How Does a Torque Converter Work?
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- čas přidán 3. 03. 2013
- Visit me at: www.ericthecarguy.com/
In this video I cover the purpose and operation of the turbine, stator, impeller, and torque converter clutch. I hope the explanation and practical give you some insight into how these parts work to not only transfer power from the engine to the transmission, but also how it drives the transmission pump and doubles the torque output of the engine when you take off from a dead stop. I've wanted to make this video for some time. In fact I've had the fans sitting in the back of the shop for almost a year. Now that I have the Automatic Transmission Dissection video under my belt I thought I would add a torque converter dissection into the mix. I hope you enjoy this video and that it gets you a better understanding of torque converter operation. Especially since I killed my air compressor cutting this one in half.
Link to compressor repair video: • Repairing A Broken Air...
Yes this is indeed 'take 2' of this video. I changed a few things to make the information more accurate. I am going to be posting the old video for Premium Members at EricTheCarGuy.com just for fun. Here's a link to more information about becoming a Premium Member.
www.ericthecarguy.com/premium...
Other useful links
Automatic Transmission Dissection (Part 1): • The Basic Parts of an ...
Automatic Transmission Dissection (Part 2): • The Basic Parts of an ...
Discussion about this video: www.ericthecarguy.com/kunena/...
Why I Pulled the first video: • Why I Re-did the Torqu...
Stay dirty
ETCG
Due to factors beyond the control of EricTheCarGuy, it cannot guarantee against unauthorized modifications of this information, or improper use of this information. EricTheCarGuy assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. EricTheCarGuy recommends safe practices when working with power tools, automotive lifts, lifting tools, jack stands, electrical equipment, blunt instruments, chemicals, lubricants, or any other tools or equipment seen or implied in this video. Due to factors beyond the control of EricTheCarGuy, no information contained in this video shall create any express or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not EricTheCarGuy. - Auta a dopravní prostředky
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I'm 60 years old and I finally understand how a torque converter works.
THANK YOU
I'm 70 years old and I finally under...I forgot.
Uhh, Honey, can I have a Turkey Burger?
@Louis Edwards intrigued, with all your experience did you learn anything extra from this video, or is thete anything extra you can add to the subject . . . . I am interested in how to see/smell/feel the oil to make a quick diagnosis ?
@Louis Edwards Ah Ha, thanks for that. Yeah I understand PWM proportional solenoids, just the trans that blows by me. Does the lockup solenoid get its commands from a dedicate trans control module or the ECU ? Guess it maybe depends on which motor etc
Anyhooo, cheers for that. Have a good one bud.
You should see his video on understanding women.
8 More years, and you will hit the nice number, Grandpa
This is 9 years old and is better quality than some modern videos I watch. Well done.
If only our public-school teachers had a grasp on their subjects and taught as thoroughly as Eric.
I watched a few other videos on TC and was generally confused, but this tied it all together for me. You're a true teacher because you put thought into choosing words, examples and demonstrations that are practical and appropriate for the audience. Well done, you should consider a career in teaching.
well torque conversion means it converts torque dumb sht
I used to have no idea how a torque converter worked, but after this video, I'm confused about fans too.
ahhaha
Mier Beuker 😂😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
To air is human?
lmao!
Fans don't work, they pay someone else to do it for them!
Almost 8 years later this is still the best video on how these Donuts work. Thanks!
The Physics is so well done, I had a idea about this as a kid , but this is so straightforward 😊 Well done Eric 😂
I am not a mechanic, i just like to know how things work. I watched this to the end and feel like i have actually learned something. Well done!
This is by far the best instructional video of a torque converter I have ever seen. I am not a mechanic by any means, but his visual aids really lets you see how everything works. If Eric is an instructor in school, he must be putting out some "REALLY" good mechanics.
Really? I thought it was terrible. I gave up half way through as all he was doing was flipping oily bit of metal and confusing me about what way around they fitted. But I wanted to know how it worked so I searched for video. My first hit was the LearnEngineering one. Less than half the length and really easy to understand what all 4 components including the lock up clutch did. Immeasurably better.
