Dana Corporation

Other

Donald C Schultz

Charles R Jones

James G Koedam

A noise and vibration damper for a shift lever assembly in a manually operable vehicle transmission is disclosed. The damper includes a hollow cylindrical housing having upper and lower pairs of aligned, transversely extending apertures. The upper end of a lower shift lever member extends upwardly into housing, while the lower end of an upper shift lever member extends downwardly into the housing. A transversely extending pin extends through apertures formed in the ends of each of the shift lever members and through their respective pair of apertures to secure the shift lever members to the housing. The ends of the pins are supported within the apertures by nylon bushings. The ends of the upper and lower shift lever members are spaced apart from one another and from the damper housing by a hollow cylindrical sleeve of vibration dampening material, such as polyurethane. The polyurethane is injected into the housing and molded about the ends of the shift lever members so as to acoustically isolate them from one another. A collar is provided about both the upper and lower ends of the damper housing to provide positive stops for the shift lever members when they are moved.

Noise and vibration damper for a transmission shift lever

A shift lever tower assembly includes a spherical inner bearing with a central aperture formed therein for attachment to the shift lever, a spherical intermediate bearing having a hollow interior and inwardly extending projections for cooperating with slots formed in the outer surface of the inner bearing, and an outer bearing having a hollow interior with slots formed therein for cooperating with outwardly extending projections formed on the exterior of the intermediate bearing. The slots and projections are spaced such that the slot/projection combination of the inner and intermediate bearings limits movement of the shift lever in the fore and aft direction and the slot/projection combination of the intermediate and outer bearings limits shift lever movement to the side to side direction. The bearings are enclosed by a housing having slots formed on an interior thereof cooperating with outwardly extending projections formed on the outer bearing to prevent movement of the shift lever and bearing assembly in any direction other than the desired directions. The bearings can be formed of a thermoplastic material to increase shifting efficiency.

Shift lever tower assembly

An impeller lubrication system provides lubrication oil flow to a transmission pocket bearing. Splash and spray lubrication oil is directed from the transmission casing to a collector region along a shaft adjacent the pocket bearing. As the shaft rotates, oil is forced axially along the shaft by an impeller fixed to the shaft. The impeller forces the oil from the collector region to the pocket bearing through a lubrication port in the shaft.

Impeller lubrication system for transmission pocket bearing

A check valve provides improved lubrication of a bearing contained within a gear. The check valve is positioned within a bore in the gear, the bore extending radially inwardly from the gear teeth to the bearing. In a preferred embodiment, a ball check valve is contained in a transmission drive gear, the gear containing a pocket bearing. The ball of the check valve is held against the check valve seat by centrifugal force created by the rotation of the drive gear. As the drive gear teeth mesh with those of a countershaft gear, pulses of transmission oil are forced into the bore, intermittently unseating the ball against centrifugal force to provide a continuous supply of oil to the pocket bearing.

Check valve bearing lubricator

A centrifugal lubrication system provides lubrication oil flow to a transmission pocket bearing. Splash and spray lubrication oil is directed from the transmission casing to a collector region along a shaft adjacent the pocket bearing. As the shaft rotates, theoil is centrifugally thrown from the collector region into a receiving trough defined by (a) a lubrication port extending through the shaft, and (b) an oil ring fixed to the shaft radially of the collector region at the lubrication port entrance. From the trough the oil flows through the port exit to the pocket bearing.

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Toledo, OH, United States of America

Donald C Schultz