Hi all,
I have a 1985 Volvo 240 SW and everytime I start it, it makes this annoying high-pitched whining sound.
Today the car was running (the heater was off) and the sound came back. [:@]
Is this a common problem?

PS the only work I have done in the car lately is replacing the old air filter with a K&N.

Thanks for the help.

 

is this an interior or exterior squeal? If it's aninterior squeal, its the blower motor. it's an easy replacement on the '89 740gl. it's three bolts and hanging upside down in the passenger footwell for 15 min. no panel removal. motor drops out and the new one goes right in. buy one with lots of vanes. the cheap ones skip some vanes and the blower is not as strong.

 

Thanks for replying! The sound comes from the inside. Now the sound, after driving for 5 minutes, goes away. But hearing it every day when the car is warming up is really annoying.

Is the blower easy to replace in a 1985 240 SW?

 

Definately the blower motor. My 740 does the same thing for a very short period when it's very cold outside. (Very cold here is below 40) I find it negligible since it isn't intolerable yet.

 

I replaced my blower motor not too long ago. The squeeling means that the bearing is bad and the fan cage is off kilter and rubbing up against the housing as it spins.If you don't replace it,it will eventually seize up completely.

Replacement is pretty easy. As I recall, you don't have to remove the passenger-side kick panel to get to it. The housing will have three screws holding it in place. Usually, a new blower motor will come with a replacement seal.

 

Gotta tell you, if it's anything like replacing the 1989 240 blower motor it is a CHORE. Definitely the most time intensive thing I have ever done on the 240. It is like the entire front end of the car was built around that dumb blower. I'm having a similar problem on my 240, so I wait till the engine is good and warm before turning it on in hopes that I can prevent it burning out for a couple of months. I'm also going to get some lube on the passenger bearing hoping that it will help it for another couple months.

 

please start a new thread, don't piggyback on a completely unrelated 5 year old thread