002 differential—The type of differential used in Three- and Five-rib Bus transmissions.

091 differential—Considered heavier and stronger than a 002, this differential is used in late style Type II transmissions from 1976.

Anti Shocker—Device used to slow the travel of the clutch arm/pressure plate and to take the shock off of a transmission in drag racetype starts.

Ball Bearings—Round bearings used in various places in VW transmissions.

Cone Washer—Concave washer used on mainshaft on early Type I transmissions and Three-rib Type II transmissions.

Coupler—Gear that couples the input shaft and mainshaft together in all VW transmissions. Also has external teeth to drive the reverse idler shaft.

CV bells—Output final drive flanges for constant velocity joints

CV joint—Constant velocity joint

Detent balls—Used to hold shift rails in position

End Gears—Sometimes called axle gears, these are the outer gears in the differential.

Five-Rib Transmission—Type II transmission made from 1974-’75

Flanges—See CV bells

Four-Bolt Housing—Early type of transmission case used in Type I transmissions.

Gear Carrier Housing—Sometimes called intermediate housing.

This is the next section of a VW transmission behind the nose cone.

Gear Ratios—Driven gear divided by drive gear. Example—First gear is 10 tooth drive and 38 driven. Divide 38 by 10 to equal 3.80

Gear Selector— The main shift fork some times called a “hockey stick.”

Guide Tube—Tube for the throw-out bearing to ride on. Used in various VW transmissions

Hydraulic Slave Cylinders—Clutch actuating cylinder used with a clutch master cylinder to release the clutch and pressure plate

Input Shaft— Splined shaft that the center of the clutch disc rides on and is the first input shaft of a VW transmission

Input Shaft Coupler Gear—See Coupler Gear

Intermediate Housing—See Gear Carrier Housing

IRS—Independent Rear Suspension—The type of suspension and transmission VW used from 1970 up. Before that VW used a Swingaxle suspension and transmission.

Mainshaft—Top shaft in a VW transmission. Contains half of the 1st-4th gearset.

Needle Bearings—Long small bearings used in various places in VW transmissions.

Nosecone—The front or first section of a VW transmission which contains the main shift fork, sometimes called a “hockey stick”

Operating Sleeves—Round rings with teeth on the inside and are what is shifted when you go into any forward gears.

One-Ringed Side Cover—A IRS transmission with one ring cast into the outside of the differential cover.

One-Sided Case—AIRS transmission case that only has one unboltable side cover. The early ones had two.

Output Flanges—See CV bells

Output Splines—The splines that the CV bells go onto.

Pinion—One half of a gearset. The “ring” gear is the other half. This is the final drive of a VW transmission.

Pinion Depth—Distance of the pinion into the ring gear in the final drive section.

Pinion Shaft—Bottom shaft in a VW transmission. Contains the other half of the gearset, plus the pinion gear for the final drive.

Pressure Plate—Mechanism that applies force to the clutch disc and flywheel to turn the input shaft of a transmission

Reduction Gearbox—Old-style Bus transmission that further reduced the final drive by having another set of gears next to the wheels. These outer sets of gears were in housings and called “gear reduction” boxes.

Reverse Gear Holder Setup—The fork that supports the reverse idler gear.

Rhino Case—Aftermarket braced Type I VW transmission case.

Ring and Pinion—Final drive set of gears used to lower the overall ratio of a transmission.

Six-Rib Transmission—Later style VW Type II transmission from 1976

Snap Rings—Used to keep bearings and gears from coming off of shafts

Spider Gears—The small set of gears in differ ential. They look somewhat like a spider, hence the name.

Swingaxle—Early type of suspension and transaxle VW used. Until about 1969

Three-Rib Transmission—Early style of Type II Bus transmission used from about 1968-’73

Throwout Bearing—Bearing that pushes in the pressure plate.

Transaxle—Term used for transmission and rear axle as one unit.

Two-Ringed Side Cover—IRS transmission side cover that has two rings cast into it.

Two-Sided Case—VW transmission Type I case that has two unboltable side covers. (all swingaxles and IRS up to 1973).