stan_t Posted December 23, 2011 Report Share Posted December 23, 2011 I've had this car for a few weeks now. One annoying problem with it is while accelerating hard, between 35 and 40MPH there is some vibration felt. The steering wheel doesn't shake, it's more like something in the front part of the car. It won't do it if I accelerate smoothly and isn't felt before or after that speed. I changed both top engine mounts and transmission mount, it got a little better but it's still there. One local guy says it's the angle gear and he had a very similar problem -- could that be it? I changed the angle gear fluid last night, no change. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you, Stan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ihatespeedbumps Posted December 23, 2011 Report Share Posted December 23, 2011 My suggestion would be to check the front CV joints for excessive play. Also, look for any split boots and joints that have begun to rust inside. Typically bad inner CV joints cause a straightline vibration while bad outer CV joints vibrate while turning. An out of balance wheel or bent wheel would have a constant vibration and would gradually get worse with increased speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stan_t Posted December 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2011 Wheels were re-balanced and rotated. CV joint is what I'm hoping for, I may have to just take apart the front end suspension and check, need to assess struts anyway. I checked axles but it's hard to really tell. Axles would be cheap enough to replace I guess. Stan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRL Posted December 23, 2011 Report Share Posted December 23, 2011 Cheap enough??????!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stan_t Posted December 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 23, 2011 Well.. cheaper than a bad angle gear. I've bought replacement axles from NAPA before for a Passat (like, $240 for both?), they came with lifetime warranty, looked and worked pretty good and didn't require a core return, so I'd get to keep the stockers. I saw in another post that for '99+ axles I'm SOL with raxles, is that true? Stan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stan_t Posted December 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2011 I took a video of the driver's side axle -- does it sound like the CV joint may be bad? Also, I need to figure out how to remove the axle from the transaxle. StanI took a video of the driver's side axle -- does it sound like the CV joint may be bad? Also, I need to figure out how to remove the axle from the transaxle. Stan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stan_t Posted December 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 28, 2011 Sorry for the double-post, can't find a way to edit it. I got the driver's side axle out and took a video. Does it look like it's bad? NAPA has replacements for $100. Thank you much, Stan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stan_t Posted December 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2011 I replaced the axle, very easy. $100 with lifetime warranty, and I get $25 back when I bring the old one back, so $75. Vibration is completely gone. Now that I can accelerate normally, this car rips! Stan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ihatespeedbumps Posted December 30, 2011 Report Share Posted December 30, 2011 Glad you got it fixed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stan_t Posted December 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2011 Me too! Now I need to figure out why I'm loosing a bit of coolant. It's not in the oil and it doesn't smell too bad in the cabin, so I suspect an external leak. Small steps. Stan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ihatespeedbumps Posted January 1, 2012 Report Share Posted January 1, 2012 Look at the usual suspects... Radiator and water pump first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stan_t Posted January 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 1, 2012 I found some coolant residue on a hardline behind the exhaust manifold, I'll post pictures tomorrow. I replaced the clamp on the rubber hose from the hardline to overflow tank, waiting to see if coolant level is still going down. Stan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stan_t Posted January 2, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2012 Here are pictures of where I believe the coolant leak is, this was before I changed the clamp. Stan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.