Droning noises are almost always bearing or tire related. Front wheel
bearings can often sound like they are in back. They are easy enough to pull
the outer and insect. Almost always the outer will fail and show the metal
flakes long before the inners. Direction changes affecting the noise also
indicates wheel bearings.

Dennis

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Ed Duntz
Sent: Thursday, January 3, 2013 5:35 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: cv, wheel bearings, or both?

As soon as it's not quite so cold out, I'll jack up the van and do a little
more investigating, but until then, I pose this question here. This is about
my 1984 Vanagon.

I have two symptoms. One is a noise from the rear which I think might best
be described as a "droning." I hear it almost all the time that the vehicle
is in motion. I haven't really listened for it at low speeds, but I hear it
when I'm going about 30 mph, my average speed on my back roads. It is more
prominent when cornering to the left. I hear it whether the van is in gear
or not, and whether the clutch is in or out. This is what makes me think it
may be a wheel bearing.

My second symptom makes me wonder if I have a cv joint issue. I realize that
when a cv joint goes, it usually means that the vehicle won't move, as the
transmission can't turn one axle if the other has a bad cv. But I was
traveling on snow, and I wonder if that allowed the wheels to turn
independently and made a difference. I was traveling up a slight incline on
snow and the van went up the hill partially sideways, probably at a 30
degree angle. It seemed like one wheel was turning more than the other, and
I had to steer accordingly so that the van went up the hill in my lane, but
at an angle. There was not significant difference in the rear tires to make
me think that had a large impact.

Any thoughts are appreciated.

Thanks,
Ed