Ford Rear Axle Shaft & Wheel Bearing Retainer Key Diagram (3B459, 3B387)

This document is a single line-art illustration from a Ford service manual showing the rear axle shaft retention components in cross-section/cutaway view. Three parts are labeled with callout arrows: the Wheel Retainer (Ford base part number 3B459), which appears as a splined/bearing-style retainer ring around the shaft; the Retaining Key (shown as a small black rectangular key seated in a keyway between the retainer and the surrounding hub/housing); and the Axle Shaft (Ford base part number 3B387). The figure carries the Ford illustration reference number E9810-A. The drawing shows how the retaining key locks the wheel retainer assembly onto the splined axle shaft within the housing bore. A reader can learn the correct relative positions of the axle shaft, the wheel (bearing) retainer, and the retaining key, useful when servicing or replacing rear axle bearings and seals, since the key must be positioned in its slot for the assembly to seat properly. The document contains no year, model, torque values, or step-by-step instructions; it is purely an identification/orientation figure that would accompany a bearing or axle shaft removal and installation procedure.