Out of the three videos I've now seen this video comes second. This other video czcams.com/video/bRcDvCj_JPs/video.html was the clearest to me by a medium-large factor.
That fan demo was genius! Very good job explaining this!
Did no one else go "white fans, oily gloves... uh oh"?
3hoursago 7
3hoursago: *tries to make a funny comment*
ArctikF0X: *is triggered*
Great love it .
I know right thats what make me think whats my car issue is.. But very well explained erick u are the freaking boss. 👍👉👉
You are so knowledgeable. You are a gifted teacher. As an engineer myself, I find your videos super informative. Keep up the great work.
As a fellow engineer: I concur. Those mechanical profs (especially from offshore )were mostly useless teats with no practical knowledge to impart. Cud U wish that Eric was one of the tutors in their labs to delve into real man's world not the beta one we have inherited today.
I appreciate your ability to explain and in detail so that even the least knowledgeable person can understand.
"i hope this video can help you in some small ways"
dude. BIG. IT HELPED ME BIG. I NEVER understand how TC works but the fan demo you showed was really genius and that contributes to 100% of my understanding. Thank you ! you're the best !
I've taken a college course on auto trans... this was much more informative in 20 mins than the 3 months it took my teacher to do nearly the same.
college is a scam
It's just a way to get you to take a student loan
College is just a way to get people into debt right when each of ya are “up to bat”... I’m not saying all colleges are scams, I’m just saying: money doesn’t buy people smarts. I know many people who are stuck paying tens &/or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in student loans over the course of their lives- just to have jobs in the field of employment that their student loans/ a.k.a “college smarts” didn’t get them knowledge in.... they wind up settling for jobs in completely different professions.. 🤔
Example: my Autobody teacher at a vocational school: his major was to build & service x-ray hospital machines... & after he graduated college he’s been an automotive collision repair teacher... 🤣🤔😆
Some Tech schools like Lincoln Tech are good and worth the money.
No doubt, I've learned more and more of a quick study listening to other mechanics online. In a classroom I'd just fall asleep or get bored from additional info I really don't need or need to hear. It's like "get to the freakin point already!" lol
Well explain. I knew this but needed a recap. U nailed it. Thank u bro
You didn't know how it worked then you dork...ugh
lifetime gearhead, past mechanic and auto enthusiast here. This is probably the best explanation of torque converters I have ever seen. Nice job!
I have been a diy person all my life and worked on my own cars, I fully understood all about the engine function and how it all worked together but until now have never known how a torque converter worked and why it was needed, just took it for granted and never tried to understand it because i couldn't see inside the sealed unit and now it is exposed and the knoledge you have shared is priceless for people like myself. well done!!
Your practical gave me the "AHA!".
10/10.
اوکی
Thanks brother, finally I'm clear with the operation of torque convertor. From Ethiopia
Absolute Brilliant video! Gutted I'm finding this 9 years after it was uploaded...
That was well done. I started out in automotive engineering. When starting out, there is a big difference in the rpm between the impeller and turbine. The impeller is then acting like a centrifugal pump accelerating the fluid to the outside and at an angle against an opposing angle on the turbine blades which are not spinning, making them a bit like a bucket on water wheel to extract some of the kinetic energy after which it is routed to the stopped or lower velocity inner diameter of the turbine, and back toward the inner diameter of the impeller where it will be sucked in and accelerated again. However, with the large difference in velocity and the opposite angle, the remaining kinetic energy opposes the impeller so there can be no torque gain unless you redirect and reuse that energy with a stator to assist the impeller. The stator attempts to rotate backwards and it cannot because the sprag/roller/one-way clutch doesn't allow it to, and it redirects the fast-moving fluid into the direction of the impeller at to further accelerate the fluid, which is where you get torque multiplication, ~2:1. However, as the turbine rpm gains equilibrium with the impeller, the turbine now produces its own back pressure from centrifugal force, thereby mostly balancing this out. However, with the angle of the inner turbine blades plus the rotation of the turbine being almost as fast as the impeller, the stator will now rotate with the impeller and turbine to give the best flow. This point is called couple or lockup, although it is not really coupled or locked up, but it will be less than 10%, slower depending on the converter, and torque multiplication will be 1:1. Thus, max torque multiplication occurs when the impeller is turning and the turbine is stopped. If something is wrong with the stator and it rotates in both direction, acceleration will be poor. If it won't move in either direction, it will add a load on the engine during coupling and cause heat buildup. Then came lockup torque converters where they actually do lock the impeller and turbine together physically, so they tend to refer to the former as couple rather lockup. The difference between a torque converter and a fluid coupling is the stator, which enables the multiplication of torque. So are fluid couplings obsolete? No. They are used in a lot of applications to isolate vibration between driving and driven members, and even gentle startups when an engine is running at a fixed RPM like electric engines and fluid is slowly added such as to start a conveyor belt with tons of product on it.
