Is this normal for a Volvo D5?

[capt jack]

I'm relatively new to Volvo diesel ownership, my previous dozen or so Volvos have all been petrol, the most recent being a 1997 6-cylinder 3-litre S90 auto.

I now have a (rather more frugal) 2012 V70 D5 auto, and my question is about the level of engine noise and vibration that's "normal".

My car starts and drives very well, and is impressively smooth and quiet, but not quite as smooth and quiet as my old S90, which had an inaudible tickover, and was effortlessly smooth at all speeds.

The V70 is good, but at idle there's a slight vibration through the steering wheel, especially from cold, around town the engine is quite gruff, and on some (but not all) road surfaces at 60mph there's a very slight "buzzing" sensation felt mostly through the accelerator pedal. I've had new tyres fitted, the wheels balanced and the steering and suspension checked, with no issues reported. The front discs and pads are all new, and the rears have been stripped and cleaned, with brake grease added in all the right places, included the slider pins.

Looking at the top engine torque rod I can see some cracking in the rubber bush, and I can, quite easily with gentle finger pressure only, move the rod from side to side a few millimetres in either direction. The rubber bush is however intact - and not broken away at all. There's no untoward clonking, and the gearbox upshifts without so much as the slightest hesitation.

The other thing I notice is that when braking I can feel the gearbox downshifting. There'll be a just-perceptible change in the car's momentum during braking, which coincides exactly with the rev counter rising with each downward change. Braking from say 50 mph to a stop it'll happen 4 times. Braking with the gear selector set in the manual mode and the selected gear is displayed I can (just) feel each downshift as the display changes.

Before I start pulling things apart and possibly go chasing shadows, does this all sound normal for a D5 automatic?

I keep telling myself that it's never going to be quite a smooth as my old S90 because the V70 is front wheel drive, with a much heavier engine, two additional gear ratios and of course a diesel engine. No matter how sophisticated the car might be, all those things work against the ultimate smoothness of a big old lazy six-pot petrol engine driving the rear wheels.

Of course the big plus the V70 has is its impressive 47mpg average, which actually topped 50mpg during our holiday in Cornwall last month! That and the fact that as an estate it's a supremely practical car.

So, after the super-smoothness of the S90, are my expectations just plain wrong for the V70?

The car has done 137,000 miles and has a full history, with the cam and aux belts changed at the last service, ten thousand miles ago.

I'd be very interested to hear any views and comments.

Thanks

Jack

[volvosam]

I am not a Volvo man but have been a long term driver of MB and BMW diesels and petrols - most of them 6 cylinder models. I only have recent experience of the Volvo D5 as my late brother had two - an S80 which I have just sold and a 2002 V70 which I am now figuring out what to do with as it is out of MOT, needs some work for sure and is worth peanuts even with a MOT....so with that as a caveat here would be my view
The petrol cars are always going to feel more refined vs a diesel - and especially a straight 6 config. The MB straight 6 diesel comes a close second to the petrol and the Volvo D5 is good but not as smooth as the MB (sorry).
Your D5 is probably behaving normally for a 137k miler .....but could probably be improved - check the service history for ATF change - and have a look on the dipstick, ideally the fluid should be a clear cherry red, if it has not been done at 137k then it will either be light brown or worse darker brown or black.....if not red then get it changed. Looks relatively easy on the D5 vs MB and BMW.
Then look to see if the engine mounts (I think there are 5) have been changed; if not then they are probably way past their use by date - again from what I have seen under the bonnet of the S80/V70 they look to be easy to change compared with the Germans and if you plan to keep the car for a while a good investment.
The other thing that I would look at on a D5 is the EGR valve - get it cleaned out - it helps the diesels breathe more freely and could have an impact on smoothness.

[Ulrikas PA]

I have a late 2016 D5 with 45,000m and the hybrid EV battery.

Coming from a V6 3.0 Tdi Audi, I find the engine clattery, gruff and noisy from cold.

In stark contrast, it's silent in EV mode or very refined with the engine running over 45mph.
The 'issue' with my car is that the engine cuts in, in hybrid mode when it's cold or lukewarm.

I like the car, but the engine is not a patch on a V6 diesel, bearing in mind that my Audi had 165,000m when I sold it.

[Simmy]

Originally Posted by capt jack

I'm relatively new to Volvo diesel ownership, my previous dozen or so Volvos have all been petrol, the most recent being a 1997 6-cylinder 3-litre S90 auto.

I now have a (rather more frugal) 2012 V70 D5 auto, and my question is about the level of engine noise and vibration that's "normal".

My car starts and drives very well, and is impressively smooth and quiet, but not quite as smooth and quiet as my old S90, which had an inaudible tickover, and was effortlessly smooth at all speeds.

The V70 is good, but at idle there's a slight vibration through the steering wheel, especially from cold, around town the engine is quite gruff, and on some (but not all) road surfaces at 60mph there's a very slight "buzzing" sensation felt mostly through the accelerator pedal. I've had new tyres fitted, the wheels balanced and the steering and suspension checked, with no issues reported. The front discs and pads are all new, and the rears have been stripped and cleaned, with brake grease added in all the right places, included the slider pins.

Looking at the top engine torque rod I can see some cracking in the rubber bush, and I can, quite easily with gentle finger pressure only, move the rod from side to side a few millimetres in either direction. The rubber bush is however intact - and not broken away at all. There's no untoward clonking, and the gearbox upshifts without so much as the slightest hesitation.

The other thing I notice is that when braking I can feel the gearbox downshifting. There'll be a just-perceptible change in the car's momentum during braking, which coincides exactly with the rev counter rising with each downward change. Braking from say 50 mph to a stop it'll happen 4 times. Braking with the gear selector set in the manual mode and the selected gear is displayed I can (just) feel each downshift as the display changes.

Before I start pulling things apart and possibly go chasing shadows, does this all sound normal for a D5 automatic?

I keep telling myself that it's never going to be quite a smooth as my old S90 because the V70 is front wheel drive, with a much heavier engine, two additional gear ratios and of course a diesel engine. No matter how sophisticated the car might be, all those things work against the ultimate smoothness of a big old lazy six-pot petrol engine driving the rear wheels.

Of course the big plus the V70 has is its impressive 47mpg average, which actually topped 50mpg during our holiday in Cornwall last month! That and the fact that as an estate it's a supremely practical car.

So, after the super-smoothness of the S90, are my expectations just plain wrong for the V70?

The car has done 137,000 miles and has a full history, with the cam and aux belts changed at the last service, ten thousand miles ago.

I'd be very interested to hear any views and comments.

Thanks

Jack

check all engine mounts if the one under the where the belts are fails it allows the engine to touch the sub frame causing a buzzing note also top and bottom torque mounts these are prone to wear and easy to replace its always worth replacing the auto box fluid on any recent purchase just for peace of mind make sure to use the correct fluid.

[5cilinder]

Inline 6 engines have perfect enginebalance, (besides combustion vibrations)
inline 5 not , they are relatively "smooth"in midrange rpms and pretty awful during low rpmś , thats why the hydraulic enginemounts are used and activated at low rpm , and if they go bad it gives a lot of vibrations , but also with functioning enginemounts it will never compare to an inline 6