Description & Operation

WARNING: This page does not describe the selected car, but rather 8 other vehicles, including the 2003 Oldsmobile Bravada, 2003 GMC Envoy XL, 2003 GMC Envoy, 2003 Chevrolet TrailBlazer, and 2002 Oldsmobile Bravada. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.

Front axle shafts are flexible assemblies which consist of the following components:

Front axle shaft constant velocity joint (outer joint).
Front axle shaft tripot joint (inner joint).
The front axle shaft connects the front axle shaft tripot joint and the front axle shaft constant velocity joint.
The front axle shaft tripot joint is completely flexible, and moves with an in and out motion.
The front axle shaft constant velocity joint is flexible but can not move in and out.

The axle shaft is a balanced shaft that transmits rotational force from the front differential to the front wheels when the transfer case is engaged. The axle shaft is mounted to the front differential by bolting the flange of the axle shaft to the flange on the inner output shaft of the front differential. The other end of the axle shaft is splined to fit into and drive the hub assembly when the transfer case is engaged. The tripot joint and constant velocity joint on the axle shaft allows the shaft to be flexible to move with the suspension travel of the vehicle.