The Stupid Question Thread

[Jalabert]

I wonder if that could be an alternator bearing...if you have a length of garden hose lying around you could use that to isolate the likely source of the noise further.
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'73 westy, 1700 type 4 with 34icts

[KentABQ]

[KentABQ]

[KentABQ]

On a different topic of the same engine from my previous post...

The engine (1.8 FI) has a vacuum leak I believe. The engine has to be at a fast idle and fuel mixture enriched for it to keep running. As soon as I lean out the mixture, it dies.

I attached the smoke generator to the small hose coming off the distributor and found a small leak.
But then I took off the hose leading to the check valve to the brake booster...
And a lot of smoke wafted up from under the manifold area. I couldn't see exactly where it was coming out though. When replacing the head, nothing was removed in that area other than a few hoses, which have all been replaced.

Any suggestions on what to check? Thanks
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-Kent-
1976 Riviera, 1.8l FI chrome yellow VAN - "Chloe"

"I must say, how can you be in a bad mood driving this vehicle full of vibrant color.
Cars of today are so bland in comparison. It's like driving a celebration!" ---WildIdea

Bus ownership via emoticons:
---williamM

[busdaddy]

[KentABQ]

[Slip356]

78 stock Westy.
Was 300 miles from home with 300 miles to go on a week long camping trip.A squeal such as yours started, it was engine speed related and increased as we traveled further. I was certain it was an alternator bearing.
As I pulled into a camp sight, the old guy heard the squeal. I was exhausted and he said he’d like to check it out as he was a mechanic. My buddies & I set up camp and opened one of many beers!
The next morning he came over and we investigated. The guy was very thorough. We loosened the belt, nope, then tightened it, nope. He looked at the bottom main pulley and noticed some fresh metal shavings under it.
Sure enough one of the bolts holding the sheet metal next to the main pulley had loosened allowing the tin to bow out and rub on the pulley. We tightened the bolt, sound went away.
The old guy saved the day and my week long trip.
I tipped him nicely and we were on our way. I have since replaced the bolt and used lock tight, all is good.

[Wildthings]

[andrewtf]

[KentABQ]

Slip365, Wildthings and Andrewtf...
Thanks for the suggestions where to check next.

Wildthings: You're right. Don't know what I was thinking when responding to you.
I'll definitely check the runners for pinched tin.

I'm starting to feel human again after a miserable 3 days dealing with a cold.
So I'll get into checking everyone's suggestions soon.
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-Kent-
1976 Riviera, 1.8l FI chrome yellow VAN - "Chloe"

"I must say, how can you be in a bad mood driving this vehicle full of vibrant color.
Cars of today are so bland in comparison. It's like driving a celebration!" ---WildIdea

Bus ownership via emoticons:
---williamM

[Hubster43]

I was double checking the timing on our FI 76 bus. Really just checking for piece of mind since it has been running great. After hooking the timing gun up, I was reaching in to get my finger on the throttle to rev it up when I got a pretty good shock from the top of the distributor. Is this something that I should be worried about?

[67rustavenger]

[Hubster43]

Our 76 FI bus has become our daily driver for the next couple of months. Since it had been sitting on the sidelines for awhile, it hasn’t been given the attention it deserves. For a long time we have had a knocking coming out of the rear end when turning towards the right. I figured it was a bad cv in the passenger (right) side. So last week I pulled it out and replaced with a new cv from our local auto parts store. The old one had a torn boot and had been replaced about 10 years ago. I think it was of the same quality. Anyway, the noise did not change at all. I lifted the rear end and checked the play on the wheel. It had a couple of loose spots, but just barely loose. When spun it sounded pretty quiet. Our transmission was replaced 35 years ago. We were told at that point it was a temporary fix since it was a used transmission. It is still in there, but definitely very noisy and finicky when shifting. The question is… Is it possible that the noise is coming from the transmission, which we would learn to live with, or does it have to be a wheel bearing or defective cv joint?

[Wildthings]

A transmission knocking would be rare and very serious, while a CV would be common. I would pull the opposite axle and service it.

[Hubster43]

A little more information for last question. I just went out and first lifted passenger side rear wheel and spun. Nice and quiet and spins freely. Definitely a little play in the wheel side to side, but maybe only a couple of millimeters. Checked all cv bolts and they were tight. Did the same on driver side. A little more drag from brake, so didn’t spin as freely. No play side to side, but loud clunking every once in a while. When I put my hand on the cv during the process, it could feel the clunk going through it. Maybe I replaced the wrong one?

[Hubster43]

That sounds good, sorry didn’t see your reply until after I posted. Thank you. Gonna have to drive it for a couple of days before I can change it, but noise has been going on for a couple of years.

[Wildthings]

[KentABQ]

[busdaddy]

A squeal like that would drive me to take up smoking: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620083&highlight=smoke+tester
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[KentABQ]