The stall speed is the maximum rpm that the engine can turn when using all of its power against a stopped turbine. Logically, that depends on how much torque the engine has. While true, with something relatively heavy such as transmission fluid, small changes in RPM make big changes in torque to make a small rpm change, so it won't vary by as much as you think, which is why they can categorize them by stall speed. You can also see that the smaller the diameter, the faster you will have to spin it to equal the same outside velocity to achieve the same centrifugal force and pumping action on the fluid plus they have less area on the blades so a 1" difference in diameter can make a substantial difference in stall rpm. The stall rpm will vary more with torque variations as well, but still not by a lot. Of course the First Law of Thermodynamics states that neither matter nor energy can be created or destroyed. When the engine creates all of that high velocity fluid against a stationary turbine, the energy has to be dissipated somewhere, and it is. The engine horsepower is converted to heat, which is why the transmission cooler in the radiator, unless you have a wimpy engine in which fins on the outside of the converter and air holes in the bellhousing can do the job. Larger diameter converters are more efficient even during coupling. However, when overdrive transmissions and higher gear ratios became more and more popular, engine rpm dropped near or below where coupling would occur even at speed, so there were efficiency losses with more power going up in heat in the converter. This made the move to lockup converters compelling.
From automotive engineering to aviation mechanic to military pilot, the engines made perfect sense to me right away because they use a stator to similar effect as torque converter except jet engines don't allow the stators rotate with the rotors because it is always pumping, unlike a torque converter, thus unnecessary. Another difference is the stators are where the compression is occurring when it converts the kinetic energy into static pressure, and redirects the flow direction into the rotor blades of the next stage. Torque converters don't compress the fluid but rather add to the kinetic energy to be expended against the turbine by feeding accelerated fluid back into the impeller to be further accelerated.
Excellent add-on to this video!! Funny coincidence .
My background is aerodynamics-F-16 crew chief to military pilot.. Now Im trying to troubleshoot why my E4OD chatters in neutral or park after it warms up. I think it might be the pump
What this long comment (thank you) is saying is that Eric's brief comments about how the stator works is not quite right. But the video is still excellent overall.
Brilliant explanation! As an engineering student, I was not quite satisfied with Eric's explanation, but yours gave everything that I still wanted to know. It is quite obvious that you were in automotive engineering, nobody else could give such a detailed and thorough explanation. Thank you for sharing!
Yes,Eric's video was good but I have to say your summaration of the auto.was equally as good.Thank you for showing how my car can take off from the lights better than a manual gearbox car!
I knew his explanation was wrong as soon as he forgot to list the most important function of a torque converter or fluid coupling, that is, to allow the engine to keep turning when the car or load is stopped.
Eric, this is a very lucid explanation of an automatic transmission. And showing all of the major parts makes for a great explanation. Thank you very much.
This was the good old days of Eric the car guy.......
Leonardo! You cannot ask for more appreciation. Seriously. Thank you! Nick The Greek.
No BS. Clear, concise, articulate, no jokes or talking to the dog. Well presented with fan analogy. Thanks for your effort and thoughtful presentation. Thanks for not wasting my time. You Tube channelers need to learn these techniques. I am subscribing.
