Small FWD Transaxle drive question

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I have been trying to find out if most small fwd transaxles internally use a linkbelt or a gear arrangement to transfer power from the transmission proper output tail to the drive axle halfshaft. Specifically my Toyota Yaris. I couldnt find any "cutaway" views of current FWD transaxles. Thanks guys and gals.
 
Pretty sure they're all gears nowadays. Never heard of a belt in a remotely modern transaxle (except in some kinds of CVTs).
 
Thinking a chain/linkbelt is more efficient - but I have some odd transaxle noises I'm trying to sort out and will be changing my fluid this spring. I'll be happier running GL4 not GL5 in a combined trans/final drive to insure good synchro braking.
 
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Normally, a manual transaxle is all gears.

30 years ago, some Oldsmobile Toronadosand GM clones used a chain belt in an early FWD attempt.
 
Originally Posted By: rudolphna
Would love to know if the 3T40 in my cav is a chain or gear.


It's a chain. As far as I know all FWD GM ATs use chains and probably 90% of all others as well. You can't see the chain in this cutaway, but that's what connects the torque converter to the input.
2010%204T45%20MN5%20LoR.jpg


Joel
 
Cool. My manny trans mainshaft is inline with the engine output, so the chain drive (or garset ) would be used to transfer power to the offset differential and halfshafts sidecase.
 
Those are clutch parts I believe (I'm far from an expert on these). You can better make out the chain in this cutaway. It's a big wide multi-row chain. Regardless, I haven't heard of a drive drain issue in an AT since the very first small GM FWDs around 1979-1980.

4t40largepic_large.jpg


Joel
 
Yeah - high engine speed running. An the 1/2 shaft runs all the way through the trans gearsets to the planetary diff.
 
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Small FWDs would normally have a helical gearset from the transmission output shaft to the differential carrier. Mine looks like this:
suzuki_transaxle.jpg
 
Originally Posted By: d00df00d
Pretty sure they're all gears nowadays. Never heard of a belt in a remotely modern transaxle (except in some kinds of CVTs).


Lots of AWD transaxles have a transfer belt. The last FWD-only belt application I remember is the Chrysler LH series (42LE transaxle)- because it had a longitudinally-mounted engine and were designed with an AWD option in mind that was never built.

The 42LE was almost identical to the 41TE (transverse engine version), but the TE used an idler shaft instead of a transfer chain and a helical gear differential instead of a hypoid. The newer FWD Mopars are all CVT, so the 41TE (still used in the PT Cruiser) will probably be the last conventional FWD transaxle for Mopar.
 
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Like I said, I have not seen or heard of a manual transaxle with chains or belts.
Auto transaxles tried them from their inception - here and there.
 
Originally Posted By: 440Magnum
Originally Posted By: d00df00d
Pretty sure they're all gears nowadays. Never heard of a belt in a remotely modern transaxle (except in some kinds of CVTs).


Lots of AWD transaxles have a transfer belt. The last FWD-only belt application I remember is the Chrysler LH series (42LE transaxle)-


I must have been asleep to call it a "belt." Its a wide multi-linked chain like a 4x4 transfer case chain, or a non-roller timing chain on steroids- I've never seen a rubber belt used in such an application.
 
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