

| Subject: | Noise: Tranny or CV or What? |
| From: | Steven X. Schwenk |
| Date: | Wed, 13 May 1998 17:32:26 -0700 |
There is a noise coming from the drive train of my syncro that I cannot diagnose due to my limited knowledge/experience. I already removed the drive shaft leading up to the front wheels so that is not the problem. Here's the symptoms: My tranny has always had some noise...nothing alarming, you can just identify the sound it makes under normal conditions...just like you can hear the engine. Well, now there is like a wavering mixed in there....if you looked at the sound on an oscillascope you would see that it is not the flat, consistent sound of a healthy bearing....it now makes a sound like something is out of balance...very subtle, but there for sure....there's more The sound is not always there....road conditions have an effect. It is most frequently there in the mountains, going up hills at between 2500 and 3300 in 4th gear. On less demanding flat roads it is may disappear altogether...the wavering, that is....you can still hear the tranny. If you let off the gas or take it out of gear, the noise disappears. What's more, sometimes, you can actually feel the reverberation...and not just hear it. In hilly conditions, while I'am going through the gears and picjking up speed...between 2200 and 2800 rpm in 4th gear (and 4000 in 3rd gear sometimes) you can feel a reverberating, noticable but not terrible, coming from what seems to be the right rear...but could be the rear center of the bus. At about 3000 rpm, it smooths out like glass...no more reverberating....but you can hear that wavering in the bearing sound described above. The wavering could actually be a separate and distinct sound that chimes in with the normal trans. bearing noise. I suspect a right-rear cv joint...based on my limited knowledge etc. and wishful thinking. Questions: (1) What do you think it is? (2) Is it likely to fail in the next 500 miles leaving me stranded (my twins and I were going to go camping this weekend...300 mile round trip.) (3) If it is a CV, can you buy the whole rear axle set up like Dennis and others mentioned recently are available for the front? Thanks for any info. We are scheduled to leave sat a.m. steve 1990 syncro westfalia
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