Thanks all,

Eventually, I will find out what's making this odd, but for about 90k
miles, seemingly non-critical noise.  I'll post what happens.
On Jan 8, 2014 10:06 PM, "SDF ( Scott Daniel Foss )" <
scottdaniel@turbovans.com> wrote:

> That's where my mind went too ..
> and after seeing Mark's post regarding vacuum brake booster system
> sourced sounds ..I go for that one too.
>
> I suggest plugging/blocking off the vac feed to the front of the van at
> the engine..
> and see if that stops the sound.
> there won't be any power  brake assist of course.
>
> and I've had long term bendix shakiness at times..
> though I wouldn't describe it the way Don did.
>
> pretty rare to replace a flywheel in my experience, or flywheel ring gear.
> I've done 2 or 3 in a 30+ year career.
>
> now,  has anyone removed the ring gear from a diesel vanagon flywheel ?
> looks like it'll come off to me..
> even just to move it 'around' some..
> engine compression causes the engine to stop in the same 2 or 4 places
> ..on four cyl engines.
> Just repositioning gear tooth ring gear would give it another 10 yrs
> perhaps.
>
> Scott
>
> On 1/8/2014 9:44 PM, Dennis Haynes wrote:
>
>> You have a bad "bendix" on the starter drive or the starter is not
>> releasing
>> as fast as it should. That is the one way clutch that drives the gear
>> itself. As the engine starts it allows the gear to be driven by the
>> flywheel
>> without spinning the starter motor with it. They can go like this for a
>> long
>> long time. When it dose fail you may get to replace the flywheel ring
>> gear.
>>
>>
>> Dennis
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf
>> Of
>> Don Hanson
>> Sent: Wednesday, January 8, 2014 2:22 PM
>> To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
>> Subject: Ongoing "Honk" as diesel style starter engages
>>
>>     I have an ABA VW gas inline motor in my 84 van,  turning a 5sp
>> tranny...with a diesel bellhousing and starter.   Been running this
>> motor and starter now for a few years as my daily driver, work van and
>> camper.   Every since I have owned it, when the engine catches and the
>> starter motor is cut off, there is about a half second of this strange
>> honking noise...I  don't really know the right way to describe it, but it
>> seems similar maybe to when you take a ping pong ball and squish it down
>> with the paddle onto the table...really kind of a brief 'squelching'
>> noise,
>> sort of.  Not loud, not alarming, just puzzling.
>> Anybody  want to try to guess what might be causing this sound?
>>
>>     I figured, when I  first installed the motor and tranny and I heard
>> that
>> noise, whatever was making the noise would soon cause me some real
>> problems,
>> and then I could fix whatever it is....but it's now coming on 3yrs of
>> driving it like this, without even any indication that anything is not
>> right, other than that weird noise...The starter works perfectly every
>> time,
>> but it makes that noise perhaps on 90% of starts, always has...without any
>> perceptible change in the sound or
>> the operation of the starter.   I have had the motor out and also the
>> tranny, to do a pilot bearing and a clutch... put it all back in and
>> there's
>> that 'honk' again from the starter area.....
>>
>>     Strange....
>>    Guesses? or better still, someone who actually might know what this is?
>>
>>