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eamanb
Samba Member
Joined: January 13, 2019
Posts: 49
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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 Posted: Tue Feb 18, 2020 4:55 pm Post subject: Rotational clunking sound from rear driver side |
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Hello,
My 1981 Aircooled Auto van is making a rotational clunking sound that seems to be coming from the left (driver) rear side. The sound is rotational (picks up with speed) and present when the car is rolling forward only. When going in reverse there is no clunking. When rolling forward in neutral the clunk is still present. I recently replaced the right (passenger) rear CV joint because it blew up but didn't touch the left rear. Would you guys happen to have an educated guess as to what might be the issue? I live in Brooklyn, NY.
Thanks,
Eaman |
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Abscate
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014
Posts: 22670
Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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| Posted: Tue Feb 18, 2020 4:59 pm Post subject: Re: Rotational clunking sound from rear driver side |
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Left CV joint. You have four total, 2 on each side
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djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32634
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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dobryan
Samba Member
Joined: March 24, 2006
Posts: 16508
Location: Brookeville, MD
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eamanb
Samba Member
Joined: January 13, 2019
Posts: 49
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Wed Feb 19, 2020 8:36 pm Post subject: Re: Rotational clunking sound from rear driver side |
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| dobryan wrote: |
In general when one CV goes bad the other three are not far
behind. |
I was told the right (passenger) rear CV was the one delivering the power to the wheel and the other ones were not under "stress" therefore the right rear one experiences more wear and needs replacement more frequently   |
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eamanb
Samba Member
Joined: January 13, 2019
Posts: 49
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Wed Feb 19, 2020 8:39 pm Post subject: Re: Rotational clunking sound from rear driver side |
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| djkeev wrote: |
Make some turns (both directions) at speed, does noise get louder or go away?
Dave |
Hi Dave,
Thanks for the reply! The noise doesnt seem to be affected by turns at speed. However, my van doesn't go super fast and there aren't that many sharp turns to take at speed in my part of town. |
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Abscate
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014
Posts: 22670
Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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| Posted: Thu Feb 20, 2020 4:56 am Post subject: Re: Rotational clunking sound from rear driver side |
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| eamanb wrote: |
| dobryan wrote: |
In general when one CV goes bad the other three are not far
behind. |
I was told the right (passenger) rear CV was the one delivering the power to the wheel and the other ones were not under "stress" therefore the right rear one experiences more wear and needs replacement more frequently |
Yeah, that is a source you can now safely ignore for the rest of time.
Or in one word, fail.
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djkeev
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Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32634
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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kguarnotta
Samba Member
Joined: April 01, 2004
Posts: 1160
Location: Woodstock, NH
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| Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2020 9:34 am Post subject: Re: Rotational clunking sound from rear driver side |
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Can you jack that side of the van, and turn wheel by hand? Simple test - may help you zero in on where the noise is coming from.
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Lincoln, MA
'86 Triple Knob Syncro w/EJ22
'78 Westy
'69 Single Cab
'65 Kombi - EZ-Camper |
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tencentlife
Samba Member
Joined: May 02, 2006
Posts: 10078
Location: Abiquiu, NM, USA
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| Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2020 11:19 am Post subject: Re: Rotational clunking sound from rear driver side |
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| eamanb wrote: |
| dobryan wrote: |
In general when one CV goes bad the other three are not far
behind. |
I was told the right (passenger) rear CV was the one delivering the power to the wheel and the other ones were not under "stress" therefore the right rear one experiences more wear and needs replacement more frequently |
Well, good to know they're still out there.
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vanagonjr
Samba Member
Joined: October 07, 2010
Posts: 3431
Location: Dartmouth, Mass.
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| Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2020 11:31 am Post subject: Re: Rotational clunking sound from rear driver side |
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| dobryan wrote: |
In general when one CV goes bad the other three are not far
behind. |
My experience has been when one goes bad, it's the one with a ripped boot!
