Date:         Fri, 15 Jul 2011 13:05:12 -0700
Reply-To:     Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Don Hanson <dhanson928@GMAIL.COM>
Subject:      Rear Wheel bearing...diagnostic question..
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1

84 non westie with westie inside and inlne 4 VW motor.

  I recently installed new CVs on my right side, did the left last year.  I
had a rumbling noise, when the van was run in gear with the right rear wheel
raised.  Hence, the CV joint replacement was done, and that quieted things
down back there *almost* completely...at least that gnarly rumbling noise is
not there any more.  But......

  There now seems to be a 'buzzy' feeling from the rear when driving down
the road..This may have been there before and masked by the bad CV sounds, I
am not really sure.  The buzzy feeling is almost like the road surface has
new chip-n-seal...or perhaps like I'm driving on very subtile rumble
strip....very very subtile...it is similar to the sound of driving on a
steel bridge deck, too...but again...not so loud or pronounced...No real
noticeable difference in the sound if I kick the van into neutral and
coast...still sort of a buzz, whirr, whatever from I am almost sure the
rear....

  So I again did the jack up one wheel at a time testing proceedure...Left
wheel is very quiet and smooth when run in all gears (when up in the air.)
I put the left wheel down and lifted the right one...Noisy.   Not nearly as
noisy as before the CVs were replaced...but noticeably noisy compared to the
other wheel.  I checked and re-torqued all the CV bolts...all were tight.  I
did the normal wheel bearing test of trying to tilt the wheel, top and
bottom, side to side.   It has play...  I am not sure how to quantify the
play it has...but if it were a front wheel....I might just tighten it up
maybe one or two splines on the castle nut and let it be.  I'm wondering how
much play is acceptable at the rear..never done a rear on a Van.  Also, the
play that is there....it almost seems more in/out on the whole wheel rather
than the wheel is tilting...I could be imagining that...

  I ordered some new bearings and seals...I'll probably go ahead and install
them, but am I on the right track here, or am I just sort of wasteing my
time when I should look elsewhere for that growly buzzy noise?  Anyone want
to advise here?

  Don Hanson