Driven steering shaft assembly

A driven steering shaft assembly especially for a planetary steering shaft comprising:

• a universal joint interposed between a first and a second shaft coupled therethrough;
• said universal joint including an outer joint member coupled with said first shaft and an inner joint member coupled with said second shaft;
• means interconnecting said inner joint member and said second shaft in rotative driving engagement while permitting assembly and disassembly therebetween by axial movement of said second shaft relative to said inner joint member;
• a resilient sealing boot mounted to seal therein said universal joint, said sealing boot having at one end thereof a neck portion mounted in sliding engagement with said second shaft and, at an opposite end, means releasably fastening said sealing boot to said outer joint member of said universal joint;
• a cylindrical sealing face on said second shaft having said neck portion of said sealing boot engaged thereabout;
• a sleeve arranged between said cylindrical sealing face and said neck portion of said sealing boot, said neck portion being structured to create an inherent resilient spring force about said sleeve for holding said sleeve in tight sliding engagement on said cylindrical sealing face;
• a shoulder formed on said second shaft on the outside of said sealing boot adjacent said neck portion, said shoulder having a radially extending end face facing toward said sealing boot in sealing engagement with at least one of said sleeve and said neck portion;
• said sealing boot having an inherent resiliency in the axial direction of said assembly enabling adjustment to its greatest axial length and permitting assembly and disassembly between said second shaft and said universal joint together with said sealing boot by axial movement relative thereto of said second shaft without detachment of said fastening means of said sealing boot;
• said resiliency in the axial direction of said sealing boot operating to maintain said sealing engagement between said end face and said at least one of said sleeve and said neck portion.