TORQUE CONVERTERS | How they Work

Torque converters use a simple idea to solve a complicated problem. This Science Garage goes over how a torque converter keeps your car from stalling, and how it can actually increase the torque coming from your engine.
We also look at the unique system in the Koenigsegg Regera- that uses a transmissionless direct drive torque converter variation to get over 250 MPH!
Bart teaches us how cars work by blowing stuff up and cutting things in half. It’s a science show for the car lover who’s easily bored. Join Bart as he explains the science behind everything automotive. This is cars down to the atom. This is Science Garage.
Some of our best videos ever are coming out soon, stay tuned so you won't miss a thing!
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[@offbeat4772]

That fan demonstrations was actually super good

[@Kn3350ck5]

Ikr It clicked for me with that

[@mohammadyaqoob746]

I just love the reactions of Nolan

[@edmaluf]

Indeed. 👍

[@hamadaag5659]

Ya mean FANtastic?

[@Haku-fc9eq]

And keep in mind that he can afford two fans.

[@gremlincc]

Bart don’t worry you definitely have more than two fans...

[@shadow1fun777]

Curtis Campbell but those are his “biggest fans” eh ehhhhh eh I’m not funny

[@shreyassridhar5974]

That's true

[@ty1olimmm751]

2.5 fans instead

[@williamburch1321]

938k fans, Going on a million

[@BurtSampson]

I wish I could afford 2 fans.

[@Antonio-hk4rv]

Donut Media: "What did you learn"' me: "that he can afford 2 fans"

[@franciscodupetit8780]

y la verdad que si, porque fue una moronga el video de este boludito

[@TheJcdarkness2000]

that ad revenue must be good

[@hello...]

😂😂

[@alien76]

Is he coming back for more Science Garage? WE MISS HIM SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO MUCH! q_q

[@alien76]

@Jonathan Lantouris damn :/

[@Duvstep910]

@@alien76 lol thats not how it goes; he had a child and had to step back from donut to spend time with his family.

[@sugarkang]

@@ay-leck1369 Yeah, that's the "official" party line. Unfortunately, not the truth.

[@Duvstep910]

@@ay-leck1369 check his instagram bids barto

[@424io]

Jesus took him to sciencelandia

[@arewestilldoingphrasing6490]

Torque Converter used 28 times Converter of torque used 2 times Torque used 36 times Impeller used 18 times Turbine used 17 times Clutch used 11 times Transmission used 9 times Shaft used 8 times Stator used 7 times Coupling used 6 times Un Impossible used 1 time No torque converters were harmed in the making of this video

[@ashs3380]

Are we Still doing Phrasing thank you for your kind service sir

[@NachiV]

You from Toast masters bro?

[@artbk]

How about "fans"?

[@mihailmilev9909]

@@ashs3380 same

[@brayanlorenzo5231]

Thank you very much my friend estimated🗿

[@artistwithouttalent]

"Vlad the Impeller." Well done.

[@marineninga]

sounds more gruesome than what he actually did

[@yzuniga13sa]

Lol😅

[@lunstee]

He forgot to point out that Vlad was Finnish.

[@lokken23]

Fun fact: The electric motors in the Regera are powerful enough to be in its own supercar.

[@savagesock3598]

Jesus they should do that

[@carsonvogt3297]

...with a light enough frame, you a lawnmower engine could be in its own supercar...

[@carsonvogt3297]

@Ellotherem8 Lol, I didn't say it was reasonable, just possible. Maybe take a step out of your thimble-sized box once in a while.

[@carsonvogt3297]

@Ellotherem8 Horsepower is not the defining characteristic of a supercar, performance is. Example: Ariel Atom.

[@carsonvogt3297]

@Ellotherem8 lol, I said lawn mower engine. If by luxury you mean price, the price would be very high for super car performance with a car powered by a lawn mower engine. And by my definition, the atom is definitely a super car.

