V70 2008 vibration/wobble
 

Hi everybody!

I'm writing to you from Estonia. Problem is with my V70 2008, diesel 120kw, 350 000km, FWD.

I can't find the problem, why my car is vibrating in the body. I feel it if I drive 40km/h and 110km/h in same way. No difference if I accelerating or braking, no difference if I turn left or right. It's there all the time. But no vibration in the steering wheel, so this give me the picture, that its from rear axle. Its annoying and always there. Even if I switch to N (automatic gearbox) and shut the engine off on highway, its still wobbles.

What I have done;
Replaced front axles, left and right, OEM
Replaced rear brake rotors and brake pads.
Replaced rear shocks
Changed many set's of tires and wheels
Aligned many times front and rear axle
Replaced power steering rack
Replaced both rear axle bearings
Replaced bushes in the front axle

Been at the official dealers, at the different mechanics but no result.

What I learned? If I replace brake pads, vibration is disappear for about 100-200km and then its all back again. If I lift the car up, then after immediate driving, for a while, vibration is gone. Seems something from suspension?

Is anybody have some suggestions, what it could be? I'm out of options...

Thank you!
Viljam

Front wheel bearing.

I would suspect the tyres have uneven wear. Jack each wheel up individualy so the bottom of the tyre is just above thr ground and observe the gap between the road and the tyre. Spin the wheel and you may see the tyre's eccentricity here. Also rotate each tyre and examine for uneven wear. Spin the wheel and check on the inside rim of the wheel as they are weaker and buckle easy.

Hi,

Thank you for ideas!

If the front wheel bearing would be bad, should they make the noise also? If I turn left or right.

I will try to rotate and check the wheels, are they uneven. The mystery for me is, why vibration disappears after changing the brake pads at the back axle... It should be something at there.

Apparently the front wheel bearings don't get noisy when worn (accoding to Volvo) "taper bearings" or something is the reason.

I had one replaced on my 2011 car under warranty as there were some known issues.

Can’t explain the temporary cure after brake pads, but I had a similar vibration which turned out to be a wonky wheel - twice!
Which is something not on your list.
First time a dent in the inner rim was repaired by an alloy wheel specialist - not a total success but definite improvement.
Second time (next car) just replaced the wheel - ebay private sale, brand new, half price - lucky bargain.
Local garage, tyre specialist and Volvo main dealer all missed it - to start with - but credit to Volvo for persevering.
The point is, the second one especially was not obvious until it was watched carefully while rotating on the balancing machine.
The tyre was in very good condition (original probably damaged beyond repair) but you could see the outer circumference deflecting while spinning, then looking closey, it was obvious the rim was also slightly out of true.
New wheel fixed it - worth checking...?

Hi,

Is there some way to check front bearings, even if the doesn't sound any way? If they worn out, should I feel the vibration also from the steering wheel?

I will check the tires once again on next week and give the feedback about that.

Not just the tyres - check the WHEELS.
If they are damaged/distorted, even just a little, it could make an even bigger difference at the outer rim of the tyre - and that could cause the vibration you can feel.

When I had a wheel bearing go it creaked on that side when going round bends that put weight on it and it also made a roaring noise at higher speeds.

Hi Viljam . Worn drive shafts can cause the car to shake . These are often overlooked and it could also explain the temporary cure when wheels have been lifted off the ground. If shafts are worn the car will shake similarly to a rear wheel drive car with a worn u/ j or damaged prop shaft.