Date: Tue, 13 Aug 2002 13:08:44 -0400
Reply-To: Doug Alcock <doug.alcock@HEWITT.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Doug Alcock <doug.alcock@HEWITT.COM>
Subject: Re: My balls are knocking!!
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
http://volksweb.relitech.com/cvjoints.htm
I can sympathise....... a few weeks ago I was touring Newfoundland (a long
way from home in Toronto). We were heading to the northern tip over a very
isolated road when I started to hear little clicking noises from the left
rear wheel......I was convinced it was the CV joint about to grind itself
into dust ----- but I was still a couple of hours from anywhere. I knew
that even where I was going the chances of finding a mechanic who had seen
a vanagon were slim --- and the nearest parts were at least two days away.
So I drove with my heart in my mouth for a couple of
hours.................got to a town and found a mechanic who couldn't find
a problem.........so we went for a drive. The noise came and went with me
driving and the mechanic listening carefully. He told me to pull
over............got out of the van and removed one of the brand new
wheelcovers I'd put on for the trip. We drove away and the noise was gone.
Cost me $25 and worth every penny for the relief I felt.
Cheers,
Doug
John Rodgers <j_rodgers@CHARTER.NET>
Sent by: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
08/13/2002 12:59 PM
Please respond to John Rodgers
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
cc:
Subject: My balls are knocking!!
Or so I thought.
Off and on over the last several months I would hear this knocking sound
coming from the right rear. I decided that it was a CV getting ready to
"Retire"! I could just visualize those balls and cages getting more and
more loose until the thing just flew apart.
Well, yesterday, when going all out climbing a long steep hill which
down here is known as a "mountain", things started to really get fun.
Going up the grade there becan this knock, knock, knocking sound. I was
running along a concrete safety rail and the sound was being refleted
back. What a racket!!! Anyway, I thought "I will never make it to the
barn before that this lets go and leaves me stranded on a narrow
shoulder, going up a mountain grade, with traffic going like a bat, and
it's dark" But I did make it.
This morning I proceded to remove the right swing axle. When removing it
I thought, "this is odd. There is no slop in the CV bearing". I got the
tranny end off. Next was the outboard CV. Loosened the the first two cap
screws, then discovered the next one was only finger tight. I backed it
out, then while contemplating how to remove the remainder, for whatever
reason I just bulled on it.It came right out.
There were only two screws that were tight and required a wrench to
loosen. A third was only finger tupNo wonder the thing was rattling.
So, I'm going to clean and lub the bearings and re-install.
Someone on the list has an excellent writeup of how to change and
service the CV's, but I can't find the URL address for it. Anyone
know?????
Thanks,
John Rodgers
88 GL Driver
