Date: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 10:12:01 -0600
Reply-To: Holly and Chris <hbandcmills@TNTECH.CAMPUS.MCI.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Holly and Chris <hbandcmills@TNTECH.CAMPUS.MCI.NET>
Subject: Unknown vibration at light throttle settings.
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
Hello I don't have a Vanagon but I read your list when I have time. I have
had this same vibration you discuss and have asked several suspension guys
(alignment shops) what it was. One found it and showed me. I was driving a
1987 Honda Accord hatch and had started getting vibrations at light
throttle settings and when transitioning from acceleration to decelleration
on the hwy. Was very aggrevating. At 165,00 miles the car still had it's
original CV and half shafts. During an alignment I asked the man at the
shop to dignose it and he checked all of the balljoints and bushings. When
he grabbed the halfshafts he was able to slide them side to side. Normal
and necessary he said becuase as the wheel moves up and down over bumpers
the distance from the tranny to the wheel will actually grow and shrink
relative to the axle becuase in normal driving the shaft ran falt - any
suspension movement would require a longer shaft so the engineers added so
slop side to side. However he said it was too loose and asked the car's
mileage. Then he checked for up and down movement in each CV joint. There
was just a little but he said it was excessive and would cause the CV's to
have twist slop and allow them to move off center and cause the vibration.
That was a Honda. Now I drive a '78 Westy that out of 4 CV joints has 1/2
of a boot. None of the others are covered. It was like this when I got the
van and I decided once I felt the same tremor that I wouldn't try to the
save these CV's with grease and boots - I'd see how long the would last in
the elements. A long time is the answer as they have been on the road with
me for about a year now and about 9,000 miles. Have been on dirt roads and
forded a couple of creeks where nothing got wet inside but I am sure the
CV's did!
Now the contest is to see who gives up first me or the CV. I'm to the point
where I may have to buy new halfshafts and at least keep them under the
back seat because they'll probably let go some night on the HWY when it's
dark and rainy! Happened to me with my '84 Cabrio (and they looked and felt
healthy - luckily I was just pulling out of the mechanic's parking lot!).
Just food for thought. Hope you get something out of it.
Good Travels!
Holly and Chris
Cookeville, TN
'78 Westy --- Minnie (soon to be a 110 HP Corvair recipient)
'65 Beetle --- Jenny ('57 rollback top, '65 body, '69 chassis,
'72 Ghia front disc brakes, '74 914 rear
disc brakes, '78 Transporter engine, A/C, and
eventually a 911 5 spd tranny)
