Drive Axles, Bearings and Joints: Description and Operation

The rear drive axle operates as follows:
- It receives power from the engine through the transmission and driveshaft.
The pinion gear rotates the differential case through engagement with the ring gear, which is bolted, to the differential case outer flange.
Inside the differential case, two differential pinion gears are mounted on the differential pinion shaft which is pinned to the differential case.
- These differential pinion gears are engaged with the axle shaft to which the axle shafts are splined.
- When it is necessary for one wheel and axle shaft to rotate faster than the other, the faster-turning differential side gear causes the differential pinion gear to roll on the slower-turning differential side gear to allow differential action between the two axle shafts.