Transit gets a new box
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• Ford has begun production of a new five-speed manual gearbox for use in its Sierra and Scorpio cars and Transit light commercials.
Ford has invested a lot of capital into the project — 1173 million in engineering development, and a total of 2141 million in tooling and facilities.
The gearbox, built at Halewood on Merseyside and the Duren plant near Cologne, is claimed to be lighter, stronger, more compact and more efficient than its predecessors.
Designated MT75 (for Manual Transmission and the 75mm distance between gear shifts), the gearbox has five key features: die-cast aluminium construction; two-part gears; two-rail gearshift mechanism; synchronisation on reverse gear; and gears supported on needle bearings.
Compared with the fivespeed transmission it replaces, the MT75 has a greater torque capacity (300Nm), is 7kg light= er (35kg) and 134mtn shorter in overall length (638min).
It also uses low-viscosity mineral oil as part of a general reduction in internal friction. Total oil capacity is down from 1.9 to 1.2 litres.
The computer design of the casings and precise manufacturing methods have allowed a simple sealant to be used in place of a gasket in the vertical joint between the two faces, which means tolerances can be reduced to a minimum. The distance between the main shaft centres in the casing, for example, has been reduced from plus or minus 0.038mm to within 0.015mm.
The gears are produced in two parts, joined by laser.