The gearbox in a van is subject to much more wear and tear than gearboxes for passenger cars. This is due to the fact that vans are used much more intensively. Half a million kilometres is a low mileage for a minivan, while many cars will never ‘do that’.
As a result, it is not uncommon for van owners to have to replace gearbox components. Typical minibus gearboxes have a classic arrangement, with a clutch shaft, intermediate shaft and main shaft. The clutch shaft, as the name suggests, transmits movement from the clutch and, by means of gears, to the intermediate shaft. The gears on the intermediate shaft turn the adjacent gears on the main shaft. Each pair of gears represents a different gear.
How a gearbox works
However, the gears on the main shaft are not attached to it. When the car is set to idle, they spin around the shaft but do not move it. It is only when a gear is engaged that one of the gears is coupled to the shaft and transmits the drive further. The pinion is engaged by sliding it over a ‘toothed’ section of the shaft, or by pressing it against a toothed clutch rigidly attached to the shaft.
To make this possible without damaging the teeth of this or that part of the gearbox, the pinions have their own synchronisers. The synchroniser adjusts the speed of the pinion and the shaft and only when they are spinning at the same rate are they coupled.
Transmissions for vans – defects and repairs
When a gearbox enters the gearbox with a clatter or drops out of gear when driving, it is usually a sign that the synchroniser is worn. Also important is the quality and quantity of the gearbox oil – the transmission fluid that enables the smooth movement of the many precision components in relation to one another.
Other causes of failure include improper use, such as driving for too long with too heavy a load, or even holding a hand on the lever while driving with the gear engaged.
Replacing an entire component is expensive, particularly in the case of vans. Complete gearboxes for aftermarket vans are not readily available. A sensible solution, therefore, is to buy the right parts for the gearbox and have it reconditioned in a professional workshop.
FAST gearbox parts
FAST gearbox parts are characterised by high precision manufacturing and the same strength parameters as the originals. This is important in the case of mechanical parts that work in close fitting and at the same time under high pressure from external factors.
In order to make the repair of bus gearboxes as economical as possible, we have introduced individual components for the gearboxes: Individual gears, synchroniser sets and even the synchroniser gears themselves, called rings. A synchroniser ring is several times cheaper than a complete set.
FAST offers transmission parts for a variety of buses and vans. Clutch shafts, intermediate and main shafts, cogs and synchronisers for individual gears, synchroniser components such as synchroniser rings and springs, as well as gear selectors (levers that transmit the movement of the rocker arm to the engagement of the corresponding gears), bushings, covers, linkages and cables, as well as sealers and plugs, without which it is impossible to maintain the proper condition of the gearbox. Among the transmission parts are also the counter drives, as they are coupled to the main transmission shaft.
