Patent ID: 7878937

Claim:
A drive pinion assembly for a vehicle driveline comprising a drive pinion and differential gearing enclosed in a differential and axle assembly housing; the drive pinion drivably engaging a ring gear of the differential gearing; axle shafts drivably connected to side gears of the differential gearing, the side gears drivably engaging planetary pinions rotatably supported by a carrier of the differential gearing and the ring gear being connected to the carrier; a drive pinion shaft journaled by front and rear bearings in the differential and axle assembly housing, the drive pinion being fixed on the drive pinion shaft; a drive pinion shaft flange connected by internal spline teeth engageable with external spline teeth on the drive pinion shaft; and front and rear pilot surfaces on the drive pinion shaft adjacent opposite sides of the external splines whereby the drive pinion shaft flange teeth and the drive pinion shaft spline teeth are aligned with minimal flange runout with respect to a central axis for the drive pinion shaft whereby radial and axial drive pinion shaft flange runout is reduced to a minimum value.