I think Eric fully understands how a torque converter works, and made a good effort to communicate that, to the viewer. And his 2-fan analogy was good. However I think there are a goodly number of ways in which his language could be improved. A good number of places where where his language is ambiguous. He tries to make things understandable by repeating himself, using a slightly different sentence structure, but the repeated sentence, or phrase, is not any clearer than the original.
Talking to the dog/cat. You hit it dead center.
This is amazing, your attention to detail and terminology, the clear and thorough explanations, that practical demonstration. You're an amazing educator!
This explanation of stators was much better than any I've seen in engineering school.
Eric, you increased - again! - my knowledge of automatic transmissions. Thank you.
I've watched you for almost 10 years and this is one of my favorite videos I have ever seen, in forms of technical knowledge and visual aid. I understood how TC's worked but could never explain it to another person myself. Always saw it as a compontent that just needed replaced as a whole and never got into the guts of it. Eric you're a legend
Very very helpful thank you sir
There are guys that fabricate ONE OFF RACE converters to match not only the engine dyno results, but also final drive ratios 1-gear through top gear and weight of the car. I am GRATEFUL and humbled that these peoplevexist, because, "Who doesn't love cars?!"
Man does not live on bread alone. Motorsports are also vital.
I'm a geezer and throughout my entire life (thus far) I've never had a clue how torque converters work. Outstanding video, I loved the two fans demo, excellent. Thanks a ton, now I can pass my thanks through a torque converter and virtually double my thanks.. so thanks two tonnes.
Yes I took apart of four-wheel drive transmission and put it in a 2-wheel drive and now all I get is the one gear what did I do wrong???
Best explanation I've seen so far of how a torque converter works. Really appreciate how you took a complicated subject and broke it down so that a layman could understand it. Your a good teacher.
My 1993 Oldsmobile started stalling at stoplights all of sudden. Thought I had a big problem. Finally got the car home after pissing off a whole lot of drivers behind me. Turned out to be the converter lockout solenoid. Part was $20, solenoid was under the transmission cover on the driver's side. Was a fairly simple repair and car was back to normal. A very small part that caused a big headache on the road. Excellent video by the way.
People are idiots.. My transmission broke once and the car couldn't move so I put on my 4 ways and went to get help. I'm inside of the building watching people pull right up to an empty car with the 4 ways going and honking their horn.. Unreal.
How does the oil get into the converter?
I have a 95 Chevrolet Cheyenne with an auto tranny and is the only one I've been driving manual trans pretty much all my my life at one point I had a 94 dodge caravan with a factory 5 speed Haha no joke dodge built a few very rare anyway automatics are no fun
@@newvilla8115 take a look at the input shaft of the transmission, the shaft is hollow with fluid holes. That allows the front fluid pump to move fluid through the torque converter.
Awesome video! I've never really understood torque converters until I watched this video! Thank you!
Very simple and clear explanation. Thanks!
Watching almost exactly 10 years later and finding it helpful.
well done ,easy to watch well explained without being too technical.Im a retired mechanic lecturer and I think this is far more imformative being shown practically which is esier to understand,well done again
Dang man. That was a fantastic explanation of converters. Great job. Thank you. I bet it feels nice to still hear people getting help from your knowledge 8 years after you dropped it 🤘🏼🤘🏼
I'm glad to finally know the operations of the automagic transmission.
Great practical demonstration!
This was probably the most seamless explanation of an engineering concept I've encountered on youtube! Great job!
Eric thank you so much, you are a top notch Car Professor for all us to learn. You make it easy to understand even the most difficult things. Thank you teacher...
I see the light and finally understand, only took 30 years and a fan, and someone able to speak English. well done.
Eric, Thank You for giving some of us a great tutorial about lock-up converters.
Now I have some back-up to explain to some who want to argue. Thanks again.
I would have been an engineer if this video was uploaded 12 years ago. Very informative video. Liked it. Please keep uploading the great videos like this one.
no you would not. People just like you became engineer without watching some random youtube video.
@@xl000 liked your frustrations and your comment.
Eric - you are great at presenting things in an easy understandable way.
