Transaxle autopsy < Previous | Back to index | Next>

Here we're looking at the back of the gearbox, with the rear cover removed. These are the ends of the shafts that support the gears inside the gearbox. When the gearbox is assembled, these nuts are torqued to specifications that provide the right amount of pressure on the gear teeth and ball bearings. The nuts are locked down with lockwashers to prevent them from loosening. But as the gear teeth gradually wear, clearances between the gears open up. So, even though the nuts themselves haven't loosened (they can't, since they're locked to the shafts) they're no longer torqued to the correct values. I'm going to try to loosen the nuts and then re-torque them.