Front axle hub assembly with steering knuckle
| Pos. | Spare part number | Name |
| 1 | - | Drive axle housing |
| 2 | - | Ventilation duct |
| 3 | - | Half shaft |
| 4 | - | Wheel studs and hub |
| 5 | - | Wheel axle |
| 6 | - | Wheel bearings |
| 7 | - | Inner and outer hub seals |
| 8 | - | Axle shaft seal |
| 9 | - | Hub Nut Lock Washer, Thrust Washer and Nuts |
| 10 | - | Brake disc |
| 11 | - | Drive flange |
| 12 | - | Adjusting washer and snap ring |
| 13 | - | Dust cover |
| 14 | - | Constant velocity joint/shaft |
| 15 | - | Thrust ring for constant velocity joint |
| 16 | - | Tapered roller bearing |
| 17 | - | Remote element |
| 18 | - | Retaining ring |
| 19 | - | Conical bearings of upper and lower kingpins |
| 20 | - | Upper and lower kingpins |
| 21 | - | Spherical body, seal and retainer |
| 22 | - | Steering knuckle |
| 23 | - | Constant velocity joint shaft seal |
The front differential is located on the left side of the chassis.
Operating principle
The welded steel front axle housing contains the differential (with bevel gears with spiral curved teeth), which is mounted offset to the right of the vehicle's centerline. The differential drives the front wheels via axle shafts and constant velocity joints that are completely enclosed in spherical housings and steering knuckles.
The front wheels are swivelled on tapered roller bearings located at the top and bottom of the steering knuckle. The wheel hubs on all axles are supported by two tapered bearings and are driven by drive flanges which are splined onto a single-section short shaft assembled with a constant velocity joint.
Lubrication
The differential, knuckles and wheel hubs are lubricated separately and are separated by oil seals (7) and (8), see J6267A, to prevent oil from leaking across the axle when the vehicle is going up steep grades. The wheel bearings are grease lubricated and the knuckle and differential are oil lubricated. On later vehicles, identified only by the presence of a filler plug in the knuckle, grease is used to lubricate the knuckle.
Ventilation
The differential is ventilated via a plastic tube (2) that terminates at a high level in the vehicle axle. The steering knuckles are ventilated via the oil seals of the axle shafts (8) into the differential, and the hub bearings are ventilated via the oil seals into the steering knuckle.
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