Axle Shaft Assembly: Description and Operation

Fig. 5 Cutaway View Of Drive Axle Assemblies.:

DESCRIPTION
Front wheel drive systems, Fig. 5, consist of left and right drive axles. The drive axles have three major components; inboard constant velocity (CV) joint, axle shaft and outboard constant velocity (CV) joint.

OPERATION
The inboard CV joint is connected to the transaxle and may use a tripot joint or a ball type joint. Either type joint allows the drive axle to move with the suspension. The outboard CV joint uses a ball type constant velocity joint. The ball type joint allows the drive axle to move with steering and suspension movements.