Date: Tue, 19 May 1998 00:03:49 -0700
Reply-To: "Steven X. Schwenk" <sxs@SCHWENK-LAW.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: "Steven X. Schwenk" <sxs@SCHWENK-LAW.COM>
Subject: Syncro Rumble...Syncro Whine
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I have a syncro rumble...and somewhat of a whine, too...as previously
posted.
The Rumble begins during acceleration at about 2600 rpm and completely
smooths out and disappears just over 3000 rpm. It is there if i drive
within that rpm range. It is there when I deaccelerate within that rpm
range...then tapers off at around 2400. However, there has to be some
load on the drive train to feel it...and the greater the load on the
drive train, the more intense the rumble until 3100 rpm...and then its
completely gone.
Possible candidates: wheel bearings, cv joints, something amiss in the
transaxle, but what? The van has new tires just balanced, new shocks,
new alignment, new brakes, new rotors, new drums, front drive-shaft
removed. Nothing is touching or causing vibration by contact against
another part. I will be inspecting the wheel bearings and the cv joints
this weekend.
The whine only appears over 55 mph...highway cruising....a wavering type
whine. Below that speed, the trannsaxle noise level is the same it's
been the last 50,000 miles. Not much. If this noise is not related to
the above noise, then my guess is it's the beginnings of a transaxle
bearing whine (but I know little...just guessing here).
Although i don't really have the expertise to make the judgment, I do
not think it's the transaxle. My crude mechanical instinct says no...by
the way it feels, because of the mileage and use on the van, because I
cannot recreate it when I jack up the rear wheels (with the front drive
shaft removed!) and run it in gear, and the fluid is speckless with
nothing to speak of on the magnet plug. But again, just guessing here.
From my recent conversations with various learned transaxle experts, the
main shaft bearing, the pinion bearing and the 3-4 slider hub are the
main failure points In the transaxle. Keep driving with these gone, and
you'll do more damage....serious (i.e. expensive) damage.
The bearings typically whine (I am told) when they go, but sometimes
rumble, and the noise will be constant and get louder as the rpms
increase. A cracked 3-4 slider can whine...but I do not know much about
those symptoms. Other failures I've seen in the archive include
grinding noises (park it), it locks up while you are drifting backward
in reverse (time for a rebuild), it suddenly will not shift out of or is
locked in a gear, like 3rd (syncros?).
This post is limited to known transaxle symptoms. I'll post what I
discover the problem with my bus to be....hopefully soon.
Many thanks to (in alphabetical order!!!) Dennis Haynes (for all of his
existing and informative posts in the archive) Todd Hill (Volkswerkes
Transaxle) and Kyle Wade (Volks Motorsports) for helping me out and
providing valuable information. I also spoke with Mr. Wheedler of
Wheedler engineering, who was also helpful, but is not on the list. All
of the above rebuild syncro transaxles.
steve
1990 syncro westfalia
