Historical development of this gearbox — VW

Historical development of this gearbox
The gearbox has undergone continuous further development in response to the requirements for shift comfort, fuel savings, compact design, reduction in replacement parts, smooth running, ease of repair and, last but not least, durability.
Should the reader be interested, the following section
Chapter
presents some facts and figures in order to illustrate the development of the gearbox and its history.
1988
Volkswagen introduces the electronically controlled 4-speed gearbox to phase out the hydraulically controlled 3-speed gearbox that had been installed up till then. For the first time, the passenger car version
“096”
is installed in the Passat and other models follow. The gearbox for inline engines is
“097”
, for the Sharan the
“099”
and for the Transporter the
“098”
gearbox.
1993
In January 1993, the first phase of modifications begins that are also visible on the
“outside”
of the gearbox:
The mechanical programme switch, first as a one-touch switch, then as a dial switch, is dispensed with. New software,
“the electronic programme switch”
in the control unit, now detects solely by the speed with which the driver presses the accelerator pedal whether the driving style is
“sporty”
or
“economical”
. The shift points are set accordingly.
Increased in-gear acceleration and improved shift comfort are achieved by modifying the shift logic and the clutches. The
“mechanical 3rd gear”
, that previously could only be engaged by means of the load splitters
“LT1”
and
“LT2”
, is dispensed with and replaced by a purely hydraulic gear.
A
“novel”
multi-function switch (Hall sender principle) is introduced. This also entails modifications to the cabling of the vehicle wiring harness to the gearbox.
Now, the software is even able to detect whether the vehicle is driving on the flat or over hilly terrain. Additional gear change maps automatically select gear changes for gradients dependent upon accelerator pedal position and road resistance. One gear change map is adapted to the engine output when climbing steep hills, while a different gear change map is specified for descending steep hills and the braking effort of the engine.
The clutches now work with oil on both sides of the piston, meaning they are
“centrifugally balanced”
.
1995
In a second phase, the automatic gearbox
“01P”
is developed from gearbox 097. Numerous modifications are adopted once again, the most important being:
Switch to synthetic oil in both oil circuits. The
ATF
dipstick is dispensed with totally.
The torque converter is equipped with a lock-up clutch.
The
gearbox speed counter
G38
is used for the first time.
Here in the
“transverse version”
.
Here in the
“inline version”
.
Volkswagen is the world's first gearbox manufacturer to use
fuzzy logic
.
1997
The efficiency of the gearbox is optimised. The goal was to reduce the
“internal resistance”
of the gearbox in order to achieve fuel savings.
The measures to achieve this are:
Installation of low-friction bearings on rotating parts such as the pinion shaft, input and output gears and differential.
To a certain extent, this enables the bearing tension to be reduced, although these bearings can no longer be dynamically measured. Low-friction bearings can only be set using geometrical measurement.
The groove pattern in the clutch friction discs is changed.
Brake
“B2”
receives a retaining ring with shim
B
in place of corrugated washer
A
. This enables the brake to be closed with greater control than before.