Patent ID: 7036391

Claim:
A differential unit of a motor vehicle for transmitting a driving force to a pair of driving wheels while absorbing a rotational difference there between, comprising: a case; a differential mechanism accommodated in the case; a drive pinion shaft for transmitting the driving force to the differential mechanism, said drive pinion shaft rotatably supported in the case with at least two bearings; and a tubular spacer having an inner diameter larger than an outer diameter of the drive pinion shaft, said spacer interposed between the bearings such that the spacer covers the drive pinion shaft; and said tubular spacer has at least one protruding section on an inner surface thereof to protrude in a radial direction toward the drive pinion shaft, said protruding section being formed to extend along an inner peripheral direction of the tubular spacer and to have a cross sectional shape which is convex along a central axis of the tubular spacer so that an innermost surface of the protruding section facing the shaft is arched; and wherein said protruding section extends along an entire inner peripheral direction of the tubular spacer; and wherein said tubular spacer has a greater cross section thickness at said protruding section.