LEARNING OUTCOME # 2 CONDUCT PERIODIC MAINTENANCE OF THE DRIVE

TRAIN
CONTENTS:
1. Drive train components

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
1. Replaced fluids according to manufacturers’ service manual.
2. Cleaned drain plug following manufacturers’ service manual.
3. Lubricated propeller shafts according to manufacturer’s service
workshop manual.
4. Inspected cracks and leaks of drive train components following
manufacturer’s service workshop manual.
5. Reported findings to immediate superior following company’s standard
procedures.
6. Applied safety practices following OSHS.
7. Worn PPEs

CONDITIONS:
Students / trainees must be provided with the following:

WORKPLACE LOCATION

Automotive Work Shop

Student/Trainee Working Space
Lecture/Demo Room
Laboratory
Learning Resource Center
Facilities/Equipment/ Circulation Area
TOOLS, ACCESSORIES AND SUPPLIES
Drive train components
Tools and equipment
Car
TRAINING MATERIALS
Learning Module
Manuals
METHODOLOGIES:
Demonstration
Lecture
Dual Training
Self-paced
ASSESSMENT METHODS:
Written test
Demonstration
Observation with questioning
 LEARNING EXPERIENCES

LEARNING OUTCOME NO. 2 CONDUCT PERIODIC MAINTENANCE OF

THE DRIVE TRAIN
Learning Activities Special Instructions

If you have some problem on the content of the

1. Read Information Sheet 3.2-1
information sheet don’t hesitate to approach
on Drive train components
your trainer. Ask queries if you are in doubt for
clarification.
If you feel that you are now knowledgeable on
the content of the information sheet 3.2-1 you
can now answer self-check provided in the
module.

Refer your answer to self-check answer key

2. Answer Self-Check 3.2-1
3.2-1
 Information Sheet 3.2-1
DRIVE TRAIN COMPONENTS
Learning objectives:

After reading this information, you should be able to:

1. Identify drive train components
Introduction
Your machine’s drive train serves one purpose: to transfer engine power to the ground.
Transmission and final drive components work together to make this happen. The transmission
takes the output from your engine and manipulates it to control speed, direction, and torque. The
final drives reduce speed and increase torque. When your machine’s components do their job well,
productivity goes up and owning and operating costs stay down.

To get maximum performance and life from your drive train, however, you must manage wear.
Normal wear is expected and predictable. Abnormal wear is the result of incorrect maintenance
and operating techniques, such as extending oil change intervals or inadequately warming up your
machine.
Seven elements of drive train systems management
1. PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE - Preventive maintenance includes many
techniques—like correctly selecting and changing drive train oil and fluid filters—that
help you keep small problems from becoming major repairs.
2. S•O•S FLUID ANALYSIS - S•O•S fluid analysis is the best way for you to monitor
what is happening inside your drive train systems. It consists of tests that enable you
to forecast wear-related problems.
3. INSPECTIONS - Inspections combine your daily walkaround checks and our
periodic technical analyses. They allow you to detect potential problems and
impending failures, so you can schedule maintenance and repairs.
4. REPAIR MANAGEMENT - Repair management helps you select before failure and
after-failure repair options and control repair costs. It allows you to plan and schedule
repairs, so you can get your machines back to work quickly and reliably.
5. TRAINING - Our training assistance helps you improve the maintenance practices
of your staff. It reduces the chance of failures caused by faulty maintenance and helps
you lower your owning and operating costs.
6. SCHEDULING - A good scheduling system ensures that maintenance, inspections,
and planned repairs are done on time. It helps you prevent the failures caused by
overlooked maintenance.
7. RECORD KEEPING - Record keeping consists of full documentation on machine
history, component life, and cost information. It helps you identify high-cost or
problem areas, track work flow, control costs, and increase machine resale value. 4
DRIVE TRAIN COMPONENTS
The drivetrain is a mechanical system with-in a motor vehicle which connects
the transmission to the drive axles. A typical drivetrain contains a series of parts,
working together to transfer the rotational power produced by the car engine, all the
way to your wheels moving the car.
You may have come across the word “powertrain” before. Powertrain is often
used in the same because, the powertrain incorporates drivetrain. When trying to
explain “what powertrain is”, powertrain encompasses EVERYTHING involved with
the: car engine, transmission/transaxle, and the drivetrain. Drivetrain components
are separate from the engine components but closely involve transmission
components.
The drive train of a vehicle refers to the group of components that act to deliver
power to the driving wheels of a vehicle.
The power to run a vehicle starts in the crankshaft. It is then delivered to the
clutch, via the flywheel (in a manual transmission), or to a torque-converter (in an
automatic). Power then goes to the transmission, where it is redirected to the drive
shaft (also called prop shaft, driveline or propeller shaft).
The drive shaft directs the power to the drive axle, which contains both a final drive
gear, and a differential. The final drive gear connects the drive shaft to the differential,
which then directs power to each wheel.
Below is a more in depth explanation of the individual mechanisms discussed
in the above paragraph.
CRANKSHAFT

