How Do Transaxles Work?

A transaxle is a transmission, axle, and differential housed in one integrated unit. It combines the gear-changing function of a transmission with an axle and differential. A transmission only handles changing the gears, sending power to the differential through the driveshaft.

What is a transaxle and how does it work?

A Transaxle combines the transmission, differential, and ancillary systems around the axle into one integrated assembly. You will usually find transaxle configurations in cars where the engine is placed at the same end of the car as the drive wheels.

Is transaxle the same as transmission?

Transaxle. The operation of any transaxle is exactly the same as that of any transmission. The difference is this: Instead of being connected via a long driveshaft to the rear axle, the transmission's output shaft drives a large gear that meshes directly with the differential's ring gear.