List of GM transmissions

Last updated November 24, 2024

General Motors (GM) is an American car manufacturing company. It manufactures its own automobile transmissions and only purchases from suppliers in individual cases. They may be used in passenger cars and SUVs, or light commercial vehicles such as vans and light trucks.

In the longitudinal direction, the gearbox is usually designed separately from the final drive (including the differential). The transaxle configuration combines the gearbox and final drive in one housing and is only built in individual cases
In the transverse direction, the gearbox and final drive are very often combined in one housing due to the much more restricted space available

Every type of transmission occurs in every type of installation.

Automatic transmissions

Early models

GM's Automatic Safety Transmission (AST) was a semi-automatic transmission released in 1937. The first mass-produced fully-automatic transmission developed for passenger automobile use was the GM Hydramatic introduced in 1940.^[1] The Hydramatic was a big success, and had been installed in the majority of GM models by 1950. Throughout the 1950s, all GM Marques continued developing automatic transmission designs, both jointly and independently. Early models included:

1937–1939 Automatic Safety Transmission (AST) — Oldsmobile, Buick in 1938 only
1940–1967 Hydramatic — 4-speed Pontiac/Oldsmobile/Cadillac (totally different design than the later Turbo-Hydramatics)
1947–1952 Dynaflow — Buick's "2-speed CVT"
1950–1973 Powerglide — 2-speed Chevrolet (also used by Pontiac, Holden, Vauxhall and Opel).
1953-1955 Twin Turbine Dynaflow: the 1st redesign w/ 2 turbines & single stator.
1956-1957 Twin Turbine 2 Dynaflow: the 2nd redesign w/ 2 turbines & variable-pitch stator.
1956-1964 Dual-Coupling/Controlled-Coupling Hydramatic — Substantial redesign of the Hydramatic. (Aka Cadillac 315/P315 HydraMatic, Oldsmobile Jetaway/StratoFlight, Pontiac Super HydraMatic).
1957–1961 Turboglide — Chevrolet's constant-torque "3-speed CVT" (V8 models only, except Corvette)
1958–1959 Flightpitch/Triple Turbine Dynaflow — Buick's 3rd redesign w/ Triple Turbines
1961–1963 Buick's Dual-Path Turbine Drive
1961–1964 Roto Hydramatic — Compact Hydramatic-based 3-speed used by Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Holden, Vauxhall and Opel
1962-1972 TempestTorque — Powerglide-based 2-speed with "Split-Torque".
1964–1969 Super Turbine 300 — 2-speed (aka Buick ST-300, Oldsmobile Jetaway, Pontiac "Automatic")
1968–1971 Torque-Drive — Chevrolet's column-shifted 2-speed semi-automatic Powerglide (only w/ 6-cyl)

Turbo-Hydramatic 3-speed Automatics

Introduced in 1964, Turbo-Hydramatic use quickly spread across all GM divisions, and they became referred to simply as Hydramatics (like GM's original automatic of totally different design), except for the Super Turbine 400 model. By the 1970s, Turbo-Hydramatic variants had replaced all of GM's early automatic transmission designs. In Argentina, the Turbo Hydra-Matic was marketed as the "Chevromatic" in the 1970s. Starting in the early 1980s, the Turbo-Hydramatic was gradually supplanted by four-speed automatics, some of which continue to use the "Hydramatic" trade name.

Originally a medium-duty longitudinal rear-wheel drive design, other variants were later developed, including both light-duty and heavy-duty RWD versions, and both longitudinal and transverse front-wheel drive versions.

Medium-duty rear wheel drive

1964–1992 Super Turbine 400/TH400/3L80
1969–1986 TH350/TH350C/TH375B/TH250/TH250C
1972–1976 TH375 — Light duty version of TH400
1976–1987 TH200/TH200C
1981–1990 TH200-4R
1982–1993 TH700R4/4L60

Heavy-duty rear wheel drive

1971–1994 3L80HD (heavy duty version of TH400)

Light-duty rear wheel drive

1969–1998 TH180/TH180C/3L30 — European/Asian model. Used/manufactured by Holden as the Trimatic.

