Main gear

Engine power distributor to drive wheels: final drive

1 - Differential case, 2 - bevel gear, 3 - Gearbox output shaft, 4 and 7 - Satellite cone wheels, 5 - Remote bushing,	6 - Planetary wheel, 8 - Satellite axis, 9 - Remote and safety ring.

Differences in detail: Mondeo drive shafts

A - Duratec-VE (V6) with MTX-75 gearbox, B - DuraTorg-DI with MTX-75 gearbox,	C - Duratec-HE with CD4E gearbox, D - Duratec-HE with MTX-75 gearbox.

Overview: Duratec-VE Drive Shaft

1 - Drive shaft with external constant velocity joint, 2 - Cuff clamping tape, 3 — Cuff of the hinge, 4 - Clamping tape of the cuff, 5 - Tripod star safety ring,	6 - Internal constant velocity joint, 7 — Internal box of the hinge of equal angular speeds, 8 - Protective ring of the axial shaft, 9 - Intermediate shaft with middle bearing, 10 - Protective ring of the intermediate shaft.

The gearbox and main gear, together with the differential, are located in the housing. The power from the engine to the gearbox is transmitted through the small and large gear (final drive gear) to main gear. The final drive gear is connected to the differential housing. The drive shafts ultimately provide a force-locking connection between the final drive and the wheel hub.

Main gear and drive shafts

Main gear: is located together with the differential and a manual or automatic transmission in one housing. The differential box contains four bevel gears that mesh with each other, two of which are connected to the drive shafts.

Direct movement: the front wheels rotate synchronously with the main gear. The differential rotates at the same speed, bevel gears in the differential box «standing still».



Turning movement: the outer wheel of the turn travels more rearwards than the inner wheel (speed difference). If this difference is not compensated, then the Mondeo would turn strongly and overcome the curve with the inner front wheel spinning. The bevel gears prevent this effect, in the differential case they take care of the necessary alignment: the bevel gear of the outer drive shaft, which rotates faster, exerts a braking effect via two intermediate bevel gears on the bevel gear of the drive shaft, which is aligned with the inner region of the turning curve. The necessary speed difference is neutralized by the travel difference between the two front wheels.

Power transmission to all wheels (from differential): depending on the combination «engine - gearbox» Ford installs three different drive shafts on the left side of the Mondeo and two different drive shafts on the right side. They differ in their diameters and flanges for connecting to the gearbox. The outer joints cannot be replaced individually, they must be replaced in one set with a replacement drive shaft. Depending on the combination «engine-gearbox» four different intermediate shafts with their own dimensions are used in the same way.

Constant-velocity joint: such hinges provide a comfortable transmission of torque to the drive wheels. Since they, other than the cardan joint, have fewer wear parts, they are characterized by a long lifespan. On the gearbox side, the Mondeo drive shafts are articulated «tripod» (with tripod star, rollers and tripod bell), hinges of equal angular velocities are mounted on the side of the wheels (with ball star, ball bearing cage and spherical shell). The constant velocity joints hardly transmit the actions of the drives to the steering wheel.

Drive shaft butts: rotate from the side of the wheels in two ball bearings of the swivel bearing of the steering mechanism. In contrast to the spline on the wheel hub side, the spline on the gearbox side has a slight torsion which reduces the clicking noise when starting off.

PRACTICAL ADVICE

When the drive shaft makes noise The service life of the drive shafts, of course, also depends on the way you drive: avoid sprint starts - especially with deformed rims. Noises that signal the presence of a defect, according to practice, appear randomly. However, do not be fooled - even if such noises have disappeared again for a long time - nevertheless, carefully inspect the drive shafts. And these are the symptoms: rhythmic percussive or clattering sounds that occur during acceleration or over idle (can change when turning the steering wheel), pluck «mask» from a defective hinge on the side of the wheels. If, when cornering, your steering wheel «hits you hard», then it certainly comes from defective external hinges of the drive shafts. When starting off with broken rims, the appearance of crackling also indicates defective drive shafts. Remember: a worn wheel bearing often has the same symptom.