

Meanwhile, a belt and pulley system tends to slip when you pair it with a high-torque engine. This allows the system to handle high torque inputs, hence you can use it in vehicles that need a high-torque engine such as SUVs and trucks. But as you can imagine, a more complex system like this will likely be more expensive to repair.Īnother advantage of this system is that it has a parallel power flow. However, the basic principles are the same, in the sense that it doesn’t change gear, but rather uses a variator to change the speed of the output disc.Īs a result, this system is also very smooth since there are no gear changes as you accelerate. Unlike a belt and pulley system, the toroidal system is much more complex. Perhaps an animation will help you to understand better: The faster you go, the faster the output disc will spin to deliver power and keep up with the wheel speed. This affects the speed of the output disc which affects your power output. These rollers are what transfers power from the input discs to the output discs.Īs you drive along, the variator will change the angle of the rollers. In the cavities between these discs lies a set of rollers that contact all the discs at an angle. The system has an input disc at each end, and an output disc in the middle. It’s an entirely different system, but the principles are largely the same as a belt and pulley system, in the sense that it variates a power delivery system. Meanwhile, a toroidal CVT uses a couple of input discs, output discs, a set of rollers, and a variator.
#Cost to replace cvt transmission manual
We won’t get into how it works, but it essentially replaces the function of the clutch pedal in a manual car. This is a device that controls the power delivery from the engine to the transmission. One last note, CVTs also use torque converters just like a conventional automatic. However, as the video above shows, a set of planetary gears and a clutch pack is still needed to change the rotation direction of the pulleys to engage reverse. As a result, you have a much smoother acceleration. So, the car doesn’t need to change gears as you accelerate.

This eliminates the need for multiple gear ratios. Since the output pulley now rotates faster, it provides you with more power which is what you need at higher speeds. This means the belt will be narrower at the output pulley, increasing the speed of the output pulley. Once you go faster, the input pulley’s width will decrease while the output pulley increases. As you drive along, the car’s transmission control unit will adjust the width of the pulleys. This provides you with more torque which is what you need when you’re setting off. However, the belt essentially increases the radius of the output pulley. During this state, the output pulley will rotate slowly. When you’re setting off, the driven pulley will be wider than the output pulley. The output pulley transfers power to your wheels via a driveshaft. Then this pulley connects to an output pulley via a belt (or sometimes a chain). In essence, the system has an input pulley that receives power from your engine. Chances are this is the type of CVT your car has, here’s how it works: Belt And Pulley CVTĪs the name suggests, this system uses a belt and a set of pulleys to control the output from your engine to the driven wheels. The belt and pulley system is more common and has been around for decades. There are two types of CVTs: a belt and pulley system, and a Toroidal system. This helps you to understand how in some cases it can cost so much to repair or replace.Īs mentioned, a CVT transmission doesn’t use a set of gears to control its power output. We always like to explain more about how the part works before we get into the costs. We’ll explain how it works, why it’s more expensive, and everything else you need to know about CVTs:

Therefore, the CVT transmission repair cost is a bit different than conventional automatics.ĬVT transmissions are often a bit more expensive to repair or rebuild than a conventional automatic. However, unlike a conventional automatic transmission, it doesn’t use a gear assembly. You don’t need to manually change the gears as you drive along. A CVT or Continuously Variable Transmission is a type of automatic transmission.
