Hi all, Just bought myself a 2002 Volvo V70 2.4 140 SE. It has covered 35,000 miles.

It has a full Volvo History with it too.

I would like to find out what a strange noise could be. The noise happens when driving at any speed. I mainly drive town though so usually 20-30 mph.

It is coming from the front end and sounds like something vibrating against something. Like plastic vibrating or something. It does it when accelerating, free wheeling or braking. On flat roads with no bumps. Driving in a straight line too.

I thought it might be the ecu holder so i strapped it down, the air filter box was loose so tied it down. Still the noise remains.

It is like a vibrating noise but there is no vibrations through steering wheel or cabin. It sounds like its coming from the front end somewhere. If anyone has experienced similar noise or knows what it could be please let me know.

I am loving the Volvo though. It is my first Volvo and is very comfy. The stereo sounds great too. Very practical. Only thing is the fuel consumption in town is very poor. I am getting 17mpg. It will do 32 on a run but in town it is bad.

 

That seems very bad mpg, is it auto? Sorry, can't help with the noise. I wonder if the two are connected, but these things are very difficult to track down. Sounds silly, but it's not something in the glovebox? Are the windscreen pillar outside clip-on plastic cosmetic body parts loose?

 

Hi, yes it is an automatic. It is mainly used around town. Not sure at all what the noise could be. I suspect it will be suspension related. The stabaliser bar that has the top engine mount connected to it is a bit loose are these meant to be?. I can move it pretty easily with my hands. Not very far though maybe a few cm in every direction. Looked at the rubber bushes and they all appear fine.

The weather has been rotten so not had the chance to have the car up and check suspension for play and noises. Hopefully we will get some sunshine soon.

We are considering selling the car already. 2002 V70 2.4 SE with lots of extras 35k miles with full main dealer volvo history. I have a matching volvo roof box in same colour as car and a full set of winter wheels and tyres. If anyone was interested in it.

It has the optional 4x75w amp under driver seat, rear sun blinds, shopping stowage system in boot, full cream leather with heated and memory driver seat. 17" thor alloys, pearl red paintwork, auto fold power mirrors with puddle lights, factory fitted parking sensors, winter package with headlight wash and wipe, roof racks with keys, Has pirelli P6000 tyres all round. Car is immaculate.

Obviously I would have the noise seen to prior to sale. I will have a look at it and take it to my local garage to fix. I would provide receipt for work if any was done. It could be something simple.

It does not sound mechanical though, more like a rattle. If it were suspension it surely would do it on bumps not flat road.

 

A video would help with the sound and mount concerns. If you're not good with a video/via smartphone, have some kid do it for you. Then link it back here.

 

As for the MPG, How far are you driving? Is the car getting warm fast?

 

Hi, car is not getting driven very far at all at the minute. My wife is using it for her work so about a mile each way. It does warm up fairly fast though.

It does get over 30 on a run though. Just a lot of hills where i live which won't be helping at all.

The noise from the front could be many things. I will need to have it jacked up when weather is good and push and pull a few bits to see if i can get the noise. Seems to be from driver side though and it has started to make a knock sometimes over bumps.

We love the car but I think we will probably go for something smaller or a diesel. I sort of need a large car though being 6ft 2". I like having the space and comfort.

My wife had a 206 SW before and it was dreadful. I had a 2002 civic before which was surprisingly roomy was actually bigger than my 2004 accord touring. Only problem was it was very tin like. Like sitting in a bean can. Lots of road and wind noise.

The Volvo has a fair amount of road noise too. Its noisier than my e39 5 series and a touch louder than my old e46 3 series.

The seats in the Volvo are very comfy though. Its a 2002 v70 SE. It has just had the 1 owner from brand new. They were going to trade it in and were offered a silly price so I bought it off them at a slightly higher price.

35,000 miles done on it. So I was kind of questioning how a suspension component could be needing replaced so soon. I suppose it is a fairly heavy car. I like Honda's reliability. I have owned a lot of Honda's and never needed anything at all but petrol and yearly service. BMW felt reliable but I had a fair whack go wrong on mine.

I don't think a diesel would be the answer though as we mostly do short runs in our car. So some small economical petrol. But a car big enough to get suitcases and a step ladder in occasionally.

 

Have you tried turning off the cabin air blower to see if that impacts the noise. We just had to replace that blower after it began making a crickets/little-birds-tweeting sound on us. it's buried deep, so it costs a bundle to replace...
good luck!

 

Knocking over bumps - mine did that and the front shocks needed doing. The top mounting plate on these shocks is a known weak point. I drive around potholes whenever physically possible!

I'm afraid that driving a car like that - a Mile? Did you say a mile each way? Sorry, but that's the fastest way to big repair bills. Modern cars, and particularly big ones like our volvos, need to be driven at least 5 miles so that the components are all at operating temperature - and that doesn't mean when the temperature gauge reaches it's normal position. I read the Telegraph's motoring section for years and they regularly got letters asking why 'my car's has to be repaired for great cost, when I only drive it up the road and back'. The answer was always the same. 'You're not driving it far enough'.
It's also why the mpg is appalling and it could well damage the cat. Get it out on a motorway and take it for a good blast! And at other times give the accelerator a 'flooring' from time to time.
I've had to replace my cat because (I didn't know this before) I was driving too efficiently! I knew about the dangers of short journeys and floods damaging the cat, but I wasn't aware of the cat 'bunging up' due to (as my brother put it) 'driving like an old woman'!
So, I'm afraid you'll have to explain to your wife that she can't do her journey in the car. I don't envy you on that score. You could try buying her a Brompton...

 

Hi folks, just an update. I think I have pin pointed the noise coming from the front.

I was standing around the engine bay when my dad closed the passanger door. A very similar noise appeared. So he done it a few times and it seems to be coming from the radiator fan?

Anyone else experienced this?. Seems like the whole plastic assembly the fan sits in rattles. It is securely fastened and all bolted on. Just when you dunt it it rattles causing the metal fan motor assembly to rattle.

I am aware that driving short distances can result in big bills. So we usually take the car on a run and give it a bit of beans once it has warmed up thoroughly. After a 200 mile round trip the other day car seems to be running a lot better.

The rattle does not really bother me too much though as I have the premium sound system with the 4x75 watt amp under seat.

I have also managed to track down a genuine subwoofer for it too. Lucky me.

Now all i need is the integrated booster seats and rear cup holders in armrest and it will be perfect.

If anyone can suggest or knows any way of curing the radiator fan housing rattle please let me know.

The alarm service message has popped up but turned out to be siren. Does this need to be replaced or I have heard removing the fuse and replacing it can sometimes cure it for a while.

 

Thanks for update!
I haven't had radiator fan assembly rattles - but I'll have a look next time. Always worth turning up the stereo to cover the noises!

What I have had is a leak getting in the passenger door seal and running down it, then out at the bottom and getting under the carpet. The annoying thing is that because the carpet is rubber-backed, it doesn't make the carpet wet on top. So unless you remove the plastic kick plate and feel under the carpet, you don't know until the floor rusts out, or the electrics get corrosion problems! One sign is condensation on the inside of the windows in the morning (if the car is parked outside).

I had a 740 which had very annoying occasional cutout troubles - eventually tracked down to corroded fuel relays in the cabin. That car had a leak problem too, until I cured it!