[@guezsitoe7499]

This guy is legendary, why is he not comming back? I miss this

[@bradenculver7457]

Got a better job at motortrend while he was on paternity leave

[@gitanodel69]

@@bradenculver7457 ow that s what s up!

[@spergalicious27]

@@bradenculver7457 he also left because of disagreements with the head person

[@atomic4440]

Take a shot of whiskey every time he says "torque converter"

[@vanderwallstronghold8905]

AtOmIc NeRd my liver!

[@SpudEater]

I dnt knf wht yll btches tlkin bojt, i took the shts nd fel fine.

[@wargames8503]

AtOmIc NeRd well you better take a shot of transmission fluid every time he says that

[@MidnightMan04]

MY LIVER

[@miuzyache]

AtOmIc NeRd "torque converter"? Try take a shot everytime he says "torque" Edit: i edit the typo

[@stazvanbael3706]

Conclusion: it uses a salad spinner

[@seanboland4671]

And two fans

[@MechaHeretic]

Bring Back Science Garage! We need more "Two-Fan" Bart on the screen.

[@robrodriguez4866]

Bart and Zach make me feel like I can rebuild an engine. I can’t even build my credit.

[@toxichershey836]

have a credit and debit, use your credit for small purchases like gas or food and immediatly pay it off in full using your debit. thats how ya do it bud :)

[@pataconaso]

FANCHARGERS

[@javiervillalta779]

lmao, the 15,000 hp was funny af

[@jimenex13]

Did anybody else catch the laugh from courage the cowardly dog at 5:36

[@dopeshope4976]

XD

[@cyprn6600]

One of the best episodes of this series. Good jokes, good demonstrations, absurd moments and lots of enthusiasm!

[@franciscodupetit8780]

a vos te falla boludito

[@bluegrayskies3831]

When he says Regera instead of Regera

[@supersoupss]

Uhh

[@rash3382]

*Redjera*

[@daangelbaby1975]

Data or data

[@xramer5840]

Or Regera instead of Regera.

[@GameSpyDarkAge]

Potato or PO-TA-TO?

[@sidneyisais8862]

4:20 *Bart is a cosmic entity*

[@kertaspaper94]

You mean you don't know ?

[@gaydes1012]

sometimes when I do something that annoys the multiverse a Bart will open a portal to my room and give me a slap on the cheek and tell me that's a no no

[@harrisont3932]

timeroller which cheeks?

[@gaydes1012]

god damn it harrison

[@bloodyfx1065]

420

[@Kado_Tornado]

So amazing for somebody who can afford two fans to take so much time out of his day to explain torque converters to us.

[@majikpillzburyrey637]

I love this channel! I've learned so much from u guys! Thank u 4 really breaking it down.

[@chrisbentley6254]

3:00 I almost spat out my toast!!! 😂

[@ec6933]

Chris Bentley me too! And I want even eating toast!

[@chrisbentley6254]

Eighty cc 😆

[@Shankovich]

Almost spat out my caviar

[@K_GHOST225]

Almost dropped my two fans!

[@elonmusk5329]

Almost dropped my croissant

[@Petrospect]

That was FAN-tastic.

[@GunsWithGage]

Wow, your production level is seriously incredible. Great job you guys. Darn kids have it so easy these days! I had to read all that from a paper ASE manual...

[@BmxDieseldude]

I already knew how TC's work, but I watched anyways because you guys are great. Very clever (if a little flashy) to use two fans. Cool way to make the principle visible.

[@tduffdesign]

Gotta say, the fan demo was very simple, creative and easily explains how these work. I love how you guys make what seems to be really complicated stuff easy to understand. Best channel about automotive stuff on YT hands down. You deserve that 1mil subscribers.

[@franciscodupetit8780]

si a vos se nota que te cuesta un montón salame

[@leonard854]

Do a carbon fiber and other car material episode

[@rayhansatrio7475]

eye eh gree

[@denoavissmartt7904]

Composite

[@abigailshaw2329]

It’s not that complicated. It’s just a fabric that is pressed together and hardened with a resin. Boom. There’s your episode.

