👏 keep it up
I drive a fwd manual daily, this is really neat showing me what my car is doing underneath my simple shifting movements.
Exceptionally well done. I've never seen synchros explained so well. Or any of the rest of it for that matter.
iv had this stuff explained so many times and i never really understood how it worked and thanks to you i have a deep understanding thanks
Wow! Pristine animation of a very technical amd hidden mechanics of a car, making it easierto understand how the engine power is utilised by the gearbox. Thanks so much.
Video is well done. Mind boggling that they get all this balanced and work the instant it needs too. A lot of moving parts. I don't know what's harder to make, the video or the transmission. Thanks for the learning video
this video is a miracle. watched it 3 times now. each time I understand more. still gotta watch a few more times.
transmissions have been hard for me to understand how the shifting actually works. This video was amazingly animated and clear. Thank you!! about to check out your other videos
Really appreciate, the sequence and simplicity of explanation. Could you try to make a video on automatic transmission.
Amazing, how great it would have been to learn this way during college days. I am sure you are helping thousands of people. Thank you.
I'm a mechanical engineer, and watching this several decades out of college almost feels unfair! Excellent graphics and narrative.
I never really fully understood the automobile transmission system until i watched this. Can't wait for another gem from Animagraffs!
Incredible! I'd love to see the developmental stages through the years such as why certain advancements were made and the problems they solved.
This is a Sensei level presentation. It's noble to give this attention to detail and still sound enthusiastic. Many thanks.
I am really amazed by the amount of work needed to do this animation. Congratz
This was very helpful for a non-mechanic like myself. I learned a lot. Thanks for making / providing this!
These videos are so impressive. You’ve learnt the technique Jony Ive always used to use for speech when trying to promote Apple to products… calm, relaxed and yet somehow authoritative. Very easy to learn from that kind of voice. Keep it up.
Your incredible! It's one thing to understand a transmission, it's something even more amazing to animate it in such detail! Thank you so very much for this ❤
Absolutely fabulous animation. Switching gears when driving car I do not realize how complex this is.
I'm just no learning how cars work in full detail, and this is incredible. I must say, I'm still a bit confused watching this for the first time. 😅 Thanks to this brilliant animation, I won't mind watching this several times over until I understand.
I learned how to drive using a manual transmission in 78. I never had an automatic until 1990, my first auto Chevy truck. I even learned 10 and 13 speed mack and Peterbuilt cabover trucks. It was fun especially on a steep hill completely stopped!
I've never seen a video so perfectly explained and detailed. Amazing
Am a mechanic student,am so much in love with how the videos are demonstrated.kudos!
this is why i have a manual transmission, so simple, pure mecanics, greetings from Europe