Engine: S60: S60 Odd Noises

[AustinM64]

Dear All,

I have a September 02 Volvo S60 which has done just under 240k miles. The car has been serviced regularly by Volvo up tp approx 210k. (There no more software upgrades so I now carry out the oil, oil filter, fuel filter, air filter and cabin pollen filter myself. (Still but the parts from Volvo.))

The engine still pulls well and the car drives well too BUT... the engine seems to be getting a little 'rattley' and when at idle, if you blip the throttle, it makes a weird noise on the overrun. (As a side note the rattle does seem to bee more top end and I wondered whether the noise on the overrun could be a pulley or something)

I am just about to change the oil and filters etc and wondered should I be using a thicker oil maybe a 10w40 or even a 15w40?

Any thoughts gratefully received.

Austin

[Georgeandkira]

My '02 exhibited what sounded to me like "top end ticking" more than a tad louder than I liked.
I'm ashamed to admit I tried a "boutique oil" said to be quieting. It was "Royal Purple"; a Mobil1 based product with an adpack and dye. It silenced the engine. I was amazed.

What your "rattles" are could be entirely different. I sure don't want to be remembered as one who recommended a "high school boy oil" to you fine people.

You could have a bad bearing somewhere in your belt hardware so try step #1.
Remove the accessory belt and start the car for a few seconds. If said rattling goes away you narrowed down the source.

At your mileage it could be such an idler or tensioner. It also could be your AC clutch, your alternator (they tent to growl), possibly a complaining PS pump.

[cheshired5]

Originally Posted by AustinM64

I wondered whether the noise on the overrun could be a pulley or something)

I am just about to change the oil and filters etc and wondered should I be using a thicker oil maybe a 10w40 or even a 15w40?

If you can't vouch for the age and quality of both the belts and all pulleys including the alternator pulley, it could well be a pulley bearing or mechanism on the way out.
If it's a D5, the best oil in my experience is Shell Helix Ultra 5w 40 and I would absolutely not use a 10w or 15w oil.

Some video of the noise might help though so you can upload to YouTube then post the link on here.

[paddy74]

To throw in another guess: engine mounts

At 240k sounds about right to change them.

But that's just another guess, without more information and maybe a video or mp3, it is very difficult...

[Thassos]

Might be worth using a stethoscope (cheap to buy), and see if you can hear where the source of the rattling is, or at least in the general area, the tensioners that is on the aux belt will have surely needed replacement even a couple of times at your mileage, and its a part you really dont want siezing up or causing the aux belt to come off.. so ild be having a close look at its history.

[AustinM64]

Hi Guys,

Apologies for the delay in getting a couple of videos to upload but here we.

The first is of the pully jumping. It coincided with a knock and I'm not sure if the pully jump is the cause of the jump or the result. The belts were changed at 190,500 miles and the alternator, including its pully, is new too. When the car is stationary - at tick-over - I can feel the little jolt/hunt/cough/hesitation that it makes but the rev counter doesn't show any variation/fluctuation in
the RPM.

https://youtu.be/cPEX14vwVaY

The second video is of the over-run noise. It sounds like a 'grumbling' noise of some kind.

https://youtu.be/FLLbN8ACWAM

The car is still my daily driver and I recently took it on a 400-mile round trip to Lille in France.

Cheers Austin

[cheshired5]

Originally Posted by cheshired5

If you can't vouch for the age and quality of both the belts and all pulleys

Originally Posted by AustinM64

The belts were changed at 190,500 miles and the alternator, including its pully, is new too.

As previously asked, were all pulleys changed?
Timing tensioner and idler and auxiliary tensioner unit/pulley and idler?

You need to spell out exactly what you have changed and with what brands.

[AustinM64]

To the best of my knowledge, no pulleys have been changed. Only the cam belt (twice at 98k and 190k) and the aux belt, (I changed with the alternator 20k ago) can be vouched for.

[greasyfingers]

My money's on the AC pulley. I've just replaced the compressor on mine, which was exhibiting similar behavior. You could de-tension the aux. belt tensioner and slip the belt off, and then see if the pulley is rough to turn; check the other pulleys while you are at it. If you are lucky, you can dismantle the AC pulley clutch and replace the bearing. Someone will probably be along shortly to point you to the right video. I couldn't get mine apart, so had to replace the whole compressor.

Without attention, it could be about to seize up; that will wreck the aux belt, which may, in turn, wreck the timing belt, and that'll be curtains for the engine.

A point of caution - when removing or replacing the auxiliary belt, don't be tempted to use a lever against the edge of the power steering pump pulley - it's made of plastic. Don't ask how I know, but I can also tell you that superglue works surprisingly well on that pulley.

[Brendan W]

Tensioner jumping more than a mm is a racing certainty it's the alternator freewheel failing. It would also explain the noise on over run when the freewheel is supposed to freewheel.