Crankshaft (VW Golf 3)

The crankshaft's job is to convert the reciprocating motion of the pistons in the cylinders into rotational motion. The connecting rods leading to the cylinders act offset from the axis of rotation, like a crank handle on the crankshaft. The individual cranks are positioned 180° relative to each other so as to be mutually balanced. Eight counterweights are located on opposite sides of the cranks to ensure vibration-free operation.

In order to achieve strength of the crankshaft, it is fixed in five places to the cylinder block. Each crank, on which the connecting rod is fixed, rests on the right and left on the main bearing.

On the left side of the crankshaft (in the direction of movement) in cars with a mechanical gear plug, there is a flywheel on which the clutch is fixed, providing communication with the gearbox. On an automatic gearbox, instead of a flywheel, a thin transfer washer is fixed on the crankshaft through a flange for mounting the torque converter.

At the opposite end of the crankshaft is a toothed wheel for the toothed belt and pulley drive, combined with a shock absorber on a turbodiesel engine. This shock absorber counteracts the propagation of residual vibrations, which in this case can no longer occur.