Date: Sun, 19 Jan 2014 13:17:57 -0500
Reply-To: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Dennis Haynes <d23haynes57@HOTMAIL.COM>
Subject: Re: Tell me about rear bearings
In-Reply-To: <52DC1294.7020902@gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Roller type bearings really don't wear. Something happens to the hardened
races or rollers-balls and they fail, become noisy almost suddenly. You
inspect when you can, lubricate at some interval, and when they get noisy
you replace before the failure becomes dangerous.
As for ball joints, you inspect by checking for play. You get a really large
pair of groove lock pliers (Channel Locks). You lift the van so the
suspension is free. You squeeze the lower joints with the pliers and if the
play is 1/8" or more or this is a noticeable thunk it is time. The uppers
are easier, just grab the control arm. Any noticeable play at all and it is
time up there. It should just be noted that on the lowers the 2wd drive
places the weight of the van in opposite direction then the Syncros. Tension
instead of compression.
Dennis
-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
JRodgers
Sent: Sunday, January 19, 2014 1:00 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Re: Tell me about rear bearings
OK, as long as there is a way to check wheel bearing wear - How can I check
upper and lower ball joint wear. I've a vibration up front and it's not the
wheels/tires. No noise in the front wheel bearings either.
Have new tie-rod ends installed along with a front end alignment. As good as
it can get with bad ball joints I guess.
Thanks,
John
On 1/19/2014 10:44 AM, Jim Felder wrote:
> Thanks, Dennis. I suspect the front, and am prepared to deal with it
> today, but just wanted to check. The rears are mainly suspect because
> of the high mileage on them (as much as 355,000 if they are original).
>
> I was going to amend my opinion on the rears anyway. I went back out
> and checked; they have no play in the horizontal axis but a little in
> the vertical axis, if I grab the top and bottom, that is.
>
> Jim
>
>
> On Sun, Jan 19, 2014 at 10:30 AM, Dennis Haynes
<d23haynes57@hotmail.com>wrote:
>
>> If you can affect the rumbling noise by changing direction the
>> problem is usually the front. The front bearings also fail much more
>> often than the rears. To test you need to pull the calipers to get the
pads off of them.
>> Even then without load they sound OK but still be problem. The front
>> bearing really should be inspected and re-lubed every 30K or each
>> brake job.
>>
>> The play in the rear is normal. With the van rear very well supported
>> you can let the engine spin the rear wheels and using a stethoscope
>> (or big screw driver) on the housing a bad bearing will be evident.
>> Once they are making noise grease will not fix them.
>>
>> Dennis
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On
>> Behalf Of Jim Felder
>> Sent: Sunday, January 19, 2014 11:10 AM
>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>> Subject: Tell me about rear bearings
>>
>> Of all the Vanagon things I have done, here is one I have not. On the
>> road, at any speed, if I turn the car to the left so as to put the
>> force on the right side, I hear a rum-rum-rum sound that matches the
>> rotational speed of the car. Suspecting races that were not fully
>> seated on the front wheels (like all low frequency sounds, it's hard
>> to get a location on this by
>> listening) after a recent replacement, I jacked up the front and
>> checked the bearings. They don't move and any noise I hear I believe
>> is the slight drag of the pads and on the rotors.
>>
>> I jacked up the rear and this is what I found: there is not any
>> noticeable wobble on eaither of the rear wheels, but I can pull them
>> in and out with a noticeable clunk and about 1/16 of free play, maybe a
hair more.
>>
>> Does that signal replacement time, or is there more I could be doing
>> to check the bearings? The car doesn't make any other unusual sounds
>> form the drive train when going straight down the road.
>>
>> Jim
>>
>>
>
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