Monte wrote:

i just had a very expensive (700 dollars) repair done which was the result of loose axle nuts on the rear. wrecked axle stubs, wheel hubs, drums and bearings - started off as a scraping noise - those axle nuts need to be torqued to 350 ft lbs (i know now)

Take that seriously Dave, I had an identical scraping problem recently, dust and all. The list folks pointed me towards the wheel bearing and I just got it in time. I didn't have time to fix it myself and my torque wrench tops out at 120lbft, so I passed it to an experienced mechanic I've known for a few years.

Yep.

Right,

Guess he was having an off day. Ten days later I heard the characteristc wuh-wuh-wuh of a worn bearing. Turned out that he hadn't torqued it properly; fortunately I got to it before it was too late. 350lbft (or 500Nm if you prefer) is a heck of a lot of torque; it's also the minimum. The Bentley says to tighten to 350 and then carry on to the next slot on the castle nut. I would read that as "tighten like hell and then a bit more". My bearing is quiet now, but it will need to be changed again. I could have bought a suitable torque wrench for not a lot more than the extra it has cost me.

Get that bearing changed Dave. I've seen the consequences of stub axle failure (not on a Vanagon - yet) and it's not pretty, unless you're into schadenfreude. Now there's a name for a Vangon!

Happy Friday,

Niall