[@elvismulenga1293]

These series should come back please.

[@benskelton619]

This over simplified explanation of the physics behind the mechanical power of vehicles has taught me so much. Thank you donut media for science garage

[@janson2911]

I didn't learn anything from this video but it's sure entertaining

[@z34jay]

But he made it so easy to understand:(

[@basik6825]

jay-fromhell he probably didnt want to understand or didnt pay attention or something

[@olsianbimaj6017]

Why would you go to a mechanic school when you have this Chanel

[@surgeonso4345]

Barri0 _99 I know certified ppl who are garbage mechanics, no diagnosis skills whatsoever.

[@nolanritter641]

olsian bimaj There’s more to cars than what these channels have, maybe one day

[@st.michaelthearchangel7774]

Very informative video. Thanks! Here are my notes I've compiled, please correct me if I am wrong: Torque Converter: Only found in Automatic Transmissions. Not found in manual. Transfers power from the engine to the transmission. Consists of a lock-up clutch assembly, impeller (pump), stator (reactor), and turbine. Having the reactor in between the impeller (pump) and turbine makes it a torque converter. The impeller (pump), strator (reactor), and turbine all have fan blades, which have transmission fluid running through them spinning with Centrifugal force. The impeller (pump) moving in circles flows the transmission fluid through the strator (reactor) to the turbine to make it spin too. Without the strator (reactor), the impeller (pump) and turbine will not spin at optimal levels, but rather slow. The impeller (pump) helps the turbine spin as the transmission fluid flows. The stator (reactor) helps the transmission fluid flow from the turbine back to the imepller (pump) efficiently. The stator helps increase torque big time by making the transmission fluid shoot at an angle speeding the flow speed up, just like putting one's thumb over water flowing from a hose. This is viscous force. The stator has a one-way clutch, making the the torque converter only spin when the car is moving. To help the turbine spin faster, modern Torque Converters connect to a Lock-up Clutch, which is a shell-like component. The Lock-up Clutch sits over the turbine and connects to the impeller (pump). This allows for the turbine and pump to spin at the same speeds. The Lock-Up Clutch only kicks in after every gear has occurred, and is equivalent to driving at 5-speed in a manual vehicle. The torque converter connects between the motor and the transmission. The impeller (pump) sits near to the motor and the turbine splines to the front of the transmission onto the input shaft, which transfers power from the motor to the transmission. Rotation from the engine transfers to the transmission via the turbine sitting on a central shaft. A man made an amazing new design of the torque converter.

[@earthbornalien2888]

Thank you so much I'm studying for my drivetrain A.S.E. and this video helped put a visual breakdown of torque converters in perfect perspective thanks 1,000,000!!!!

[@TimmyJoePCTech]

Fkn hilarious you bunch of fkn weirdos. I can't even afford 1 fan :(

[@40rollsonly]

Timmy Joe PC Tech sick no one asked or cares

[@syukrir.robert8994]

Wait, what?

[@YaBoiJessy]

Then gtfo problem solved 👌🏼💯😤 Jk m8 welcome to the no fan club...😭

[@noahhacom5496]

COMPUTER PARTSSS AHH YEAH

[@wolfgang7689]

nice to see you here timmy! had a feeling this channel has your kind of vibe..

[@LKRG]

Do Carburetors next

[@YeetxBoi]

LKRG that would be awesome

[@Brenda-ux3mo]

LKRG done and done

[@LKRG]

Brenda I know

[@alexjohn5251]

I love these videos so much. I would never understand torque converters without this. Great use of visual aids and entertaining. Thanks guys 🙏🏻

[@kendalljohnston9712]

Just wanna let you know your show gets better and better every week! Keep it up! This is the best one yet.

