Manual Transmission - Overview. Description and Operation

The 6-speed manual transmission B6 is a fully synchronized transmission, including reverse gear.

1st and 2nd gears are triple-cone synchronized. 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th gears and reverse gear are single-cone synchronized.

The function of the transmission is to move the vehicle from a standstill position to motion. This is done by transmitting engine torque through the transmission to the front wheels. The transmission input shaft receives power when the clutch is engaged. Torque passes through the input shaft to the drive gear. Forward gears are selected by the selector mechanism. Helical forward gears are in constant mesh with the corresponding gears on the countershaft. Reverse gears are spur-cut and engage through the reverse shift fork and synchronizer.

The manual transmission is operated by the floor-mounted gear shift lever located in the floor console. The connection between the floor shift lever and the manual transmission shift mechanism is made through 2 shift cables. The clutch pedal disengages the clutch, allowing the transmission to shift from one gear to another.

The B6 manual transmission uses 4 shift forks for internal shifting. The output shaft reverse gear shift fork controls all reverse gears. The 1st/2nd, 3rd/4th and 5th/6th gear shift forks control all forward gear shifts.