Date: Sat, 2 Apr 2011 09:10:23 -0700
Reply-To: Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Rocket J Squirrel <camping.elliott@GMAIL.COM>
Subject: More fun with mechanics
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I took Mellow Yellow to see a new doctor . . . I mean mechanic
yesterday. There has been this mysterious "thunk" sound whenever I'm
cruising at low speeds on flat surface streets and take my foot off the
accelerator. Previous mechanic, here in Bend, Ore. (p-mail me if
interested, not slamming here w/o him being able to defend himself) put
it on the rack, poked at everything, could not find the cause.
The noise originally showed up last year, and even after the
transmission was removed, rebuilt by German Transaxle here, and
re-installed, the sound persisted.
I figured a new set of eyes on the problem might turn up something.
But the new guy, Gary Young, found nothing. The axles has been replaced
six years ago when the CV joints gave up, but we've only put on maybe
10,000 miles since then. Still he checked them out and found that while
they did have grease in them -- and he's found plenty that had not been
filled up when installed -- these were decently, though not completely
filled. Unhooked them from the flange and moved them around and they
felt fine. He mushed more grease in. Didn't improve the "thunk" sound.
But while poking around he found a hose that was not connected, causing
a vacuum leak. It might have been yanked when the prev. mech. removed
and replaced the transmission, I know there were no loose hoses there
last year when I was poking around under the cover.
And he found that the e-brake cable had been routed incorrectly so that
it was rubbing on the auto transmission linkage and a hole was getting
worn through it.
This, on top of the fact that when I picked up my van from the prev.
mech. after the tranny work the radio antenna was broken yet he denied
having done it, a lapse in character that did not sit well with me, I've
decided not to bring my business to that guy any more.
Anyhoo, with the darn vacuum cable re-connected, the engine idles much
more smoothly now.
As for the mysterious thumping sound -- it remains.
--
Rocky J Squirrel
'84 AT Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
'74 Westrailia: (Ladybug Trailer company, San Juan Capistrano, Calif.)
Bend, OR
KG6RCR