740 1989 whirring

[leonard]

Hello, my 1989 740 gle 2.3 petrol has started making a whirring noise.

Starting up is fine, stationary is fine. The whirring kicks in around five minutes after moving. it still whirrs when moving in neutral. the whirring gets quicker and more high pitched the faster you go. it seems to be coming from the passenger side or somewhere under the dash board.

it started after a fairly long drive from sheffield to bristol and ive got a bit of driving ahead of me and without knowing i dont want to head off and cause more damage

reading similar threads it seems it could be the wheel bearing hub (£70 from swedish car parts in bristol) which is why i want to be sure before buying.

and other threads suggest suspension or various pumps.

non of the above show the exact same symptoms though which is why im reluctant to buy a bearing hub.

i'm aware one mans whirr is another mans pitoooooooo! but has anyone experienced this problem before or suggest what it might be

cheers

Andy, owner of Leonard Limoy

[minesa240x3]

Hi Leonard if it is the front wheel bearing then you shouldn't have to replace the "HUB" just the wheel bearing.It does sound like your guess is right as the noise increases with speed and is not affected by engine speed.Try jacking the front wheel up on the opposite side from the noise and spin the wheel by hand and get a feel for it.Then do the other side(Both at the same time if you have the facilities)And check for any movement as you pull at the hub.If it's the bearing and it's bad you should feel it.
Keep us informed anyway.
Regards Brian.

[mikealder]

Is the noise only present when the car is moving or can it be heard when stationary with the engine running? - Mike

[leonard]

hello Mike, Yes it is only present when moving

Brian, Haynes say that with the 89 740 you have to replace the whole hub unit as you can't get at the actual bearings, i'l have a go at spinning the wheels though as you suggest

cheers andy

[leonard]

hello i just pestered a man from Elite Volvo (who drove past (a volvo mechanic since 1989))! he recons its the Prop Shaft Centre Mount Bearing or the Wheel Bearing. he recommended to take it for a drive to see if the noise changes round corners. it if does its more probably the wheel bearing, if not he said to check the prop bearing. he also said theres a chance it could be relate to the Diff but not likely

[minesa240x3]

Hi Leonard well done on cornering the volvo guy!My 740 GLE makes a wining moise as well and I reckoned it to be the center prop bearing so maybe yours is the same.I didn't know about the bearing being non removeable?
Regards Brian.

[leonard]

it has now being diagnosed as the Centre Prop Bearing £12.75 from GSF!

[leonard]

all is not what it seems

i took him to a garage who diagnosed the the bearing, but due to him being a stretched volvo he wouldn't fit on their ramp.

so i took it to elite volvo, they say it is a different problem, they road tested and said there is various noises!
- at high speed the differential is making a bit of noise but they recon its just due to age and shouldn't worry to much (especially as a second hand axel is £400 + hours)

- but they think the whirring i'm actually going on about is the hand brake rubbing on one side. so he is going to strip the handbrake and i'm waiting to hear from him