Repair 7

Standard Transmission Identification

Called standard transmissions, from the days when they were issued standard on all vehicles, manual transmissions are easily identified because they are smaller than automatics and are shifted manually. Automakers offered a variety of manual transmissions, each with their own identification features.

General

A standard transmission will have the shifter linkage attached directly to the top of the transmission. On floor-shifter models, the stick shift will be part of the transmission and for column shifters, the linkage will lead to the transmission. Automatic transmissions are much larger and will have a removable pan on the bottom.

Variations

Standard transmissions can be anywhere from three to six-speeds. Earlier cars and trucks from the 1950s and 1960s usually came equipped with either three or four-speed transmissions, and some were not manufactured by the automaker themselves. Contracted transmission manufacturers, like Borg-Warner, made transmissions for Ford and General Motors. Each manual transmission has its own unique identity features, such as stamped codes, bolt patterns, gear ratios and reverse gear placement.

Differences

Stamped codes may identify the transmission, and at other times may be just a piece of the identification puzzle. General Motors used three basic transmission types, the Borg-Warner, Muncie and Saginaw, and these can be identified by the number of bolts on the cover and by reverse lever placement. On most Fords, counting cover bolts works well, and on the Borg-Warner transmissions code identification is possible