Pic. 8.1. General view of the drive shaft assembly
1. Retaining ring; 2. External CV joint; 3. Large collar of the protective cover; 4. Rubber protective cover; 5. Small collar of the protective cover; 6. Shaft; 7. Rubber protective cover; 8. The body of the inner CV joint; 9. Assembling the internal CV joint tripoid; 10. Retaining ring; 11. Retaining ring.
The drive from the side gears of the differential to the front wheels is transmitted by two steel drive shafts of unequal length. On some models, right (longer) the drive shaft is equipped with a dynamic vibration damper designed to reduce its vibration and prevent resonance.
The outer ends of both drive shafts are splined on which the wheel hubs sit, and are also threaded so that each hub can be secured with a large nut. The inner end of each drive shaft is also splined (for connection with differential side gear) and has a groove for a retaining ring that secures the drive shaft to the side gear.
Two CV joints are installed on each drive shaft, designed to ensure smooth and efficient transmission of the drive at all possible angles when the car is moving (moving wheels up and down with suspension and side to side with steering). External CV joints are ball joints, Birfield-Rzeppa brands, and internal ones are of a tripoid type, allowing you to slightly change the effective length of the drive shaft at the extreme positions of the suspension components.
Note: If necessary, only the CV joint assemblies, rubber protective covers and their clamps, the drive shafts themselves and various retaining rings can be replaced. If any of the CV joints is worn or damaged beyond repair, it must be replaced as an assembly. Be sure to replace all associated circlips after removing a component. In addition, it is not recommended to reuse the clamps of protective covers.