Date:         Thu, 3 Jan 2013 17:35:19 -0500
Reply-To:     Ed Duntz <eduntz@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Ed Duntz <eduntz@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject:      cv, wheel bearings, or both?
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

As soon as it's not quite so cold out, I'll jack up the van and do a little more investigating, but until then, I pose this question here. This is about my 1984 Vanagon. 

I have two symptoms. One is a noise from the rear which I think might best be described as a "droning." I hear it almost all the time that the vehicle is in motion. I haven't really listened for it at low speeds, but I hear it when I'm going about 30 mph, my average speed on my back roads. It is more prominent when cornering to the left. I hear it whether the van is in gear or not, and whether the clutch is in or out. This is what makes me think it may be a wheel bearing.

My second symptom makes me wonder if I have a cv joint issue. I realize that when a cv joint goes, it usually means that the vehicle won't move, as the transmission can't turn one axle if the other has a bad cv. But I was traveling on snow, and I wonder if that allowed the wheels to turn independently and made a difference. I was traveling up a slight incline on snow and the van went up the hill partially sideways, probably at a 30 degree angle. It seemed like one wheel was turning more than the other, and I had to steer accordingly so that the van went up the hill in my lane, but at an angle. There was not significant difference in the rear tires to make me think that had a large impact. 

Any thoughts are appreciated. 

Thanks,
Ed