The Vanagon Dictionary

Axle that transmits power to the wheels

• axle
• drivetrain

A short axle used in the rear suspension of a vehicle

• axle
• rear

Type of nut used to secure the rear axle

• nut
• axle

The front axle is a crucial component of a vehicle's suspension system.

• axle
• front
• suspension

Housing that contains the rear axle bearing

• housing
• bearing

A mechanism that locks the axles together for improved traction

• drivetrain
• traction

compensates for difference in wheel speeds on driven axle

• axle
• wheel

type of rear axle nut and reduction box design

• axle
• reduction

Additional gear boxes used on swing-axle VW Buses to reduce transmission gearing

• gearbox
• swing-axle

A type of independent suspension used on the front axle of a car.

• suspension
• axle

type of differential that compensates for speed differences

• axle
• wheel

A type of rear axle that is 'fixed' at the wheel (that is, it is not able to flex up or down), but is able to move up and down at the transmission end. It required the rear wheels to move in an arc, rather than vertically, when hitting bumps. in some cars (beetles and corvairs and some early porsches), it could cause the wheel to tuck under the car during high speed cornering.

prevents wheels from spinning freely, directing power to wheel with better grip

• axle
• wheel
• traction

A suspension component that connects the rear axle to the vehicle's frame

• suspension
• rear

The central part of a wheel that rotates on the axle

• wheel
• hub
• brakes

Protective plate attached to the front axle to protect the undercarriage during off-roading

• off-roading
• vw

Term referring to the smaller rear axle nut and reduction box design used in pre-1964 VW Buses

• bus
• vw

( Constant Velocity Joint ) One of the small circular devices at an end of an axle on a bus . Buses , Vanagons , and EuroVans have four of these, while the Syncro Vanagons have a total of eight. These are necessary to allow the axle to move up and down while still turning to propel the car. the joints need to be keep greased to function properly. when they are worn, they make a knocking-noise that strikes fear into the hearts of bus owners everywhere. Microbuses do not have CV joints, but use a 'swing-axle' and reduction gear box instead.

Independent Rear Suspension. A form of rear suspension that allows the rear wheels to move vertically up and down, independently of each other, to compensate for bumps and road surfaces. uses a double-jointed rear axle, with cv-joints at each end.

Any Volkswagen Transporter from 1949 to 1967, characterized by a split (two-piece) windshield and rounded body contours. all were powered by beetle Type 1 engines and all had 'reduction gears' on the half-axles. known also as T1 Transporters . This term is also used by VW SA for the present 5 Cyl. (Vanagon-style) van without exclusive options.

In a Syncro drivetrain, a driveshaft decoupler disconnects the prop shaft so the front axle is no longer driven through it; it is not the front differential lock. A Gerry discussion on 16 May 2004 compares the original non-viscous-coupling layout, which used a driveshaft decoupler, with viscous-coupling Syncros while debating front-lock behavior. The thread is historical community discussion, not a retrofit procedure; identify the drivetrain configuration before interpreting parts or controls.

• vw
• syncro
• drivetrain