Can you change the noise with the throttle, no load-full load? Sounds like
the input shaft needle bearing. Check-fix it soon. The input shaft and
possibly the bell housing can get destroyed.
My Fox is doing this now.

Dennis

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
JRodgers
Sent: Saturday, March 1, 2014 10:34 PM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Identifying sounds

This is a tough one for me.

Right now I've got a sound issue. I know what valve rattle from flat lifters
sounds like. I know what a bad CV sounds like with it's classic
knock-knock-knock in a tight turn, and the whine of the PS pump when the
wheel is at the stops or the pump is bad. I know the sound of the throw-out
bearing when it's giving up the ghost. But I've got a transmission/drive
train related sound that is bugging me.

Imagine the day's of bicycles when kids used to use a clothes pin and pin a
playing card or piece of cardbosrd on to the bike so the paper would run
against a spoke t make motor bike sound. At dead slow - the card would go
"pop-pop-pop-pop_  as one went faster -it changed to a higher faster pitch
like popopopopopopop and even faster it was just a continuous higher pitched
snarl.

At speed, it's loud enough to drown the rumble of the engine. If I push in
the clutch - the sound instantly disappears and all I hear is road noise -
let the clutch out - and there it is again.. If I put it in neutral and let
the clutch out - it goes away. Back in gear - there it is again!!

I'm concerned that this is the beginning of something big - like pilot
bearing - maybe even throwout bearing. I would like to fix this rather than
wait until something really big breaks.

Any ideas will be appreciated!!

John