Patent ID: 6964320

Claim:
A final drive unit for a motor vehicle axle assembly, said final drive unit comprising: a carrier housing integrally formed with a final drive housing and defining a main chamber provided to store an amount of lubricating oil therein; a pinion drive shaft rotatably supported within said final drive housing by a pair of axially spaced outside and inside bearings; an oil supply passage formed integrally with said final drive housing for lubricating said outside and inside bearings, said oil supply passage having a supply opening in communication with said main chamber of said carrier housing; and a baffle member mounted within said carrier housing adjacent to said supply opening of said oil supply passage, said baffle member including a baffle wall provided to cover a lower portion of said oil supply passage for maintaining a portion of said amount of said lubrication oil within said oil supply passage so as to permit said lubricating oil to continuously and adequately lubricate said outside and inside bearings even when said motor vehicle is tilted to a maximum angle of inclination with respect to a horizon, said maximum angle being a critical angle for stability of said motor vehicle on a slope.