Pinion Shaft
WARNING: This page does not describe the selected car, but rather 6 other vehicles, including the 2007 MINI Cooper, 2006 MINI Cooper, 2005 MINI Cooper, 2004 MINI Cooper, and 2003 MINI Cooper. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.
The pinion shaft creates a two-set helical gear reduction between the secondary pulley and the crown wheel. In this way, the rotational direction of the drive shafts will be correct. The reduction between the secondary pulley and the drive shafts can be made large enough to give good vehicle performance. The pinion shaft is supported by two conical bearings, one in the clutch housing and one in a separate bearing support. See Fig 1 .