Date: Sun, 16 May 2010 11:18:22 -0700
Reply-To: Andrew Martin <ramblinvan@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Andrew Martin <ramblinvan@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Rear wheel bearing noise?
In-Reply-To: <BAY132-DS16EA5A7581B5EF71DA0366A0FF0@phx.gbl>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
Dennis,
Is it possible to over tighten the large rear axle nuts?
I recently had both rear bearings (L and R) fail while driving to Syncro de
Mayo. The bearings only had about 6 months and 5K miles on them so I was at
first blaming the rumbling vibrations on my 9 y.o. Michelin Agilis tires BUT
once the van was on the Volks Café's lift and the wheels were spun by hand,
it's was very clearly a wheel bearing problem.
Once removed, the noisy bearings looked OK (for what that's worth). I
didn't bring them home to clean them up and thoroughly inspect/measure them
but now I wish I had. The grease still looked clean and fresh, the seals
were tight and there were no signs of moisture infiltration into the hubs.
I had installed the bearings myself in December and used Valvoline red high
temp grease and new grease seals. I don't own the mongo torque wrench
needed to tighten the axle nuts to VW's spec's so I have always used my 235
lbs body on the end of an 18" breaker bar to tighten the nuts.
It's nearly impossible to install these bearing incorrectly so I doubt that
was the issue. I checked with the vendor who sold me the bearings and there
have been no other reported problem with these bearings. That and the fact
that both side failed at the same time leads me to believe that the bearings
themselves were not at fault. The problem must have been either my
installation technique, the grease I used, or perhaps another related
component needs attention.
I'm stumped.
Andrew
Bainbridge Island WA
Many thanks to the Van Café! Peter took time out from his very busy Monday
morning to test drive my van himself and then he put me first in the lift
line for further investigation and then immediate repair. I was on my way in
less than 3 hours!
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Dennis Haynes
Sent: Sunday, May 16, 2010 8:03 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Rear wheel bearing noise?
Two ways to try to detect bearing issues. Sway van side to side to see if
noise is affected by side loading. Raise vehicle and have the wheels spin in
gear. Use a screwdriver or stethoscope to listen to the bearing housings. A
bad bearing will be evident. Make sure the axle nuts are properly torqued.
Looseness here can result in the splines in the hub wearing and making noise
there.
Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
email99
Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 2010 7:54 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Rear wheel bearing noise?
I need some help diagnosing a strange noise. I'm hearing a soft
oscillating rumble with a period of about 2.5 seconds at 70 mph that
appears to be coming from the rear of my MT '86 Subaru powered Westy.
It's not related to the engine since it is there while cruising at a
constant speed or coasting with the clutch disengaged. Brakes are
smooth and in good shape. Wheels and tires are also in good shape and
ride smooth with no out of round or balance shake. Front wheel bearing
were recently repacked with no effect on this noise. CV joints are well
greased and have no unusual stiffness or slop evident from moving
half-shafts while installed. Rear wheel bearings were repacked about
40k miles ago. Vehicle mileage is 290,000 miles.
Any ideas? Has anyone experienced an actual failure of a rear wheel
bearing, an if so, what were the noises?
Thanks for any information.
Ed
