Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1998 00:16:18 -0600
Reply-To: Rob MacLeod <macleod@CVRTI.UTAH.EDU>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <Vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: Rob MacLeod <macleod@CVRTI.UTAH.EDU>
Subject: CV-joint story conclusion
Folks,
Last week I sent out a cry for help from Jackson, Wyoming about the noises
that arose in the back end of our '87 Westy as we headed down the Teton
Pass toward Jackson. I wanted to end your suspense and tell the rest of
the story.
First, to those who responded, thanks a million for your valuable
insights. There were too many replies to list all of you separately, but
you know who you are and I love you all.
The general consensus was to continue on, driving carefully, and this is
what we did, rolling carefully through Yellowstone from the south to the
north end over three days, and finally all the way up to Bozeman, Montana
and the local VW dealer, Dick Walter. The noise was there, more and more
often, always pretty much the same thump (or low frequency "thok" as Joel
better described it). It had one tone and volume when we accelerated,
another, much louder one when we decelerated or turned a corner that would
cause the right rear wheel to decelerate.
Of course, by the time we got to Bozeman, the noise had gone away and
nothing I could do for the mechanic with me in the car could make it come
back. But I was sure there was a problem and sure it was rear right, so I
gave the go-ahead to open the thing up and look.
Sure enough, the inner CV joint on the right was a mess! Really worn
races, glazing, even some material chewed out at the edges. Three of the
balls were blue from heat and one looked pretty corroded all over. This CV
was toast! I've got the parts so anyone who wants to can drop by and check
them out. The grease was still present, but very thick and probably not
doing much good. While he was at it, I had the mechanic take apart the
left side, but things there looked so good that he was sure this one had
been replaced already (I've had the car only since April). He said that on
Vanagons, the inner ones almost always go long before the outer ones and
that a truly catastrophic failure is rare because there is no turning of
the axles as there would be in a front wheel drive vehicle. The things
slowly beat themselves to death and are pretty loud in the process.
So, with all four CVs checked and greased, we headed off on the rest of our
journey and had no more problems. Even the weather finally warmed up, I
could stow my jeans and put my shorts on again, and the world was once
again a friendly place.
One more think I should mention, the folks at Dick Walter were great, ready
and willing to talk through options, did the job quickly and were a great
group to work with. Total cost was $350. From this one experience, I'd be
happy to have as good a shop closer to my home.
Thanks to you all again and look for the Westy Red Rocket (Utah 673 KPN) on
a western road near you sometime soon!
Rob
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Rob MacLeod, Ph.D.
Nora Eccles Harrison Cardiovascular Research and Training Institute (CVRTI)
Building 500, University of Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah 84112 ____ __o
Internet: macleod@cvrti.utah.edu ____ -\<,
Phonemail: (801)581-8183 ....0/ 0
Fax: (801)581-3128
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