Club 80-90 Forums

started friday. basically there is a knocking grinding sound coming from my van.

it only seems to happen in gear under load.

gounds like a graunchy metal on metal and is rythmical like somethings rubbing on something that rotates.

oddities are it seems worse whan i turn left??

havent ha chance to jack the van up to check wheel bearings but as it only seems to happen in gear i`m fairly sure its not this.

could it be a knackered/slipping clutch? gearbox shifts fine into all gears.


poxxy basterd van...

ideas?

Sounds CV-esque to me.

Get underneath the van and inspect your CV boots - make sure they are all intact, also tug the shafts around a bit - they should go in and out smoothly and not rattle backwards and forwards.

New CVs aren't dear and it's not a big job swapping them out, although you may get away with unbolting both shafts and swapping them side to side to extend their lives.

I replaced a CV on my van not so long back and the problem sounds similar to what i had, knocking when under load and especially on left. I waggled the shafts back and forward (i think this just spreads the grease around)and it went away for maybe 3 days but then came back with a vengance so i checked again.

When i moved the shafts backward and forward one driveshaft felt quite smooth . The other side made a clunk when you moved it towards the wheel - a definite metal on metal so i installed a new CV and havent had any problems with the van since. Well not with that particular area anyway

I'd describe CV knocking more as 'someone in the boot banging with a hammer on the side of the bus' can be really really loud. We 'waggled' ours back and forth a few times to respread the grease and it lasted another 2000 miles, although that's the longest I've ever known them last after a good waggle.
You can change them over, or even inject new grease in as a varyingly temporary measure - but there will be a day when they need replacing. Like Thomas says - it's not a big job, just a bit fiddly at the wheel end......

If waggling CV's doesn't help then wheel bearings or any number of other things could be at fault

Invest in a set of hex bits for your socket set; worth their weight in gold when working on the CV joint bolts at the wheel end. Mine are Halfords Professional ones; a full set cost me about £15.

Beware of new genuine VW CV joint kits. The old hex socket bolts (black coating) can no longer be sold as they are coated with a Chromium-6 compound; the End of Life Vehicles Directive has made this illegal now. VW have replaced them with 12-point spline socket bolts (green chromate coating)... so you'll need a special tool to refit them. I got mine from Laser Tools online for about £3.50.

(Either that or buy some old-stock CV-joint kits, still with replacement hex socket bolts, from an alternative parts supplier...)

I've had a lot more positive experiences with the 12 spline bits vs the allen bolts, so am rather pleased when I have to put them on!

The old hex socket bolts (black coating) can no longer be sold as they are coated with a Chromium-6 compound; the End of Life Vehicles Directive has made this illegal now. VW have replaced them with 12-point spline socket bolts (green chromate coating).

hmm, VW recently supplied me with some hex black coated ones, I would have preferred splined ones but didn't have them listed.

Sam.

It's illegal to use them on new-build vehicles. VW will be selling off the old stock for use on older vehicles before switching 100%.

just to revive this topic for a moment....

my noisy driveshaft has stoped knocking. It now makes a horid graunchy sound so I think it needs replacing. While I spend time looking for my Haynes could somebody answer the following please..

• do I need to get the wheels off? I live on quite a slope and reversing up some ramps would be more comfortable than leaving it on a jack
  looking through the JK catalogue I can buy 1 CV joint, a pair (for less than 2 x 1) or a complete assembly. I'm thinking of removing one side and then deciding what to buy but what is normally needed?
  how easy is it for an "average" mechanic with no room to work?
  

many thanks in advance

I think you will find it easier without the wheel in your face.

missusjen wrote:I'd describe CV knocking more as 'someone in the boot banging with a hammer on the side of the bus'

I would describe it as chickens running ragged around your bus

Why speculate on the noise - just get under the fliipin thin and grab hold of them, if there's play in any direction other than plunging, they're worn, if you can make them knock you van certainly will too. Or jack up a wheel and rotate it back-and-forth watching the drive flange - a wee bit of logic should determine whether there's any play in either the inner or the outer

As Thomas says in Americanese

New CVs aren't dear and it's not a big job swapping them out

Translated to English

New CVs aren't dear and it's not a big job swapping them