The flywheel is the part of the engine

least often mentioned. It's job is to
keep power delivery to the drive train continuous. Since reciprocating engines (piston-
driven) only deliver power during a stroke, their power production is not continuous.
Imagine riding a bike up a steep hill. Even in a low gear, the ride is choppy -
the bike slows down significantly between pedal strokes (losing momentum). This is
inefficient since additional work must be done by the rider to regain the
lost momentum. A flywheel can help prevent this loss of momentum, it
stores rotational kinetic energy which eventually gets transformed into translational
kinetic energy (i.e the moving car). Work is done by the engine on the flywheel causing
it to spin faster until the drive train utilizes this energy which, by the law of
conservation of energy, causes the flywheel to slow down. A flywheel keeps the car
moving smoothly and more efficiently.
Clutch/Torque converter

Manual transmission cars have a

clutch. Its purpose is to connect the power
delivery to the transmission. When the clutch
pedal is not pressed, power is delivered, when
the clutch pedal is pressed, the car's wheels
spin freely.
Automatic cars don't have a clutch
pedal. These cars have a torque converter. A
torque converter is a device filled with fluid
that transmits torque (and power) to wheels of
the car. A torque converter allows for an engine to sit at idle while the car is
stopped. The torque converter also contains something called a friction clutch, which
locks the crankshaft to the gearbox when driving on the highway (fluctuating power
levels aren't as big of an issue at steady speeds). So even automatic cars have a
form of clutch, but it's not connected directly to a pedal for the driver.
Transmission

A transmission, also known as a gear box, is what converts the engine's power into
motion. Just like the gears on a bike. The amount of power an engine outputs at a
specific RPM is the same, no matter if a car is going 10 kph, or 110. Because of this,
the car has a gearbox, which allows the engine to run at efficient RPMs no matter its
speed.
Drive shaft
A drive shaft, also known as a prop shaft, or driveline, is what connects the gearbox
to the drive wheels. A rear-wheel drive car has a long, thin cylinder running the length
of the car to the rear final drive and differential (often visible when looking under a car).
The prop shaft spins at a rate proportional to the speed of the car.
Drive axle
The drive axle is the axle that connects the drive wheels to the prop shaft. It
generally has a differential in the middle, which splits power between the wheels.

Final drive
The final drive is like a gear on a bicycle crank (big - found on front of bike). In
comparison the gearbox is like the gears on the cassette (little - found on the back of
bike). The little gears change all the time, depending on the output, but the big gear
up front stays the same. Desired performance determines how the final drive gears
are set. When climbing a hill on a bike, the little gear up front is best, because it
provides a low gear ratio. When going as fast as possible, a big gear up front is best,
providing a high gear ratio. This is what a final drive gear does. The difference is, a
car only has one final drive gear - set at production, instead of potentially two or three
as on a bike.