Longitudinal front wheel drive

1966–1978 TH425 — 3-speed
1979–1981 TH325 — 3-speed
1982–1985 TH325-4L — 4-speed

Transverse front wheel drive

1980–1999 TH125/TH125C/3T40 — 3-speed light-duty
1984–1994 TH440-T4/4T60 — 4-speed medium-duty

Turbo-Hydramatic Model Designations

Initially, models were designated with the letters TH/THM/ST followed by the series/version number. In 1987, GM switched to a simpler naming scheme for their transmissions (Example: 4L80E)

# Forward Gears	Orientation	GVWR Rating	Suffix
3/4/5/6/7/8/9/10	L = Longitudinal T = Transverse	##	E = Electronic HD = Heavy Duty

Electronic Hydra-Matics

The next-generation transmissions, introduced in the early 1990s, were the electronic Hydra-Matics, still based on the Turbo-Hydramatic design. Most early electronic transmissions use the "-E" designator to differentiate them from their non-electronic cousins, but this has been dropped on transmissions with no mechanical version like the new GM 6L transmission.

First-generation longitudinal (Rear Wheel drive)

1991–2001 4L30-E — 4-speed light-duty (used in BMW, Cadillac, Isuzu, and Opel cars)
1992– 4L60-E/4L65-E — 4-speed medium-duty (used in GM trucks and rear-wheel-drive cars)
1991– 4L80-E/4L85-E — 4-speed heavy-duty (used in GM trucks)

First-generation transverse (Front Wheel drive)

1995–2010 4T40-E/4T45-E — 4-speed light-duty (used in smaller front wheel drive GM vehicles)
1991–2010 4T60-E/4T65-E/4T65E-HD — 4-speed medium-duty (used in larger front wheel drive GM vehicles)
1993–2010 4T80-E — 4-speed heavy-duty (used in large FWD GM vehicles, only with Cadillac NorthStar V8 and Related Oldsmobile V8)

Second-generation longitudinal (Rear Wheel drive)

2000–2007 5L40-E/5L50 — 5-speed medium-duty (used in Cadillac's Sigma vehicles)
2006–present 6L45 · 6L50 — 6-speed medium-duty (used in GM Sigma platform cars)
2005–present 6L80 · 6L90 — 6-speed heavy-duty (used in GM trucks and performance cars)
2014–present 8L 90 — 8-speed heavy-duty (used in GM trucks and performance cars)
2016–present 8L 45 — 8-speed light-duty (used in GM luxury cars)
2017–present 10L80 — Ford-GM 10-speed automatic (used in GM light trucks pickups and related SUVs)
2017–present 10L90 — Ford-GM 10-speed automatic (used in GM performance cars)

Second-generation transverse (Front Wheel drive)

2008–present 6T30/6T40/6T45 — 6-speed light-duty
2006–present 6T70/6T75 — 6-speed medium-duty
2016–present 9T50/9T65 Hydra-Matic – 9-speed^[2]

Hybrid and PHEV

2ML70 / AHS-2 - Two-Mode Hybrid transmission (RWD)^[3]
2MT70 - Two-Mode Hybrid transaxle (FWD, Saturn Vue Hybrid)^[4]^[5]^[6]
4ET50 (MKA) - Voltec Electric Drive Unit Transaxle (Chevrolet Volt (first generation))^[7]
4ET55 (MKD) - Voltec Electric Drive Unit Transaxle (Cadillac ELR)^[8]
5ET50 (MKV) - Electronically controlled, continuously variable automatic transaxle (Chevrolet Volt (second generation))^[9]^[10]
5ET50 (MKE) - Electronically controlled, continuously variable automatic transaxle (Full Hybrid, Ninth Generation Chevrolet Malibu)^[10]^[11]
4EL70 (MRD) - Electric Drive Unit Transmission (Cadillac CT6 PHEV)^[12]^: 1–2

Other automatics

Aisin AF33 — 5-speed transverse automatic made by Aisin AW Co., Ltd.
Allison 1000 Series — 6-speed longitudinal automatic made by Allison Transmission
Saturn MP6/MP7 — 4-speed automatic developed by Saturn for use in the S-series from 1991 to 2002
VTi transmission — continuously variable transmission
Tremec M1L transmission — 8-speed Dual-Clutch made by Tremec for the Chevrolet Corvette C8
GM VT40/CVT-250 (RPO MRG) Introduced in 2019 — continuously variable transmission

