clunk!

ancientbugger · 2017-08-10T06:08:34+00:00

My sons baja has developed a horrible knock from the rear which doesn't go with engine speed nor vehicle speed. Initially I thought something had come loose in the rear drums but all there was fine. Next thing was the CVs but they seem fine as well and so were the wheel bearings. I took out the gearbox thinking something loose inside, took that apart but that was OK too. The shocks are new and the bushes are fine and my son is quickly running out of patience with it. The only things left as far as I can see is the torsion bar bushes or the diagonal arm bushes. Everything feels tight as and the diagonal arm bushes look fine. The car is a 1968 baja with EJ22 engine , irs suspension and the noise is an erratic clunk not necessarily with bumps in the road but with me in the back with my ear to the floor (not easy I can tell you!) it seems to come from the passenger side rear from around the area of the torsion tube, could the torsion bushes be the wrong type? I believe without looking they are the doughnut type inside and the knobbly sort on the outside. Barry

Well I replaced the wheel bearings this morning and the old ones look perfect but changed them anyway and would you believe it the sound has gone!! There is no movement (wrong type of movement) in the old bearings and the noise wasn't what I've heard before when bearing issues have arisen in the past so it goes to show you you're never too old to learn. Took the baja for a good drive, other than a funny smell (another smell I'd never smelled before in VWs) it went nice, got home and thought about adjusting the rear brakes, walked to the back and there's all this coolant all over the place. That's one I'll leave for the son 🙂