Differential
The differential is a device that allows wheels to spin at different speeds while
still being powered. For example, when travelling around a corner, the outside wheel
is spinning faster than the inside wheel, because it's going a longer distance. Rear- wheel
drive cars require something called a limited-slip differential in order to provide even
power while turning.

What are the different Drivetrains?

There are Four common drivetrain arrangements:

➢ Front-Wheel Drivetrains (FWD)

➢ Rear-Wheel Drivetrains (RWD)
➢ Four-Wheel Drivetrains (4WD)
➢ All-Wheel Drivetrains (AWD).

Drivetrain Assembly
A great way to identify a front wheel drive vehicle is when you open up the hood
of your vehicle and see the engine runs horizontally and not vertically. This is called a
“transverse engine” placement. This is where all the components of the front wheel
drivetrain — transmission, differential, and drive shafts — are in the front of the car.
In order to fit all these components in the front, engineers arranged to place the
engine sideways in the car.

The traverse engine setup enhances power delivery to the front wheels, due to having
the motor’s weight directly over the driven wheels; Which improves vehicle
acceleration and traction control on harsh road conditions. Weight distribution also
plays into FWD’s advantage for corner/turning maneuverability.

Front Wheel Drivetrain, Traverse Engine Placement

Transaxle
Consequently, you don’t need a
long drive shaft that runs the length of the
car to transfer torque to move the wheels.
So, instead of a transmission, most front-
wheel drivetrain vehicles will have a
transaxle. A transaxle combines the
transmission and differential into one
single unit. While most cars that use
transaxles will mount them right next to
the engine, some sports cars –with rear
located engines– use transaxles on rear-
wheel drive trains for even weight
distribution.
Transaxle

Transfer Case:
For Front Wheel Drive vehicles, the
component mounted behind the trans- axle
is the transfer case – a separate gearbox
that directly connects to the front drive axle
— purposed for sending power to the
wheels.
Transfer Case, Chain Drive, Gear Range

For the rest of the drivetrains: RWD, AWD, and 4WD the transfer case is
connected to the transmission. However its functions are the same, its job is to send
power directed to the driveshafts. Majority transfer cases offer two gear ratios, for a High
and Low range. Although many vehicles still have a manually engaged transfer case,
several now offer electrically activated engagement
This is done with gears, hydraulics, or a chain drive. On some vehicles, such as
four-wheel-drive trucks or vehicles intended for off-road use, this feature is controlled
by the driver. The driver can put the transfer case into either “two-wheel- drive” or “four-
wheel-drive” mode. The transfer case also synchronizes the differentiating rotations of
the front and rear wheels.

Front Drive Axle

A vehicle’s drive axle is the component that connects the two wheels in the front,
along with the two wheels in the rear. An automobile’s front drive axle is the central
shaft purposed for transferring torque from the transfer case to the wheels. The front
drive axle is split axle into two half axles with differential and universal joints. Each half
axle is connected to your car wheels by a constant velocity (CV) joint. The CV joint
allows the wheels to move freely and keeps your car’s body in balance.

Constant Velocity Joints

Since all the components of the drivetrain are in the front of the car, fwd cars don’t
need long drive shafts to transfer torque to the wheels. Instead, a half-shaft connects
from the transfer case to the wheel assembly. In place of U-joints, half-shafts connect the
transaxle and the wheel assembly with constant velocity joints, or CV-joints for short.
CV-joints use a ball bearing mechanism to reduce friction and allow for the more
complex wheel movements used in front-wheel drive cars — remember, front- wheel
drive cars not only have to move the car forward but also steer it left and right.

Constant Velocity Joint, CV-Joint

The front wheel drive system was incredibly useful since the majority of all
vehicles harness their engines in the front. So it was simple for engineers to connect
the engine assembly to the front wheels with a couple of short drive axles. The most
desired aspect of the FWD system is its fuel economy. Due to its compact design, this
drivetrain reduces the vehicle’s overall weight and eliminates most energy losses.
Front wheel drivetrains don’t have a long heavy driveshaft that requires separate
differentials, this makes delivering power to the front wheels, from the engine much
more efficient.