Manual transmissions

Longitudinal transmissions

Aisin AR5/MA5 — 5-speed longitudinal manual made by Aisin
Aisin AY6 — 6-speed longitudinal manual made by Aisin
Getrag 260 — 5-speed longitudinal manual made by Getrag
Muncie M20 — 4-speed longitudinal wide ratio manual transmission made by GM at their Muncie, Indiana factory
Muncie M21 — 4-speed longitudinal narrow ratio manual transmission made by GM at their Muncie, Indiana factory
Muncie M22 — 4-speed longitudinal heavy duty narrow ratio manual transmission made by GM at their Muncie, Indiana factory
Saginaw M26/27 transmission — 3 and 4-speed longitudinal light duty (less than 300 hp) wide ratio manual transmission made by GM at their Saginaw, Michigan factory
Muncie M62/M64 — 3-speed longitudinal transmission made by GM
Muncie SM318 transmission — 3-speed transmission used from 1954 through 1969 in both passenger car and truck applications. Also found in wide and narrow ratio configurations.
Muncie SM319 transmission — 3-speed transmission physically identical to the Muncie SM318, with an added Borg Warner overdrive unit.
Muncie SM420 transmission — 4-speed manual used up to 1967, very similar to sm 465 except small changes to gear ratios and location of reverse.
New Process Gear NP435 - 4-speed longitudinal transmission used in a select handful of 67-72 GM pickups
New Process Gear A833 RPO MY6 or MM7 — 4-speed longitudinal A833 overdrive transmission made by New Process Gear for early to mid 1980s General Motors Light Trucks
Muncie SM465 — 4-speed longitudinal manual used in 68- 91 Chevy 1/2 3/4 and 1 ton trucks
New Venture Gear NV1500 — 5-speed longitudinal manual made by New Venture Gear
New Venture Gear 3500/4500 — 5-speed longitudinal manual made by New Venture Gear
Borg-Warner T-10 transmission — 4-speed longitudinal manual currently made by Richmond Gear; originally made by Borg-Warner
Tremec T-5 — 5-speed longitudinal manual currently made by Tremec; originally made by Borg-Warner
Borg-Warner R-10 overdrive - 3-speed manual transmission with electric overdrive used 1937-1964
Borg-Warner R-11 overdrive - 3-speed manual transmission with electric overdrive Ford used them up until 1975 in trucks.
Borg-Warner T-50 transmission — 5-speed longitudinal manual - used by GM in its RWD H-Body cars and a few other limited light duty applications from 1976 to 1978;
Tremec T-56 — 6-speed longitudinal manual overdrive made by Tremec; formerly made by Borg-Warner
Tremec TR-6060 — 6-speed longitudinal manual overdrive made by Tremec
ZF S6-650 — 6-speed longitudinal manual made by ZF Friedrichshafen
Tremec TR-6070 — 7-speed longitudinal manual overdrive made by Tremec

Transverse Transmissions

F23 — 5-speed transverse manual manufactured by Getrag
F25 — 5-speed transverse manual manufactured by Getrag
M17 — 4-speed transverse manual manufactured by Muncie
F35 — 5-speed transverse manual manufactured by Saab in Gothenburg, Sweden
F40 — 6-speed transverse manual manufactured by FGP Germany
Getrag 282 — 5-speed transverse manual designed by Getrag and manufactured by Muncie Getrag
Getrag 284 — 5-speed transverse manual designed by Getrag and manufactured by Muncie Getrag
M32 — 6-speed transverse manual manufactured by Fiat-GM Powertrain in Turin, Italy since 2004
MP2/MP3 — 5-speed manual developed by Saturn for use in the S-Series from 1991 to 2002

Related Research Articles

A transaxle is a single mechanical device which combines the functions of an automobile's transmission, axle, and differential into one integrated assembly. It can be produced in both manual and automatic versions.

Hydramatic is an automatic transmission developed by both General Motors' Cadillac and Oldsmobile divisions. Introduced in 1939 for the 1940 model year vehicles, the Hydramatic was the first mass-produced fully-automatic transmission developed for passenger automobile use.

TorqueFlite is the trademarked name of Chrysler Corporation's automatic transmissions, starting with the three-speed unit introduced late in the 1956 model year as a successor to Chrysler's two-speed PowerFlite. In the 1990s, the TorqueFlite name was dropped in favor of alphanumeric designations, although the latest Chrysler eight-speed automatic transmission has revived the name.

Turbo-Hydramatic or Turbo Hydra-Matic is the registered tradename for a family of automatic transmissions developed and produced by General Motors. These transmissions mate a three-element turbine torque converter to a Simpson planetary geartrain, providing three forward speeds plus reverse.

The BorgWarner T-5 is a 5-speed manual transmission for longitudinal engine automobiles. It includes one overdrive gear, a lightweight aluminum housing, and adaptability for four wheel drive use.

