Honda and Nissan introduced the first transverse (side fac-
ing) engine and transaxle combinations sold in the U.S. By
1980, all domestic manufacturers were producing front-
wheel drive cars with transaxles. At present, almost all pas-
senger cars use front-wheel drive and a transaxle. Many
modern transaxles use a belt and pulley mechanism to
change gear ratios. These transaxles are called continuously
variable transaxles, or CVTs.
The first attempt to use electricity to control the trans-
mission was made in 1963, with the introduction of an
electric passing gear solenoid on the Pontiac Tempest,
Figure 1-10.
Electric passing gears were used on other transmis-
sions during the 1960s, and some electrically operated
lockup torque converters were used during the 1970s.
When the first computerized engine controls were intro-
duced, the transmission was often equipped with pressure
switches to tell the computer when the transmission was in
high gear. During the 1980s, the power of on-board com-
puters increased to the point that they could apply the
16 Automatic Transmissions and Transaxles
Variable pitch stator
Figure 1-7. Dynaflow transmission. Note the variable-pitch stator. Opening the throttle changed the angle of the stator blades for
increased torque during rapid acceleration.
Torque converter
lockup clutch
One-way
clutches
Figure 1-8. Cross-section of a Studebaker automatic transmission.