If it's a wheel bearing, it doesn't take long for it to do real damage....in my case, it ended up taking the spindle with it and also the brake disc....gets real expensive real fast.� From the time I heard "funny" noises until it was too late was only about 50 miles.� I too was on the road when it happened, had to have the car carried on a flatbed towtruck to a shop.� 

So act promptly if it's the bearing!� Now I get them serviced every 25,000 miles.

Rich
San Diego

--- On Thu, 12/30/10, Karl Wolz <wolzphoto@Q.COM> wrote:

From: Karl Wolz <wolzphoto@Q.COM>
Subject: Re: On the road.................a couple of issues!
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Date: Thursday, December 30, 2010, 8:40 AM

Sounds like a loose/broken temp sensor wire, assuming that it's running
normally otherwise.

Frictiony noise form the front could be any of quite a few items, but wheel
bearings are on that list.

Where are you?

Karl Wolz

|-----Original Message-----
|From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
|Bernie
|Sent: Thursday, December 30, 2010 9:11 AM
|To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
|Subject: On the road.................a couple of issues!
|
|*Hello All,*
|*
|*
|*Having a couple of things that popped up yesterday on my 85 Westy.*
|*First thing temperature gauge dropped to almost nothing.*
|*Always would be consistently just below half before and now basically not
|responding*
|*or responding on very intermittent basis.*
|*Second issue is a noise that seems to be coming from front of vehicle.*
|*Don't know how to describe other than a noise produced by friction of some
|sort.*
|*Could this be wheel bearings?*
|*
|*
|*Perplexed in the desert,*
|*
|*
|*Bernie*