Bell housing

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Bellhousing (aka bell-housing or bell) is a colloquial term for the component that aligns and connects the transmission of a vehicle to its engine, and which covers and protects the flywheel/clutch or flexplate/torque converter.[1] It derives its name from the bell-like shape that those internal components necessitate. The starter motor may mount to it, and it may support clutch and/or shifter linkage.[2] A Bellhousing may be a separate housing bolted to the gearbox, or it may be an integral portion of the transmission housing, particularly with front wheel drive transmissions. An integral bell has a front bolt pattern that matches the engine to which it will be paired, and a divorced bell additionally has a rear bolt pattern that matches the gearbox to which it will be paired. The use of different bellhousings on a transmission allows the same transmission to be used on multiple engines in multiple applications.

File:225 231 jeep buick bellhousing.JPG
A bare Buick, Olds, Pontiac pattern bellhousing viewed from the engine end

References

  1. Driver. Department of the Air Force, Hq. Air Force Inspection and Safety Center. November 1971. p. 20. Retrieved 19 February 2024.
  2. Automotive, C. D. X. (2013). Fundamentals of Automotive Technology: Principles and Practice. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. p. 290. ISBN 978-1-4496-2411-8. Retrieved 20 February 2024.

See also