New Venture Gear was an automobile and light truck transmission company that was started in 1990 as the first-ever joint venture between any of the Big Three U.S. automakers. General Motors and Chrysler Corporation were the participants. Operation and management of Chrysler's New Process Gear plant in Syracuse, New York, and GM's underutilized Hydramatic transmission plant in Muncie, Indiana, were shifted to New Venture Gear Company.

The 4T80E is a series of front wheel drive fully automatic transmissions from General Motors. Designed for transverse engine configurations, the series includes 4 gear bearing overdrive 2 electronic shift solenoids, and electronic force motor to control line pressure.

The 4T40-E and 4T45-E are a series of automatic transaxles from General Motors. Designed for transverse engine configurations, the series includes 4 forward gears. The 4Txx family replaced the Turbo-Hydramatic 125 transverse three speed automatic introduced in 1980.

The Turbo-Hydramatic 125 was the first in a line of automatic transmissions from General Motors designed for transverse engine application. Introduced in 1980, the line evolved into today's 4T40/45/65/80 line.

The 4T60-E is a series of automatic transmissions from General Motors. Designed for transverse engine configurations, the series includes 4 forward gears. The 4Txx family is an evolution of the original Turbo-Hydramatic 125 transverse automatic introduced in the late 1970s and the Turbo-Hydramatic 440 transmission developed in the mid-1980s.

Turbo-Hydramatic 425 was an automatic transmission developed and produced by General Motors. The THM425 was a derivative of the THM400; most parts directly interchange and some others will interchange with minor modifications. The internal parts spin the opposite direction in the THM425; the helical angle of the planetary gears is "reversed" and the one-way clutches freewheel in the opposite direction, for example. The THM425 was developed for the 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado and the 1967 Cadillac Eldorado. A lighter-duty transmission known as the THM325 replaced the THM425 in both car lines after the 1978 model year. 1979 and later longitudinal engine front-wheel drive vehicles used the THM325. The THM325 became the THM325-4L with an overdrive added in 1982, but all vehicles using this transmission switched to more-conventional transverse engine mounting in 1986. Bellhousing pattern used the 1967-90 Buick-Oldsmobile-Pontiac-Cadillac V8 pattern throughout its entire lifecycle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Getrag 282 transmission</span>

The Getrag 282 transmission was a 5-speed manual transaxle designed by Getrag for Chevrolet. It is sometimes referred to as the Muncie 282 or the Muncie Getrag 282, as the transmission was manufactured by the Muncie, Indiana manual transmission plant. It has been used in various front-wheel drive transverse engine applications including the Chevrolet Cavalier, Pontiac Sunbird, Pontiac Grand Am, Chevrolet Beretta and the Oldsmobile Achieva. It was also used in the mid-engined rear-wheel drive Pontiac Fiero. In its later years, the Getrag 282 was manufactured by New Venture Gear and renamed the NVG T550.

Vehicles made by American Motors Corporation (AMC) and Jeep incorporated a variety of transmissions and transfer case systems. This article covers transmissions used in the following vehicle models and years:

The Tremec TR-6060 six-speed manual transmission features six forward speeds and one reverse speed. It is derived from the Tremec T-56 6-speed manual transmission. As usual, the forward helical cut gears are synchronized. However, the reverse gear operates through a fully synchronized constant-mesh system. The TR-6060 contains removable wear pads on the shift forks, and uses aluminum alloys for the main case, extension housing, and clutch housing. It is a double overdrive transmission. The TR-6060 is manufactured by TREMEC and is rated for 430 lb⋅ft (580 N⋅m) to 650 lb⋅ft (880 N⋅m) of torque, depending on gearing.

The TREMEC TR-3160 is a six-speed RWD manual transmission that features six forward speeds and one reverse speed. It is manufactured by TREMEC.

Mercon represents a series of technical standards for automatic transmission fluid, developed and trademarked by Ford Motor Company. This designation serves as a mark of quality that Ford has established for fluids used in automatic transmissions. The Mercon name, which has evolved into a brand, is licensed by Ford to various manufacturers. These companies are authorized to produce the fluid according to Ford's specifications and market it under their own brand names.

