Axle Shafts - Front: Description

Half-shafts transfer engine power from transaxle and differential to front wheels. At transaxle end, half-shafts are splined to differential side gears. Disengagement of left shaft from differential side gear is prevented by a circlip. The right shaft is secured by a half-shaft support bearing.

Wheel end of the half-shafts are splined to the wheel hubs, which are supported on one-piece wheel bearings. Axle shaft is attached to wheel hub with a cotter pin, castellated nut, insulator, steering knuckle/wheel hub assembly nut and a flat washer.

Backlash between hub and half-shaft is eliminated by the splines. The wheel hub splines are machined straight while the half-shaft splines are machined with a slight helical cut. The difference in splines provides a backlash free coupling without removal and installation problems associated with an interference fit.

Constant velocity (CV) joints are installed at both ends of the half-shafts and on joint shaft. Outboard CV joints are Rzeppa CV joints. Inboard side is equipped with double offset CV joints. The half-shaft support bearing assembly is installed in the middle of the right side half-shaft to reduce vibration. A joint shaft is used at right side to reduce torque steer.

CV joints are necessary since half-shafts are required to transmit engine power while compensating for front suspension movement. As the suspension moves, CV joints allow half-shaft to change length and operate smoothly through varying angles. See Fig 1-Fig 3 .