What is fluid drive in a car?

Fluid Drive is the trademarked name that Chrysler Corporation assigned to a transmission driveline combination which replaced the flywheel with a hydraulic coupling and performed the same function as a modern torque converter, only without torque multiplication.

How did fluid drive work?

The fluid drive used a standard clutch and a separate fluid coupling [similar to a modern automatic transmission torque converter, where the engine drove one set of vanes – a propellor like arrangement – and the transmission received power through another set of vanes.

Who invented the fluid torque converter?

Dr. Hermann Föttinger
Invented in 1905 in Stettin, Ger- many, by Dr. Hermann Föttinger of the Vulcan Ship Yards, the torque converter was originally a steam turbine drive for a ship propeller. It gra- dually found its way into the mainstream auto- motive industry over the following 25 years.

How does a Gyrol fluid drive work?

G ´yrol Fluid Drives transmit power smoothly and without shock, using a vortex of hydraulic oil. The rotational energy of the oil from the higher speed input rotor is transferred to the output rotor as the oil circulates between them. There is no mechanical connection between the input and output shafts.

How does a Dynaflow transmission work?

A unique feature of this Dynaflow torque converter is that all the power transferred is through the gear set and first turbine at low speeds and gradually and smoothly diminishes as the power transferred through the second turbine increases until it does all the work at higher speeds.

What is a fluid flywheel?

noun. a type of coupling for transmitting power from the engine of a motor vehicle to the transmission, using a torque converter. Also called: fluid coupling, fluid clutch, fluid flywheel.

How do torque converters get fluid?

The pump inside a torque converter is a type of centrifugal pump. As it spins, fluid is flung to the outside, much as the spin cycle of a washing machine flings water and clothes to the outside of the wash tub. As fluid is flung to the outside, a vacuum is created that draws more fluid in at the center.

What is the difference between fluid coupling and torque converter?

A fluid coupling is a two element drive that is incapable of multiplying torque, while a torque converter has at least one extra element—the stator—which alters the drive’s characteristics during periods of high slippage, producing an increase in output torque.

Was the dynaflow a good transmission?

Acceleration through a Dynaflow was one smooth (if inefficient and slow) experience. It was because of this slow acceleration that the Dynaflow transmission was nicknamed “Dynaslush.” The Dynaflow was an inherently inefficient design due to its sole reliance on the torque converter in normal driving.

What is a Buick Special?

The Buick Special was an automobile produced by Buick. It was usually Buick’s lowest-priced model, starting out as a full-size car in 1936 and returning in 1961 (after a two-year hiatus) as a mid-size. The Special was built for several decades and was offered as a coupe, sedan and later as a station wagon.

What is a fluid drive transmission?

Anyway, Fluid Drive was an important first step for Chrysler in the evolution from manual to fully automatic transmissions.The mechanism itself was rather simple, as shown in the illustration below: a hydraulic fluid coupling was placed between the engine and an otherwise totally conventional manual clutch and transmission.

When did Fluid Drive start on Dodge cars?

While this film clip was produced in 1940, the car depicted is a 1941 Dodge, and Fluid Drive first appeared on some 1939 models in the flagship Chrysler division. The feature was then introduced on DeSoto in 1940 and Dodge for 1941.

What is the difference between a torque converter and Fluid Drive?

GM and RIO also started the Automatic safety transmission which is like the Fluid Drive back in 1934. Transmissions with fluid couplings are more efficient at higher coupling speeds than a Torque converter where their efficiency falls off due to the multiplier getting in the way .

How much maintenance does a Chrysler Fluid Drive require?

The Chrysler Fluid Drive/3 speed needed no maintenance over and above that required for a standard car, and the semi-automatic Fluid Drives needed very little maintenance compared to the early hydramatics.