The front axle assembly consists of a front differential, a housing tube, an inner shaft and driveshafts. For better serviceability of the differential, the spacer for backlash adjustment of the final drive gear is placed between the side bearing outer race and the gear carrier.
The double offset joint which can slide in the axial direction, is used at the differential carrier side; the Birfield joint, with a large operation angle, is used at the axial hub side.
To reduce vibration, noise, and fuel consumption when 2WD is applied, manual or automatic free-wheeling hubs are equipped. With the automatic system, one can switch between "LOCK'' and "FREE'' without having to leave one's seat.
| Fig. 1: The front axle system components of the 1988
Pick-ups and Monteros — other models are similar
|