[@johnmoore1495]

2 fans, weird flex but ok

[@sodapopshoppe]

Honestly, the live demo was the icing on the cake

[@bkmeisenburg6787]

This is the best video on how torque converters work. Hands down the best! Thank you guys!

[@mkkhalid23]

thats some hell of effort behind this ep. great work

[@82christos]

That was very educational and entertaining at the same time. Thank you!

[@allamasadi7970]

82christos 'Edutainment' is probably the most difficult genre to do on KZbin.

[@christianhall2544]

"I'll give you ZERO GUESSES" Hahaha I lost it! Great explanations for how these expertly crafted pieces of machinery operate. Can't wait for the next one.

[@TH3DUDE0075]

Dude that was the best torque converter explanation I have ever scene - the fans were a perfect analogy.

[@aleccross3535]

Just as he used his hand to stop the fan blades, I got an ad of someone chopping veggies.

[@deft_illust3019]

RAM CHARGERS

[@boi1146]

I still dont get it

[@soggybrick772]

Its a way for people to beg for likes on this channel

[@angelite143]

Trevor Philips and it works, everytime

[@joaopedrosambatti2474]

🙌YAY🙌

[@muhammadkevinsaputra9212]

boi watch the dodge demon up to speed to understand this "ramchargers" comment.

[@ragemccloud]

7:28 To Zanarkand eh? You thought you were sneaky

[@gelsonbio]

Saddest song ever

[@TheHarlemtwin]

Alright, I think this is officially one of my favorite videos on the internet. Great explanation and funny. Subscribed 👍

[@tombombadil811]

And you now have one more fan! Thank you guys for the good explanation

[@higherworld9743]

This the best way I overstood this system. I was breaking my head

[@paulbornuat5655]

In every episode of How They Work, you manage in a few minutes to be more informative, clear and intuitive than most teachers can in hours. Somehow, not only are your videos always packed with so much content, but most importantly you pass along that content really effectively. You're really "efficient", and that's very impressive! And that trick with the fans was outstanding, and yet so simple; it really made me understand the fluid coupling thing, especially how the impeller can rotate even when the turbine is braked. Thanks a lot.

[@juuso8532]

That fan analogy made me instantly understand what you were talking about

[@curtisjackson7742]

I love these episodes! I always learn!!

[@LostReplay]

So basically my car moves because of liquid... Life is a lie

[@SRK8481_2]

@Colin Rist And My Dodge 😊 ( Not only Koenigsegg have torque converter) !

[@SRK8481_2]

Lost-replay Better you delete your comment! Because you doing nothing more they showing the world how " intellectual" you are ! Hahaha

[@axio1208]

And that liquid is gasoline

[@chuk2795]

Several fluids are required for your car to move

[@30MrBappMan]

Your car Be wit the THIRST

[@theColeHardTruth]

Love that audience gasp when Bart stops the fan 😂

[@billbrowning50]

This was great... great explanation and illustration.

[@keeganmartin1886]

I am by no way a licenced mechanic but I have gained a fair amount of automotive knowledge in the past two years I've been into cars. Never even realized why autos behave like a poorly shifted gear sometimes until today. This video has been mind blowing.

[@rhawk2424]

Sadly, I can not afford any fans. Even owning fans is a flex now-a-days.

[@squidward3418]

🧐

[@savagesock3598]

Maybe you should try..... Only fans.... Ahaaa....

[@The777tom]

Loved the 2 seconds of final “fan”tasy zanarkand theme:)

[@KrisBendix]

Thanks for the video! Big fan!

[@dopplerfox]

Really well explained, great stuff!

[@NootNoot.]

Was really hoping you would cut the fans in half 😂. Like the good ol' times

[@minoassal]

NootNoot! Bart would be perfect at FlexTape

[@surajsuresh8945]

I wish I could afford two fans :(

[@nappa0582]

Suraj Suresh sad React o-...oh wait. This ain't Facebook.