Eric, you are a born teach Sir. For the first time in my life, I now fully understand how this unit work. Thank you so much.
The fan analogy is how my dad explained it to me over 50 years ago. Good work!
Thank you for giving clear information with no background noise and good lighting.
Brilliant explanation and an excellent practical analogy with the 2 fans. Great stuff!
Whomever came up with this originally is such a genius. We just stand on the shoulders of engineering giants.
I took an automatic transmission class. You explained the torque converter way better than my professor! Thanks for that
This is probably the best write up I've ever seen on TC operation. Awesome job Eric. The fans are a really nice visual aid.
I've seen tons of TC explanation videos but this one trumps them all, easily. Well done.
Magnificent explanation and now I have a functional understanding of what's actually occurring - they are quite magnificent piece of engineering and so under appreciated
I love the video I've never seen inside of a torque converter and understand fully how they worked you did that just like textbook classroom perfect thank you
Great job on your video. Simple explanations and visuals yet detailed enough to really grasp the concept of the torque converter. Love all your videos.
HANDS down this is the best torque converter explanation I have ever personally seen! thank you for making this video!
Great time to be alive and the technology to watch videos of the engineering that literally drives our lives. Great video with understandable teaching. Thank you.
Eric, you're way of explaining things is amazing. You're a genius!!!
I like the fan demo but the fluid passing through the stator is coming FROM the turbine and going BACK TO the impeller, not the other way around as you depict. The flow in the impeller goes in an in-to-out direction (it's getting spun out by centrifugal force) and enters the turbine at the outer edge. It flows from the outside to the inside in the turbine - it's called a 'radial inflow turbine' implying that the fluid travels radially inward - and exits closer to the centreline. Then it goes through the stator and back into the impeller where it gets spun out again.
Thanks for that clarification Christopher - I can make sense of it now.
Christopher Norris Oh ..... that's how the stator doubles the torque. It's for want of a better term 'turbocharging' the impeller. Boosting it. I think that's the missing link for me. Now I get it.
+Christopher Norris the impeller is driven by the engine. The impeller starts the process by push the oil across the stator to the turbine and starts the turbine spinning and then centrifugal force send it back through the stator and back and forth until the turbine gains speed until centrifugal force is enough that the stator will free wheel and not mess with the flow of oil back and forth. this is how I have always understood it.
Wrong, wrong, wrong! It happens exactly as Christopher Norris says.
WOW, this is a much-needed video to understand transmission operation and conditions. Thank you.
10 years later. BRAVO!!! BRAVO!!! 👏 👏 👏 Great Freaking Video.
Finally someone that speaks on my ability to relate and understand. Thanks. This was solid
Eric you always teach me something of great value on every video! Keep it up ! It was great the way u used fans for a simplified visual.
This is a good understanding of why manual shifts often get better fuel economy. The manual shift is like the torque converter clutch always locked in every gear , not getting that power loss.
So magic then? It's magic. Got it.
Just kidding, this is one of the most complete and informative explanations of torque converters I've ever seen. I knew about the fluid coupling part but not the function of the stator nor was I even aware of the TCC. Very good stuff. Thanks!
Eric, you are a great teacher! That double fan setup made everything so understandable!
By far, the best explanation I have ever seen for this. AWESOME!!!
Your a very intelligent person who truly understands torque convertors, .
I have seen about 10 different videos that explain torque converters. This is the best one by far. If you don't understand torque convertors after this video, don't bother any further. Just research singing techniques instead
Excellent as usual, Eric! Clear, easily understandable on a somewhat (for some of us) complex piece of automotive technology. The fans are a great analogy. Thank You!!!
Great tutorial! Back in the day Buick Dynaflows used the variable pitch torque converter you mentioned. Your concise explanations and demonstrations couldn't have been better. Crystal clear!
Love the breakdown of the internals and how they work. Just amazing
Best description of how a converter works I’ve ever seen thank you.
Brilliant explanation with the two fans!
This is exactly how a turbine shaft engine works on helicopters. The Compressor section and turbine section are only connected by hot air. The expanding gases force the power turbine section to turn and power is transferred to the main transmission.