References

↑ "Hydra-Matic History: The First Automatic Transmission". Ate Up With Motor. 2010-05-29. Retrieved 2014-01-15.
↑ Panait, Mircea. "GM Hydra-Matic 9T50 Transmission Confirmed for Chevrolet Cruze, Malibu, Equinox". autoevolution. Retrieved 2016-12-07.
↑ Colonna, Wayne (February 1, 2010). "GM's 2ML70 Hybrid Two-Mode Transmission". Transmission Digest. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
↑ Colonna, Wayne (June 1, 2010). "GM's Hybrid Two-Mode 2MT70 Transmission, Part 1". Transmission Digest. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
↑ Rosebro, Jack (9 May 2009). "GM Previews First Two-Mode, Front-Wheel-Drive Hybrid Transaxle". Green Car Congress. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
↑ Hendrickson, James; Holmes, Alan G.; Freiman, David (2009). General Motors Front Wheel Drive Two-Mode Hybrid Transmission. SAE World Congress & Exhibition. doi:10.4271/2009-01-0508.
↑ Miller, Michael A.; Holmes, Alan G.; Conlon, Brendan M.; Savagian, Peter J. (2011). "The GM 'Voltec' 4ET50 Multi-Mode Electric Transaxle". SAE International Journal of Engines. 4 (1): 1102–1114. doi:10.4271/2011-01-0887.
↑ Garrett, Steve (June 6, 2017). "Tackling a 4ET50 Hybrid". Gears. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
↑ Conlon, Brendan M.; Blohm, Trevor; Harpster, Michael; Holmes, Alan G.; Palardy, Margaret; Tarnowsky, Steven; Zhou, Leon (2015). "The Next Generation 'Voltec' Extended Range EV Propulsion System". SAE International Journal of Alternative Powertrains. 4 (2): 248–259. doi:10.4271/2015-01-1152.
1 2 "GM Service Insights, pg 23" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-01-09. Retrieved 2019-07-16.
↑ "Preliminary Information Bulletin PIP5390E Malibu 5ET50 (MKE) Hybrid Transmission Restriction Program" (PDF). General Motors. September 18, 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2024.
↑ "Cadillac CT6 PLUG-IN Delivers Efficient Performance" (PDF). TechLink. Vol. 19, no. 9. General Motors Customer Care and Aftersales. May 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2024.

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[1] "Hydra-Matic History: The First Automatic Transmission". Ate Up With Motor. 2010-05-29. Retrieved 2014-01-15.

[2] Panait, Mircea. "GM Hydra-Matic 9T50 Transmission Confirmed for Chevrolet Cruze, Malibu, Equinox". autoevolution. Retrieved 2016-12-07.

[3] Colonna, Wayne (February 1, 2010). "GM's 2ML70 Hybrid Two-Mode Transmission". Transmission Digest. Retrieved 6 September 2024.

[4] Colonna, Wayne (June 1, 2010). "GM's Hybrid Two-Mode 2MT70 Transmission, Part 1". Transmission Digest. Retrieved 6 September 2024.

[5] Rosebro, Jack (9 May 2009). "GM Previews First Two-Mode, Front-Wheel-Drive Hybrid Transaxle". Green Car Congress. Retrieved 6 September 2024.

[6] Hendrickson, James; Holmes, Alan G.; Freiman, David (2009). General Motors Front Wheel Drive Two-Mode Hybrid Transmission. SAE World Congress & Exhibition. doi:10.4271/2009-01-0508.

[7] Miller, Michael A.; Holmes, Alan G.; Conlon, Brendan M.; Savagian, Peter J. (2011). "The GM 'Voltec' 4ET50 Multi-Mode Electric Transaxle". SAE International Journal of Engines. 4 (1): 1102–1114. doi:10.4271/2011-01-0887.

[8] Garrett, Steve (June 6, 2017). "Tackling a 4ET50 Hybrid". Gears. Retrieved 6 September 2024.

[9] Conlon, Brendan M.; Blohm, Trevor; Harpster, Michael; Holmes, Alan G.; Palardy, Margaret; Tarnowsky, Steven; Zhou, Leon (2015). "The Next Generation 'Voltec' Extended Range EV Propulsion System". SAE International Journal of Alternative Powertrains. 4 (2): 248–259. doi:10.4271/2015-01-1152.

[ServiceInsights2016-10] 1 2 "GM Service Insights, pg 23" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-01-09. Retrieved 2019-07-16.

[11] "Preliminary Information Bulletin PIP5390E Malibu 5ET50 (MKE) Hybrid Transmission Restriction Program" (PDF). General Motors. September 18, 2018. Retrieved 6 September 2024.

[12] "Cadillac CT6 PLUG-IN Delivers Efficient Performance" (PDF). TechLink. Vol. 19, no. 9. General Motors Customer Care and Aftersales. May 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2024.

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