If you can affect the rumbling noise by changing direction the problem is
usually the front. The front bearings also fail much more often than the
rears. To test you need to pull the calipers to get the pads off of them.
Even then without load they sound OK but still be problem. The front bearing
really should be inspected and re-lubed every 30K or each brake job.

The play in the rear is normal. With the van rear very well supported you
can let the engine spin the rear wheels and using a stethoscope (or big
screw driver) on the housing a bad bearing will be evident. Once they are
making noise grease will not fix them.

Dennis

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Jim Felder
Sent: Sunday, January 19, 2014 11:10 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Tell me about rear bearings

Of all the Vanagon things I have done, here is one I have not. On the road,
at any speed, if I turn the car to the left so as to put the force on the
right side, I hear a rum-rum-rum sound that matches the rotational speed of
the car. Suspecting races that were not fully seated on the front wheels
(like all low frequency sounds, it's hard to get a location on this by
listening) after a recent replacement, I jacked up the front and checked the
bearings. They don't move and any noise I hear I believe is the slight drag
of the pads and on the rotors.

I jacked up the rear and this is what I found: there is not any noticeable
wobble on eaither of the rear wheels, but I can pull them in and out with a
noticeable clunk and about 1/16 of free play, maybe a hair more.

Does that signal replacement time, or is there more I could be doing to
check the bearings? The car doesn't make any other unusual sounds form the
drive train when going straight down the road.

Jim