A differential device is provided with: a casing rotatable about an axis; a differential gear set including a pair of side gears housed in the casing and rotatable about the axis, a pinion shaft penetrating perpendicular to the axis and being secured to the casing; and pinion gears rotatably supported by the pinion shaft and so meshed with the side gears as to enable differential motion between the side gears; friction clutches interposed between the side gears and an inner periphery of the casing to limit the differential motion; a pair of repulsive bodies respectively applying force in directions along the axis to the friction clutches; and a block in contact with and supporting in the directions along the axis both the repulsive bodies, the block so fitting on the pinion shaft as to impose reaction forces from the friction clutches on the pinion shaft.

A differential with a washer for a gear in a differential housing includes an outer edge at a maximum radial distance from an axis, and an inner edge defining an opening, the inner edge defined in part by an innermost portion at a minimum radial distance from the axis and the inner edge having an outward portion spaced radially outwardly from the innermost portion. The washer also includes an axially and radially inclined sidewall extending at least part of the way between the outer edge and the innermost portion.

A differential apparatus includes a differential gear mechanism in which side gears mesh with pinion gears, a pinion shaft that rotatably supports the pinion gear, a slide member that supports the ends of the pinion shaft, and pinion gear washers each disposed between the slide member and a corresponding one of the pinion gears. Movement of each pinion gear washer toward the slide member in the axial direction of the pinion shaft is restricted. When a force of the pinion gear pressing the pinion gear washer toward the slide member is less than a predetermined value, a clearance is formed between the slide member and the pinion gear washer. When the force of the pinion gear pressing the pinion gear washer toward the slide member is greater than the predetermined value, the outer surface of the pinion gear washer abuts the inner surface of the slide member.

A nesting structure supports a differential case. The nesting structure includes a first support structure that supports the differential case. The nesting structure includes a second support structure spaced apart from the first support structure to define a support opening. The support opening receives a first shim and establishes a first orientation between the first shim and the differential case in which the first shim is non-parallel with respect to a first bearing surface of the differential case.

A driveline component with a differential having a differential gearset mounted in a differential case. The differential gearset has first and second side gears and one or more pinion gears that are meshed with the first and second side gears. The differential gearset is configured to limit inboard thrusting of the first and second side gears so that backlash will be always be present between the pinion gears and each of first and second side gears.

A differential gear device including: a differential casing; and a pair of side gears which are disposed within the differential casing such that the side gears are rotatable about the above-indicated axis and are axially opposed to each other, and such that a rotary motion of the differential casing about the above-indicated axis is transmitted to the side gears through at least one pinion gear, the differential casing having a pair of bearing portions which extend from its respective inner surfaces toward back surfaces of the respective side gears, which are coaxial with said axis and which have respective annular seating surfaces which receive axial loads from the side gears, and wherein each of the pair of bearing portions has a protrusion extending from an outer circumference of corresponding one of the annular seating surfaces in a radially outward direction of the annular seating surface.

A washer includes at least one differential gear back face part covering a back face of one differential gear, an output gear back face part covering a back face of one output gear, and at least one linking part connecting between the output gear back face part and the differential gear back face part, an abutment part being formed on an inner face of the differential gear back face part, the abutment part abutting against the back face of the differential gear via a flat face.

In a differential gear device including: a differential casing rotatable about an axis and having a pair of through-holes; a pinion shaft accommodated within the differential casing and extending through the through-holes; a pair of pinion gears fitted on an outer circumferential surface of the pinion shaft such that the pinion gears are rotatable relative to the pinion shaft; a pair of side gears meshing with the pinion gears; and a pair of pinion washers interposed between the differential casing and the respective pinion gears, each of the pinion washers has a retainer structure partially inserted through a gap formed between an inner circumferential surface of a corresponding one of the through-holes and the outer circumferential surface of the pinion shaft. The retainer structure is held in contact with a corresponding axial end face of the pinion shaft, to prevent axial movements of the pinion shaft.

In at least one implementation, a method of assembling gears into a housing of an automotive differential includes, selecting a thickness dimension of first and second pinion gear washers, and first and second side gear washers, locating a pair of pinion gears, a pinion shaft and a pair of side gears at least partially within an interior of the housing with the pinion gear washers between the housing and separate ones of the pinion gears, and the side gear washers between the housing and separate ones of the side gears. The thickness of the side gear washers may be a function of target side gear apex positions and relative to a pinion gear apex axis. The thickness of the pinion gear washers may be a function of target pinion gear apex positions residing along a pinion gear apex axis and relative to a side gear apex axis.

A differential assembly includes a gear member, a cover member, a plurality of differential gears, a plurality of bolts, and a pair of side gears. The gear member is configured to rotate about an axis. The cover member is coupled to the gear member and is configured to rotate together with the gear member. The differential gears are positioned within the cover member. The bolts are threadingly coupled to one of the cover member and the gear member. Each of the bolts is configured to rotatably support a corresponding differential gear thereon. The pair of side gears are meshed with the differential gears.