V40: Exhaust banging on underside

[Gary168]

Hi, last night I drove slowly through some deep floodwater and since then I have got a banging noise on the underside of the car just under where the gear selector is. I have been under the car to have a look at what may be wrong, but the only thing I can see is that there appears to be a missing rubber support for the exhaust system. I have looked at the various online parts lists to see what sort of hanger/support is required but cannot find which one is correct for my car. Also there does not appear to be any mounting points on the exhaust system to fit a support too.

Anyone had experience of how to fit mounting point to the exhaust system and fit a rubber hanger to the chassis mounting point?

Thanks.

My car is a 2003 V40 1.9 petrol estate SE model.

[Worms]

A couple of years ago, I thought I had an exhaust hanger problem at a similar spot (1.8i so may be different from yours) but found it was the aluminium heat-shield (maybe it is simply there to protect the exhaust from grounding). This was cracked and no longer firmly attached and was clunking around. A while later, it fell foul of a speed bump that I needed to reverse over and I had to remove it. Since then no clunk (and more care with speed bumps and anywhere that I might ground the car).

I'm not sure why the aluminium had cracked but I always presumed that it might have been hot from the exhaust then plunged into cold water when going through flood water or ford.

[Gary168]

Thanks for the response, but I think my problem maybe engine mountings. I had the exhaust system checked out on a garage ramp today and even with violent shaking it did not touch any part of the car, so now suspect that engine mountings may be where the problem is. Also while it was on the ramp we noticed an oil leak from between the engine and gearbox. Guy in the garage said that this model Volvo was notorious for oil leaks at this point on the engine, so I am not a happy bunny today.

[skyship007]

Originally Posted by Gary168

Thanks for the response, but I think my problem maybe engine mountings. I had the exhaust system checked out on a garage ramp today and even with violent shaking it did not touch any part of the car, so now suspect that engine mountings may be where the problem is. Also while it was on the ramp we noticed an oil leak from between the engine and gearbox. Guy in the garage said that this model Volvo was notorious for oil leaks at this point on the engine, so I am not a happy bunny today.

Oddly enough one of my exhaust mounts was missing, but my local Indy only charged me 30 Euros to weld one from their scrap bin.

None of the V40's are known for oil leaks. The one you have might be the seal from the engine to the box, or the box input seal. Both are bad news in terms of repair cost, so if it's the engine seal I would just try half a can of a good quality stop leak or change to using a high mileage oil like Valvoline Maxlife 10w40 or Castrol GTX 15w40 (Summer only as it's a bit thick for a cold winter).

If it's the box input seal, Liqui Moly do make a stop leak additive, but the main thing is not to run out of box oil.

[Gary168]

Many thanks Skyship007 for your reply. I think the oil leaking is engine oil, at least that is what is smells like.

Be nice to be able to get a parts list to show the location of the offending seal, to work out if it is a feasible DIY job to change the seal with the engine in situ?

[skyship007]

Originally Posted by Gary168

Many thanks Skyship007 for your reply. I think the oil leaking is engine oil, at least that is what is smells like.

Be nice to be able to get a parts list to show the location of the offending seal, to work out if it is a feasible DIY job to change the seal with the engine in situ?

It's probably only worth doing if you need to do a clutch job. The seals are cheap, but you might well need an insertion tool to make sure it goes in straight.
Easy job with the right tool once the box is out.

How bad is the leak ??
If it's not dripping, just wetting the undertray I would ignore it.

[Gary168]

When the car was on the garage ramp with the engine running there was two drips that I saw, but since the car has been parked there is no drips showing on the road under the car. I think I will ignore them but just keep a frequent check on the engine oil levels. If it starts to use a significant amount of oil I will consider my options. Thanks for the advice and opinions. Much appreciated.

Gary