Date: Mon, 9 Feb 2009 13:02:45 -0800
Reply-To: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Scott Daniel - Turbovans <scottdaniel@TURBOVANS.COM>
Subject: Re: Quick Trip Report and Some Anomalies
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well yes...........anywhere someone just worked on the van........
that's where you look for something to not be right !!
'smooth going slightly right, but worse going left or straight
..............
points to right side wheel bearings..
ACTUALLY.........check your lug nuts !
also..........clicking.......
clicking makes one think of 'cv joints' .........
here's another thing about CV joints that are dry, don't have enough lube,
or are old.
Sometimes it can take 3 hours of steady driving for a CV joint sound to show
up, but it never will in town and on shorter trips.
time to jack up........wiggle, turn by hand, check smoothness .........etc.
etc. .....
on the right side mainly, both front and rear.
and check CV joint screws for proper tightness.
usually...........professionals............your typical sloppy ones....
if they get 'tightening' wrong........they're likely to make things 5 times
tighter than is right ..........
like lug nuts you could never get off to save your life......
or maybe CV joint screws.
Non-professionals, however, if they get 'degree of tightening'
wrong...............they don't make things tight enough
............sometimes drastically so.
time for some proper inspection and diagnossis.
Nothing will change until 'somebody' gets in there.
scott
www.turbovans.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "Matt Drew" <t3vanagon@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Monday, February 09, 2009 11:58 AM
Subject: Quick Trip Report and Some Anomalies
> Took Blackbeard and the Wife-to-be up to Brian Head, UT this weekend, and
> am
> happy to report that we all made it back in one piece!
>
> Luckily the fantastic advice that I received last week regarding the
> stripped wipers and splines came in handy!
> It was POURING down rain most of the time we were on I-15, both to and
> from.
> They only slipped down about 1/2" - and that's after probably about 4
> hours'
> total operating time, half of which was at the highest speed setting!
>
> There were some other weird things though . . .
>
> First was the road vibration.
> I'd expect more than normal, given the new tires.
> And I realize that this could be a moot point given that they're not the
> correct load rating, but the vibration isn't the issue as much as the fact
> that it was not consistent!
>
> When tracking dead-ahead, or steering left through a curve the road
> vibration was very loud.
> However, when turning the wheel EVEN SLIGHTLY to the right, the vibration
> was considerably diminished.
> So the question (as far as I can tell) is whether or not conditions exist
> that would cause the tires to wear irregularly, which would explain this
> condition.
>
>
> Second is the "clicking" sound that I heard going through the McDonald's
> drive-thru, roughly an hour after embarking on the trip.
> The problem is that I can not replicate the sound. Another inconsistency.
> Thought it was due to the fact that I was right next to a wall, and the
> sound was more audible due to bounce-back.
> Not the case though. I've tried to make the sound occur in parking garages
> and other places where it would be easy to hear, but no luck.
>
> What I recall about the noise:
> -"Click" rate did not seem to increase/decrease at a rate consistent with
> faster/slower speed.
> -SEEMED to be coming from the rear of the van.
> I just had the axle replaced - possible that something wasn't put back
> together correctly?
>
> --
> Drew, Las Vegas
> '90 GL "Blackbeard"
