AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONThe modern automatic transmission is by far , the most complicated mechanical component in todays automobile . It is a type of transmission that sifts itself . A fluid coupling or torque converter is used instead of a manually operated clutch to connect the transmission to the engine . There are two basic types of automatic transmission based on whether the vehicle is rear wheel drive or front wheel drive . On a rear wheel drive car , the transmission is usually mounted to the back of the engine and is located under the hump in the center of the floorboard alongside the gas pedal position . A drive shaft connects the transmission to the final drive which is located in the rear axle and is used to send power to the rear wheels . Power flow on this system is simple and straight forward going from the engine , through the torque converter , then trough the transmission and drive shaft until it reaches the final drive where it is split and sent to the two rear transmission . On a front wheel drive car , the transmission is usually combined with the final drive to form what is called a transaxle . The engine on a front wheel drive car is usually mounted sideways in the car with the transaxle tucked under it on the side of the engine facing the rear of the car . Front axles are connected directly to the transaxle and provide power to front wheels . In this example , power floes from the engine , through the torque converter to a larger chain that sends the power through a 180 degree turn to the transmission that is along side the engine . From there , the power is routed through the transmission to the final drive where it is split and sent to the two front wheels through the drive axles . There are a number of other arrangements including front drive vehicles where the engine is mounted front to back instead of sideways and there are other systems that drive all four wheels but the two systems described here are by far the most popular . A much less popular rear and is connected by a drive shaft to the torque converter which is still mounted on the engine . This system is found on the new Corvette and is used in order to balance the weight evenly between the front and rear wheels for improved performance and handling . Another rear drive system mounts everything , the engine , transmission and final drive in the rear . This rear engine arrangement is popular on the Porsche. The modern automatic transmission consists of many components and systems that designed to work together in a symphony of planetary gear sets , the hydraulic system, seals and gaskets , the torque converter , the governor and the modulator or throttle cable and computer controls that has evolved over the years into what many mechanical inclined individuals consider to be an art from . Here try to used simple , generic explanation where possible to describe these systems .1）Planetary gear sets Automatic transmission contain many gears in various combinations . In a manual transmission , gears slide along shafts as you move the shift lever from one position to another , engaging various sizes gears as required in order to provide the correct gear ratio . In an automatic transmission , how ever , the gears are never physically moved and are always engaged to the same gears . This is accomplished through the use of planetary gear sets . The basic planetary gear set consists of a sun gear , a ring and two or more planet gears , all remaining in constant mesh . The planet gears are connected to each other through a common carrier which allows the gears to spin on shafts called “pinions” which are attached to the carrier . One example of a way that this system can be used is by connecting the ring gear to the input shaft coming from the engine , connecting the planet carrier to the output shaft , and locking the sun gear so that it cant move . In this scenario , when we turn the ring gear , the planets will “walk” along the sun gear ( which is held stationary ) causing the planet carrier to turn the output shaft in the same direction as the input shaft but at a slower speed causing gear reduction ( similar to a car in first gear ) . If we unlock the sun gear and lock any two elements together , this will cause all three elements to turn at the same speed so that to output shaft will turn at the same rate of speed as the input shaft . This is like a car that is third or high gear . Another way we can use a planetary gear set is by locking the planet carrier from moving , then applying power to the ring gear which will cause the sun gear to turn in opposite direction giving us reverse gear . The illustration in Figure shows how the simple system described above would look in an actual transmission . The input shaft is connected to the ring gear , the output shaft is connected to the planet carrier which is also connected to a “Multi-disk” clutch pack . The sun gear is conn