[@rahulsudhir666]

He lost me at Koenigsegg 🤯

[@DesertWolfFIN]

Can i be your fan?

[@faustin289]

That explanation was fun-tastic!

[@jessesteinbar]

This video is FANtastic!!!

[@ratcoon917]

When he stopped the fan I got an ad and it was lil Jon saying “WHAAAT”

[@britawaterfiltergamingchan4571]

This reminds me of Bill nye except actually useful... And not cringy...and with good visuals... And you feel involved... And it's entertaining. Actually, this is nothing like Bill nye

[@casey360360]

FirstName LastName rofl

[@Gettenhart]

and didnt sell out either

[@harrisonwilbanks2380]

Yes! Glad im not the only one who noticed.

[@george1764]

This is way more cringey

[@huh2634]

Unprovoked attack on bill nye, rip

[@bhavookkhanna478]

Amazing...just wow what a great explanation and the way you demonstrated it...wow.

[@joebutler9755]

Thanks for this you legends, helping me out with my Automotive Engineering assignment.

[@soggybrick772]

*NOLAN CHEWING*

[@Savage-wp1wo]

Trevor Philips damn Trevor u love this guy no?

[@soggybrick772]

21 Savage yes but no

[@eddymison3527]

"It's named after the first vampire, Vlad the Impeller" [Citation needed]

[@gabrielrgt]

Loved the video...you guys just got another subscriber, keep it up!!!

[@sykachu]

Thank you for helping me with my uni assignment! Your channel is Love

[@TheStrategist314]

You should do some of those "As Seen On TV" items and explain how they DON'T work.

[@anniesnyder8275]

Pllleeeeeaaase do a science garage on CVTs!! I love this series :)

[@formbi]

there are some nice vids on the WeberAuto channel

[@JohnJones1987]

I liked everything about this video. The depth. The humour. The editing. The everything.

[@ebonbaum8632]

Actually really helpful video I was just researching this and my favorite car guys did it already! Sweet!

[@RefinedDegenerate]

I only watch Donut Media for the snippets of videos in between, otherwise I don't know what they're talkin bout

[@TundraShiz]

please make a Science Garage video on SINGLE EXHAUST vs DUAL EXHAUST

[@CatsForLife21]

Thanks for the explanation

[@george1764]

Is it me or does this guy have an incredible talent of explaining stuff in such a way where everything gets confusing and doesn’t make sense

[@JasonLambek]

I've just ”found” 🍩. I'm hooked. Not surprisingly, I’ll b binging 🍩 🍩.

[@wahpanda1520]

FINALLY. now how a cvt works

[@cz_flexus]

wah panda oh god...

[@user-hf2iu3zn7l]

I absolutely loved it the way you demonstrated the whole concept with those two fans. Mind Blowing thanks a million:)))

[@sanjusanthosh4084]

Amazing demonstration

[@spyrosm.2871]

And so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on and so on

[@_baller]

So uh.... automatics are driven by fluid? Lol

[@mibars]

Yes, yes they are. As long as the lockup clutch remains unlocked all the power is being sent by fluid

[@SethiozProject]

haah, that's something I did not know actually and i'm a smart person :) I always thought automatic clutch is same princible as manual, that it actually has 2 disks and it just slowly releases it and that brake pedal just acts like clutch and pushes clutch apart.

[@MajloT]

Let me guess, yet another american, am i right? lol

[@nevoyu]

Hence the term "slush boxes"

[@scat3926]

@@MajloT asshole

[@TheTech660]

Well explained and entertaining, compared to watching the animation videos about how torque converters work. Thanks for this!

[@kevinchang0527]

You guys are awesome and really deserves a lot more subs.