The world of turbines. They need a FLUID (Air and liquid are both defined as FLUIDS, one is less denser than the other) in order to TRANSFER the mechanical force needed to extract its energy into function. In a fan jet (not a turbo shaft) engine the rapid expansion of the combustion gases are “routed” into the turbine section, that turbine turns (torque) just as the fans do in the video. That turbine, as it rotates, causes a shaft to turn, and that turning energy then is transferred (thru a driveshaft) to the main fan up front of the engine (compressor) that would then move air to the rear, compressing it in the process. How that energy is EXTRACTED for utilization in the engine makes the difference in what TYPE of turbine engine it is. There’s another video, a lot shorter, that uses video animation to explain how torque converter works. It took me a few replays of the video to get MOST of the hang of it. But this video (longer) explains it a lot better, specially with the use of air fans. Well made!!!
Excellent, thank you sir. Great explanation of the Torque Converter Clutch.
Best video of automatic transmission on the internet
This was without any doubt the best explanation of this I have heard. Thank you. I now wont gloss over on this subject.
Simply incredible work Eric , I've been watching your channel for years. I also have taken an automotive electrical diagnostic class at a community college. Your work has been a great stepping stone in my automotive understanding In the past 5 years
Thank you for walking me through that properly. I kinda knew but you made it make complete sense. You're a good teacher man
The more I learn about torque converters and automatic transmissions, the more I want a standard. Tomorrow I'm yarding out the automatic trans in my truck and installing two fans and parking it locked up in a high stall.
it is 10 year old but you are the best teacher than my school. I do not need to read the chapter anymore. thanks alots.
One of the best explanations in CZcams
Thanks for the demo. I had a rough idea how this device worked, now I have a more complete understanding. Also it is interesting to see other technologies combined to make this work. The starter motor clutch on Honda motorbikes comes to mind. Great video.
Before I retired from teaching auto mechanics I played this in my class. Still love it!
wow, this explanation was awesome. what made it all click was the analogy of the bicycle's gear thing.
Bloody brilliant. Everything I wanted to know. And I was asking myself about stall speed when you explained it. Cheers.
Great demo with the fans.
+Jeff Keith I agree !
Jeff Keith lemon
This video gives a fairly easy to understand explanation of how the impeller, the turbine, and the stator all work together in a torque converter transmission. Good job!
William H. Burke, Jr. 0
Thanks for all you do,, I a.m 65years old , been a back yard grease monkey for Fifty years,never heard such a expainion on any topic auto or medic wish you where a doc. All joking aside thanks again for a geat video,job well done please don't stop helping people with your knowledge thanks again Rick
Thank You for that clear explanation of the 'HOW' a torque converter actually works. You Sir, are a treasure.
This was the most educational video on torque converters that I have ever seen. In fact, all your videos are so clear and concise. Thank you and keep being awesome.
I appreciate your presentation. This is a subject that I had never looked into before, so it was all brand new to me. Before now, the torque converter was that big thing under the bell housing, between the engine and the transmission. You gave very eye opening information on precisely what is going on inside the metal shell. Thank you.
So helpful to understand why I am getting what feels like a drivetrain vibration only at higher speeds. Serves me right for buying my first car with an automatic transmission.
The 2 fans demo made understanding Torque Converter Operations much easier in my honest opinion.
Thank you for taking the time to teach this. I found it extremely informative.
Plenty of modern transmissions lock up the TCC in most gears, only unlocking to shift gears. It helps fuel efficiency and power delivery a lot.
I feel like my 1999 ES300 will only lock when in either 3rd or 4th. I could be wrong though
Best explanation about Torgue converter in all of You tube videos that I come across. 👍👍👍👍👍
Dude! The fan analogy was genius! That’s the first video I saw that actually brought me close to understand how the torque converter works
Fantastic presentation, I've learned a lot, that I, was totally unaware. Thank you so much for explaining. You did a great job
Having been a motorcycle mechanic the last 20 years I have had very little knowledge in auto specific things. This is a great explanation of how this works and the potentials of issues. Thanks for the video.