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FAQ thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=525798 |
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Sodo
Samba Member
Joined: July 06, 2007
Posts: 9620
Location: Western WA
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| Posted: Fri Feb 21, 2020 6:18 pm Post subject: Re: Rotational clunking sound from rear driver side |
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The "right passenger CV theory" could be related to why it's the curbside tire of dad's Satellite Sebring that smokes.
(Driveshaft torque off-weighting the passenger wheel).
That "passenger CV thing" has no basis whatsoever.
It's an old husbands tale.
If anything.
All the four CVs have appx the same load on them and wear at about the same rate.
If a rubber boot rips, then that CV will fail quickly.
If one CV was in poorer condition last time it was serviced, it fails quicker.
If the last bit of grease dries up due to non-maintenance, the driest CV fails first.
And other reasons, but not due to their position.
There is nothing of note that is related to the position of the CV.
CV failure is related to the level of maintenance they have received, the miles driven, the quality of the replacement parts.
How long ago the boot failed. and let dirt in.
Lots of intermingled details.
But you wanna know how this relates to your van, and what you should do.
If you hear a rhythmic noise from one of your rear wheels it's almost certainly a CV.
And when you hear noise, it's long gone, it could (and will) fail hard, and leave you stranded.
If you buy cheap CVs they won't last, they're not worth the "savings".
If you go to a garden-variety auto mechanic to repair this, it's not worth the money.
They will put cheap junk complete axles on your van that won't last.
And throw away your OEM parts.
Better to have a real Vanagon shop install new Lobros.
You can buy the Lobros at Vancafe to ensure the mechanic doesn't install some crappy chinese junk.
https://www.vancafe.com/211598101-p/251598101.htm (buy four CVs)
Maybe some nearby members can give you the name of a proper shop near Brooklyn to get this fixed.
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eamanb
Samba Member
Joined: January 13, 2019
Posts: 49
Location: Los Angeles, CA
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| Posted: Sat Feb 22, 2020 6:05 pm Post subject: Re: Rotational clunking sound from rear driver side |
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| Sodo wrote: |
The "right passenger CV theory" could be related to why it's the curbside tire of dad's Satellite Sebring that smokes.
(Driveshaft torque off-weighting the passenger wheel).
That "passenger CV thing" has no basis whatsoever.
It's an old husbands tale.
If anything.
All the four CVs have appx the same load on them and wear at about the same rate.
If a rubber boot rips, then that CV will fail quickly.
If one CV was in poorer condition last time it was serviced, it fails quicker.
If the last bit of grease dries up due to non-maintenance, the driest CV fails first.
And other reasons, but not due to their position.
There is nothing of note that is related to the position of the CV.
CV failure is related to the level of maintenance they have received, the miles driven, the quality of the replacement parts.
How long ago the boot failed. and let dirt in.
Lots of intermingled details.
But you wanna know how this relates to your van, and what you should do.
If you hear a rhythmic noise from one of your rear wheels it's almost certainly a CV.
And when you hear noise, it's long gone, it could (and will) fail hard, and leave you stranded.
If you buy cheap CVs they won't last, they're not worth the "savings".
If you go to a garden-variety auto mechanic to repair this, it's not worth the money.
They will put cheap junk complete axles on your van that won't last.
And throw away your OEM parts.
Better to have a real Vanagon shop install new Lobros.
You can buy the Lobros at Vancafe to ensure the mechanic doesn't install some crappy chinese junk.
https://www.vancafe.com/211598101-p/251598101.htm (buy four CVs)
Maybe some nearby members can give you the name of a proper shop near Brooklyn to get this fixed. |
Thank you for all the valuable information here. I did end up purchasing Lobro CVs from BusDepot and had a reputable shop install them and the noise is completely gone now!
Now I know four good lobros CVs are in my car. My question is about maintenance. The right CV exploded on the side of the highway with balls falling out and smoke bellowing from behind the car. A postmortem analysis was not possible to identify the reason for failure. The left side that got replaced today featured two good rip free boots. The grease inside though was very dry almost like clay. Now my question is how do I go about maintenance for these CV joints. Evidently they can fail with intact boots so is there a recommended mileage at which I should take them apart and regrease them? |
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