[@loves.427]

Him: “What going on MYV welcome to my two fans.” 😎😎 Cameraman: “that doesn’t even make sense” Him: “it doesn’t have to when you got two fans”😎😎

[@feke5987]

Aww! I want Bart to scream like before

[@venkatzeeve]

Mind blowing demonstration

[@mark-qi6di]

Torque converters well explained! Thank you

[@DM-vc3xc]

What about a flux capacitor

[@toastcat1883]

sweetanaljuices Yes we all need to know how that works, and they know exactly how it works

[@mohitjamwal7697]

thats confidential....

[@klutzyblubber9877]

I'm still wondering how to start an engine, also on analog gauges

[@LMontiel]

Variable combustión nissan engine cience garage PLEASEE

[@vaibhavprabhu04]

Excellent explanation... Thanks much

[@aryansoni4760]

blew my mind you guys are so good

[@mibars]

This is not technically correct in some places: 1:50 You've switched location of torque converter and a motor/generator - Motor-generator is coupled with engine. Torque converter allows engine to spin faster than wheels powering generator that can give extra power to motors mounted by the wheels. 2:44 Flex-plate. There is no need for extra flywheel when you have heavy torque converter bolted to it. 6:40 No! Turbine does not spin faster than impeller! Torque multiplication is happening when the impeller is spinning faster than the turbine. Actually it works best when the turbine is stopped (stalled). What is happening is impeller shoots fluid in one direction and turbine captures that fluid power by redirecting it in the opposite direction. Then the fluid leaving turbine travelling in that opposite direction hits the impeller which must redirect it again. They basically work against each other so the impeller is dragged by a turbine trying to slow it down and turbine is spun by the impeller throwing all that fast fluid to it. That is how the fluid coupling works. In a Torque Converter there is this stator that acts like a fixed ramp that captures fluid exiting turbine, bounces it back into correct direction and that redirected fluid is fed to the impeller that now has less work to do as the fluid is already going in a correct direction. Less work to do means that it can shoot that fluid with more force adding torque! This added torque from fluid being redirected wants to spin the stator backwards, but it is fixed (on a one way clutch) so it doesn't spin. But there is a catch: When the vehicle starts moving a turbine will start to spin. The fluid shooting out in the opposite direction is now shooting out of the moving turbine and it will be not going in the opposite direction that fast, thus it will rebound out of stator less. So the torque multiplication will be lower. Eventually it will spin so fast that the fluid will be going in same direction and a stator will become an obstacle. This is why they are mounted on a one way clutch, so that they will spin together with the fluid when the speed is high enough. 6:50 This has nothing to do with a viscous force. This has to do with a mass and speed of that fluid. 7:50 Lockup clutch is controlled externally by supplying pressuised oil to push on that clutch and is not affected by speed or torque transmitted by torque converter. You can even force it to remain locked all the time and stall the car because of that. 8:55 No, at this point torque converter did most of its job. The faster you go the less torque multiplication you get. (okay with that super long gearing and that "loose" converter you will still have some torque multiplication at this point, but less than on dead stop) The slip is what is really needed: It allows engine to speed up, build boost (more torque!) and spin the generator faster (more generated electricity that can be sent to the motors on wheel shafts) 9:03 thanks to the STATOR, not TURBINE! Without stator there would be zero torque multiplication, just the slip.

[@matthewyoung917]

You forgot he used the incorrect phrase centrifugal force. There is no such force

[@Ghosteriz]

@@matthewyoung917 you nuts?

[@rash3382]

@@Ghosteriz he's actually not. Centrifugal force is used to describe two separate forces with normal and tangential directions

[@leobrown9011]

Great video and for those who don't know how a torque converter works it covers enough detail for people to have confidence in their knowledge . My only gripe is maybe you shouldn't mix the perspectives up when showing the diagrams . For clarity I understand why you've done it but maybe you should show an exploded diagram from the side afterwards to show how it would look in real life - Just some constructive criticism from someone who appreciates greatly the time put into these videos to teach others and get them into the mechanics of vehicles

[@user-jb2pj3yd6o]

I learned alot this episode thanks, always wondered why the koniag was so spedial

[@raulcattelan4506]

Great explanation