What is RWD:
Rear Wheel Drive (RWD) is the classic drivetrain; for the longest time rear drive was
basically the only optimal drivetrain system for many years. Rear wheel drive is the first
and longest existing drivetrain, that is still used today on many cars and most trucks. This
is because the RWD drive arrangement provides multiple benefits when compared to the
front-wheel-drive.

Front Engine Rear Wheel Drive : FE-RWD

Typically associated with a parallel mounted engine where transmission is bolted
directly to it. This component combination sends power via a driveshaft to the
differential unit at the rear axle.
 Rear Wheel Drivetrain
Driveshaft Types:
Rear-wheel-drive cars require a driveshaft. To accommodate it, there must be
an interior hump down the middle of the passenger cabin. For vehicles with RWD,
the transmission is attached to the rear of the engine to a connecting flywheel. The
transmission takes the spinning movement “torque” from the engine’s crankshaft and
passes it along to the driveshaft. The driveshaft is a spinning cylindrical tube that
connects to the rear of the transmission to the rear differential. Drive shaft designs
come in two types: Hotchkiss and Torque Tube (the driveshaft itself is enclosed in a
tube).

Hotchkiss Driveshaft

Hotchkiss driveshafts are the more

common drivetrain because of their open
design, meaning you can actually see the
drive shaft spin beneath your car when it’s
moving. Additionally, the Hotchkiss drive
shaft uses two Universal-joints, unlike torque
tubes.
Torque Tube:
Torque Tube driveshafts are typically
associated with older vehicles but are
commonly used with today’s trucks and SUVs.
It gets its name from the driveshaft itself being
enclosed in a tube. Torque tubes connect the
transmission and differential with a U- joint.

Universal Joint (U-Joint)

A universal joint’s (U-
joint) purpose is to be the connecting
point between drive shafts, allowing
them to move up and down with the
suspension. This is to keep consistent
transmitted power when the drive
shaft isn’t in a straight line between
the transmission and drive wheels.

What is the Differential:

The differential is the soccer-
ball-sized part that sits between the
two rear wheels. A differential is the
component in which a rotating
driveshaft can change direction; In a
rear-wheel-drive car whose driveshaft
runs the length of the car, the rear
differential conforms its power to the
rear axle that runs perpendicular to the
car.

Differential
The rear differential is needed to help aid 90-degree turns, it transfers the
rotational engine power from the driveshaft to the rear wheels. These large components
generally make rear-wheel-drive cars less fuel-efficient than front- wheel-drive
vehicles due to the components weight.
It gets its name “differential” because it allows the two rear wheels that are on the same
axle to move at different speeds.
Rear Engine Rear Wheel Drive

Interestingly enough, there

are different types of rear wheel
drivetrain alternatives. One of the
most unique types of RWD cars is
having an engine on the back-side
of the car, along with a
transmission just like FWD cars,
but reversed. This is known as
Rear Engine Rear Wheel Drive.

Rear Engine Rear Wheel Drive, RE-RWD

This is typically seen in drag racing cars, but one of the earliest and iconic examples
of this system would be the Type-1 VW Beetle dragster known as HERBIE! This Punch
Buggy‘s drivetrain is RWD with a rear engine.

Herbie

Differences between FWD and RWD

Front-wheel-drive systems tend to “die-out” much faster than rear-wheel-drive
systems. If that isn’t enough, the front wheel tire lifespan can be compromised
because of consistent weight stress, on top of the responsibility to handle all of the
acceleration and steering forces as well as much of the braking. Aside from the trans- axle,
driveshaft and rear differential, the difference between FWD and RWD are the
reversed components.
What is 4WD?

A Four-wheel-drive (4WD) also known as a 4 x 4, is a vehicle with a two-axled

vehicle drivetrain capable of simultaneously providing torque to all Four of its wheels.
4WD torque settings may be full-time or on-demand “part-time” this is usually
controlled by a lever or switch associated with the transfer case providing additional
gear ranges.

