GM – CAMARO 1982-1992 – Repair Guide (Checked by WxMax) 306
As the speed of the turbine increases, th
e fluid spins faster and faster in the
direction of engine rotation. As a result, t he ability of the stator to redirect the
fluid flow is reduced. Under cruising conditions, the stator is eventually forced to
rotate on its one-way clutch in the dire ction of engine rotation. Under these
conditions, the torque converter begins to behave almost like a solid shaft, with
the torus and turbine speeds being almost equal.
PLANETARY GEARBOX
The ability of the torque converter to mult iply engine torque is limited. Also, the
unit tends to be more efficient when the turbine is rotating at relatively high
speeds. Therefore, a planetar y gearbox is used to carry the power output of the
turbine to the driveshaft.
Fig. 2: Planetary gears work in a sim ilar fashion to manual transmission gears,
but are composed of three parts
Planetary gears function very similarly to conventional transmission gears.
However, their construction is different in that three elements make up one gear
system, and, in that all three elements ar e different from one another. The three
elements are: an outer gear that is shaped like a hoop, with teeth cut into the
inner surface; a sun gear, mounted on a sha ft and located at the very center of
