What is a Drive Shaft?

A drive shaft (also called a propeller shaft) is essentially a long rod that is designed to transmit torque from the output shaft of the transmission to the rear differential in a rear wheel drive, four wheel drive, or all wheel drive vehicle.

A drive shaft will often have internal splines on the end that connects to the transmission and a universal joint (U-joint) on the end that connects to the differential.

In the case of a four wheel drive or all wheel drive vehicle, you may find that it actually has two separate drive shafts: one for transmitting power to the front and another to transmit power to the back.

This will depend on the manufacturer’s implementation of the four wheel drive or all wheel drive system.