When a four-wheeled vehicle is directed to supply its torque to both axles, this can
be described as “all-wheel drive” (AWD). However, “four-wheel drive” typically refers
to a set of specific components and function to its wheel-set.

4WD Settings: Highs and Lows

Most 4WD systems low and high ranges are usually activated with a
electronic switch or a floor-mounted mechanical lever. Whether electronically or
mechanically activated, the 4WD’s low setting provides a greater torque setting,
purposed for pulling or climbing in an off-road environment.
The low gear setting makes it easier for descending steep slopes on unstable
surfaces without overwhelming the brakes. The default 4WD high setting is useful
for slippery on-road situations, such as packed snow, ice, sand or gravel.

What is AWD?
All-wheel-drive (AWD) refers to a drivetrain capable of providing power to all its
wheels whether full-time or on-demand much like 4WD. Except there are more forms of
all-wheel drive such as: 6×6, 8×8 both of which may be either part-time, full-time, or
independent (tesla only) all-wheel drive.

• AWD Part-time refers to on-demand typically where one axle is permanently

connected to the drive, the other is being connected as needed.
• AWD Full-time refers to all axles are permanently connected, with or without
a differential.
• AWD Independent is when the wheels are driven but not dependent on a trans-
axle. Tesla’s vehicles (Model S and Model X) are so far the only ones to use such
a system. (Picture below is a Model S Tesla Drivetrain)

Tesla Drivetrain
All-Wheel-Drive vs Four-Wheel-Drive
Both All-Wheel-Drivetrains and 4-Wheel-Drivetrains introduce greater
complexity to the drive system, adding both weight and cost. This is due to
the transfer case, a drivetrain component directly associated with 4WD & AWD vehicles.

Part-Time 4WD, Full-Time 4WD. All Wheel Drive

What is the difference between AWD and 4WD?

For instance, those who do need more traction for their road conditions,
having a vehicle with 4WD or AWD systems offers increased traction and handling
capabilities under many circumstances. Both of these types of drivetrains are
especially helpful on slick, loose or slippery surfaces because the system can direct
power to the wheels that have the most traction. They can also help with some towing
chores, such as pulling boats up wet, slippery launch ramps.

4WD vs AWD
Front Differential, Rear Differential, Center Differential, Transfer Case
Drivetrain Advancements with ABS and Traction Control:

The development of anti-lock braking and traction control systems has greatly
improved the handling characteristics of two-wheel-drive systems.

Additionally, for many drivers, a two-wheel-drive vehicle with traction control

is all they’ll ever need. With that said, knowing your vehicle needs in terms of passenger
and cargo capabilities will make deciding that much easier. Although, road conditions
such as terrain and weather conditions also play a huge factor in deciding the ideal
vehicle for your needs.

Adding 4WD and AWD systems to a vehicle increases overall cost in fuel
efficiency because of increased weight and drag on the drivetrain. As traction control
becomes more common on both front- and rear-wheel-drive cars, the advantages of
4WD and AWD have been reduced somewhat.

Traction Control

Although traction control is standard on most cars and trucks today, a RWD
vehicle with traction control will have a better chance to maintain control in slippery
conditions. These models are still usually at a disadvantage compared to their front-
wheel-drive counterparts.

In the end, there is no “best” drivetrain layout. The only thing that matters is
what’s best for you when choosing from among several different layouts with different
characteristics. A good car dealer can help sort out the pluses and minuses of the type
of system that best meets your needs but, nothing beats going into the dealership
already understanding the differences.
 REFERENCES:

➢ https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Drive_train
➢ https://www.slideshare.net/militante/drive-train-maintenance-management
➢ https://roadsafetyatwork.ca/resource/tool-kit/vehicle-inspections-and-maintenance/
➢ https://www.sterlingmccalllexus.com/drivetrain-and-powertrain/
➢ https://drivesmartwarranty.com/car-center/resources/extended-warranty/drivetrain
➢ drive_train_mgmt.pdf
➢ https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Drive_train