Getting some work done...

[James_EG_940]

I sincerely hope so, I gave them 2 litres of "special" Volvo transmission oil to fill it up with!

It definitely did not make a noise like that before, in fact it was quieter than it is now even with the DMF and release bearing chattering.

Not sure how it could have 'just happened' by itself though. When I picked the car up he showed me another M90 they had apart on the bench having it's bearings replaced...

[Laird Scooby]

I think i'd get it back to them soonest and get them to check the oil!

[lnparry]

Hi James,

I would be interested to hear if you sort the new gearbox rattle out and how satisfied you were with D&A.

I am thinking of having clutch / DMF replacement plus a few other jobs carried out on my '97, 940. Although I am based in the south-east my father lives near Witney so D&A could be a possibility for me and I would want the work carried out by someone who really understands these cars.

Cheers,

LeeP

[James_EG_940]

So I took her back in to the garage on Monday to talk about the rattle. Derek is truly an expert, he was a service tech for Volvo in the 90s so knows these cars extremely well. We went for a little drive and he confirmed what I already thought - the rattle is indeed the gearbox a real shame after I've just done all this work. He was a bit baffled as to why it's just started to be noisy now, theories include:

The old DMF taking up the slack in the gearbox/hushing the noise.

The new flywheel is just for some reason noisy in this set up.

The old gearbox oil had some kind of additive to stop the rattle.

Anyway, the solution is obviously to rebuild gearbox and hope it's just a simple bearing however, he said that he has a 940 with M90 just sitting and that he'll just charge me a token amount to swap the boxes. If it cures it - great, if not then we know it's a problem elsewhere either way I don't need to pay for a new box or a rebuild just yet!

Not sure how you think about that for service?

Cheers,
James.

[Laird Scooby]

Sounds like when he had your box out to do the clutch, the apprentice swapped it with the duff one for a laugh!

Joking aside, it sounds like good service, perhaps the old set-up on the clutch was hammering the input shaft bearing more than either of you realised and now it's more free to move it's getting noisy.


Had very similar on mine today (although auto) in as much as the propshaft centre bearing was humming like a swarm of bees round a honey pot.
New one fitted and i now get a nasty vibration/grumble at about 50mph, only conclusion is after checking the extension housing seal and bearing while the prop was off, the extension housing bearing and seal are FUBAR and now one end of the prop is held as it should be by the new centre bearing, the gearbox end is free to make the extension housing bearing grumble.

Reckon your problem may be along similar lines - domino effect and all that!

[James_EG_940]

Yes, that was the other thing I thought of after I posted that last one.

He said when I picked it up that due to the worn pivot and shagged release bearing it had been pressing all at a bit of an angle. It's not too far fetched to assume that this had all worn at an angle over the (few years!) time that it was like it. Now it's all back correctly aligned, I can believe it's worn and loose and hence noisy...

Hopefully I can get this sorted within the next few days. Shame to spend the money on new oil and seals for a gearbox to then have to swap it out the next week though

Other thing that I'm thinking of is what variety of M90 I have and what variety is on the other car. Anyone know how to tell the gearing of the M90? I am sure mine is an early model though at least, being from 94!

[lnparry]

James,

Sounds like pretty good service to me. Sorry I can't help with gearbox ratios but I'm sure someone on here will know. Good luck with the box and keep us posted.

Cheers,
LeeP

[coolpurks]

James, sorry to hear about the gearbox. Did the suspension refresh sort out how the front wheels sit in the arch? Cheers

[baggy798]

I've read that additional drivetrain noises are generally to be expected when the flywheel is changed from dual to single mass.

Also from turbobricks:

Originally Posted by Idealgaslaw

Installed the M90. It is making noise on deceleration. A sort of grinding spinning noise. If I press the clutch pedal down while driving it goes away. It does not make the noise when I am stopped. It makes the noise in every gear when I am driving and take my foot off the gas pedal. When it is cold it does not make the noise. Any ideas? The clutch, pressure plate and flywheel are all brand new. The throwout bearing and fork are pretty old.

Originally Posted by Idealgaslaw

Also its a TTV flywheel and 850R clutch

Originally Posted by Turbosteen

My M90 (also with TTV and 850 clutch) rattles like crazy on deceleration. In winter it's almost not there, but in the summer the noise is there from the start. I blame the design of the M90, I'm researching to put in a heavier oil.

Originally Posted by Turbosteen

I'm running the OEM volvo oil fyi. Since the rattle is not present during cold winter days (or after 30+ minutes of driving) but immediately there when driving during warmer days I think improvement/reduction of the rattle noise can be decreased.
Atm my M90 shifts really smooth and light, so I hope putting in a heavier oil won't cause to much issues.

Originally Posted by justlie

No noise here but I m running rather thick oil.

Flat flywheel with 850R clutch.

Originally Posted by Idealgaslaw

What oil are you running?

Originally Posted by justlie

Valvoline 75W-140 I think.

Originally Posted by Idealgaslaw

I put the 75w-140 gear oil in. It is much quieter. However the noise is still there. I think I have a worn M90.

[James_EG_940]

Thanks for the info Baggy.

Difference is I have a brand new thrust bearing, fork and pivot point and mine very much makes the noise when stopped at idle. It isn't there 100% of the time but I haven't yet tied it up with temperature - it seems just as likely to do it at the end or beginning of a journey. It is true that it happens in overrun (foot off the accelerator whilst moving) but also under acceleration.

It can only really be an incompatibility with these parts in some way or the 226000 miles on my m90 might have worn it a bit!

Oh yes and the wheel alignment thing - it's hard to tell because it's also lowered now from before but I think it is a bit better yes. On closer inspection don't forget that the two sides of the wheel arch aren't actually totally parallel to each other. They do flare out and the back side sweeps back thus potentially adding to the look of them being out of alignment. I would say, get an opinion from a decent Volvo garage about the state of your suspension, have them fix any problems and then get your wheels aligned properly by a reputable garage. I do wish I had a before and after of some of my suspension bushes though. The state of the old ones was hilarious.