The Five Speed Transmission used with the 2.0 liter engines
This document covers the five-speed manual transmission used in the Neon, Stratus, Breeze, Avenger, and PT Cruiser, and made by the Chrysler/GM joint venture factory in Syracuse, New York (we thank Lou Case, who machines the T-350 differential housing, for the correction). We have a step by step guide to replacing the clutch!
The five-speed manual transaxle is available only with the 2.0-liter engine. It has a three-plane shift arrangement with reverse alongside fifth gear. Oil capacity is 2.1 qt (2.0 L) of manual transaxle fluid which contains special additives to improve shift quality.
Shift Mechanism
Shift forks are fixed to three wide-base rails that operate in Teflon (R)-lined bushings for low friction. The shift levers are located atop the case. This gives easy access to the shift cables. Each of the separate cross-over (rail selection) and select levers has pure rotary motion which minimizes shift effort. When the driver is down-shifting from fifth gear, he cannot accidentally shift into reverse; a cam in the shift mechanism prevents that. It moves the crossover lever smoothly into the three-four gate without binding or jamming.
A urethane shift knob with molded shift pattern nomenclature controls the three-plane shifter. To reduce the transmission of engine noise and vibration to the passenger compartment, the shifter mounting bracket and all cable mounting points are rubber isolated.
Synchronizers
All forward ratios are synchronized. High capacity dual-cone brass synchronizers assure easy shift effort in first and second gears. On third, fourth and fifth gears, the single-cone synchronizers are made of a paper friction material. This material offers more durability and clash-resistance than brass. Third, fourth and fifth gear synchronizers are located on the input shaft. This provides low shift effort because of low rotating inertia that has be either accelerated or decelerated to complete a shift. In addition, a reverse brake mechanism is included to minimize reverse engagement clash.
Gears
Two-piece welded speed gears are shorter that one piece gears, in order to shorten shift travel as well as overall transaxle length. There are needle roller bearing on all speed gears to reduce friction and extend gear life.
Case Design
The case is cast in only two pieces, the bell housing the gear case, to provide good dimensional control and to minimize leak paths.
There are structural ribs that strengthen and stiffen the case to minimize vibration and noise with little or no extra weight.
The strong case offers good bending stiffness of the overall powertrain system. This rigidity provides a natural frequency above the exciting frequency of the engine at peak rpm.
Clutch
A modular 9.0 in. (228 mm) single dry plate clutch is designed to maintain low effort throughout its life. With modular construction, the clutch cover is riveted rather than bolted to the flywheel. The disc is captive inside the assembly. The modular clutch is connected to the crankshaft through the same flexible drive plate used to attach the automatic transaxle torque converter. The clutch is hydraulically operated.
The modular unit not only make the unit and its components more reliable, but in the assembly process, more repeatable. The clutch assembly reduces complexity because it is a module and also because it bolts onto the crankshaft through the same flexible drive plate used to attach the torque converter on automatic transaxles. this eliminates the need for different crankshafts, depending on transmission application. For service, the modular clutch is replaced as a unit and the old unit is returned for remanufacture.
The clutch, designed to provide low pedal effort throughout its life, is activated by a self-adjusting cable. The release lever is contained entirely within the bell housing. This eliminated the need for a flexible boot.
Gear Ratios (sample from the 1995 Neon)
(Note: these apply only to the 1995 Neon with the 2.0 SOHC. Ratios are different for the ACR package, Neon R/T, Stratus/Breeze, etc. Ratios changed considerably for the 2000 Neon but then came back again.)
1st -- 3.538
2nd -- 2.125
3rd -- 1.360
4th -- 1.029
5th -- 0.718
Reverse -- 3.42
Final Drive -- 3.944
OTGR -- 2.83
Read an article on clutch repair for this transmission.
