'81 Vanagon transaxle noise(s)
Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2015 1:11 pm
- Edited post subject to conform to IAC Technical Forum Acceptable Subject Policy
Clonk, clunk, rattle, rattle, Kzzzzzzt.
These are a few of the noises emanating from my drivetrain which have been starting to prey on my otherwise blissful rambles in the van.
The clunking/rattling sounds rather like a large marble rattling around in a wooden box (and yes, I did check my camper drawers and cabinets for errant lost marbles). It seems to come from the rear right side and is nominally related to suspension action. My initial thought was a loose shock mount (because I once owned a '69 which had a broken upper shock mount that sounded kinda like this), but inspection of the shocks and mounts shows no apparent problems there.
My suspicions then turned to the CV joints, which preyed on my mind until I had utterly convinced myself that they were indeed the culprit. So I ordered a set of 4 Loebro/GTK CV joints from Van-Cafe and installed them yesterday, exulting in the warm glow of doing right by my ride and getting good and greasy in the process. Well, of course, that didn't fix the noise. Still got that rattly marble-inna-box sound. I replaced the rear wheel bearings a few years ago just before moving to California, so they have fewer that 5000 miles on them and shouldn't be the problem (though if memory serves, I sourced the bearings from CIP, before I learned the bitter lesson to never buy anything from that outfit again) . I'm probably going to get a friend to drive the van around while I rattle around in back myself to try and pinpoint the noise. I'll wear knee-pads and a bike helmet as a nod to passenger safety.
Another noise has started to worry me more though: I first noticed a brief moderate-to-high pitched "kzzzzzzt" when I shift from 2nd to 3rd or from 3rd to 4th a couple of weeks ago. It's been getting more prominent in the interim, and quite pronounced and more prolonged when I shift down from 4th to 3rd and use the engine to decelerate. I'm thinking that the final drive may be on its final legs, but I haven't dug into any further diagnostics yet. The transmission shifts smoothly with no balking. Could I simply be low on transmission oil? in my haste to finish the CV joints, I plumb forgot to check the fluid level while I was under there with the van up on jack-stands.
As far as I know, this transaxle is the original one on the van, which has just turned over 154,000 miles. I note that there are at least three reputable re-builders of the 091 transaxles out there (Rancho, AA Transaxles and German Transaxle), but who knows for how much longer? Is it time to give one of them some of my business while they are still in theirs (this in reaction to the news by the proprietors of Long Enterprises that they will be retiring by the end of 2015).
Clonk, clunk, rattle, rattle, Kzzzzzzt.
These are a few of the noises emanating from my drivetrain which have been starting to prey on my otherwise blissful rambles in the van.
The clunking/rattling sounds rather like a large marble rattling around in a wooden box (and yes, I did check my camper drawers and cabinets for errant lost marbles). It seems to come from the rear right side and is nominally related to suspension action. My initial thought was a loose shock mount (because I once owned a '69 which had a broken upper shock mount that sounded kinda like this), but inspection of the shocks and mounts shows no apparent problems there.
My suspicions then turned to the CV joints, which preyed on my mind until I had utterly convinced myself that they were indeed the culprit. So I ordered a set of 4 Loebro/GTK CV joints from Van-Cafe and installed them yesterday, exulting in the warm glow of doing right by my ride and getting good and greasy in the process. Well, of course, that didn't fix the noise. Still got that rattly marble-inna-box sound. I replaced the rear wheel bearings a few years ago just before moving to California, so they have fewer that 5000 miles on them and shouldn't be the problem (though if memory serves, I sourced the bearings from CIP, before I learned the bitter lesson to never buy anything from that outfit again) . I'm probably going to get a friend to drive the van around while I rattle around in back myself to try and pinpoint the noise. I'll wear knee-pads and a bike helmet as a nod to passenger safety.
Another noise has started to worry me more though: I first noticed a brief moderate-to-high pitched "kzzzzzzt" when I shift from 2nd to 3rd or from 3rd to 4th a couple of weeks ago. It's been getting more prominent in the interim, and quite pronounced and more prolonged when I shift down from 4th to 3rd and use the engine to decelerate. I'm thinking that the final drive may be on its final legs, but I haven't dug into any further diagnostics yet. The transmission shifts smoothly with no balking. Could I simply be low on transmission oil? in my haste to finish the CV joints, I plumb forgot to check the fluid level while I was under there with the van up on jack-stands.
As far as I know, this transaxle is the original one on the van, which has just turned over 154,000 miles. I note that there are at least three reputable re-builders of the 091 transaxles out there (Rancho, AA Transaxles and German Transaxle), but who knows for how much longer? Is it time to give one of them some of my business while they are still in theirs (this in reaction to the news by the proprietors of Long Enterprises that they will be retiring by the end of 2015).