240 Manual Trans Squeal
 

I've had a 1991 240 sedan, manual transmission, 120,000 miles, stock, since 2006. It's a "hand-me-up" from one of my sons, who bought it in 1995 from the original owner. When I got it, it was at about 105,000 miles, and had been sitting unused in my son's back yard for two years while he started accumulating two Prius'. One of the first things I did was have a local independent shop that specializes in older Volvo's replace the clutch.

Since then, at intermittent, unpredictable intervals, the clutch will squeal during shifting as I let up on the clutch pedal. It doesn't happen all the time, but it is noticeable when it happens. The Indy does not seem to be concerned about it, and says it's typical of Volvo manual transmissions of that era, but it is aggravating to me when it happens. Realizing that there are not many manual transmissions on these cars, does anyone know why this happens and how to correct it?

No, they all don't do it. Sounds like the throw out bearing is squealing. May be they didn't replace it when they did the clutch. The only cure is to replace it now and that means the removal of the transmission... Ah, gotta love the "repair shops"!

Thank you for the quick diagnosis. I was afraid that there was another part gone bad. Is the squealing something that will gradually sound louder and more frequent as I drive more? Will not getting it fixed soon damage other parts in the trans?

Well, yeah, it will get worse but no telling when... (like all else). And, no, it's not hurting anything in the meantime.

so, just to confirm.... this squeal is only when your foot is on the clutch partially depressed, and it goes away completely once the clutch is fully engaged ? if thats the case, then yeah, its almost certainly the "throwout" bearing. be interesting to find out if this guy uses 'real' Volvo parts, or Scantech/etc trade parts. ScanTech quality has gone to the birds of late.

Pierce, the answer to your question is yes, I only hear the squealing when the clutch pedal is partially depressed, and it disappears after the pedal is out completely. By the way, what is the proper name of the "throw out" bearing. I've looked it up on several after market parts suppliers websites, and they do not accept the term "throw out" when I do a search.

The indy I use is very good and completely honest, and will not do work that he does not deem necessary. I suspect that when I had the clutch work done six years ago, he inspected the throw out bearing and did not find any reason to replace it at that time. He uses genuine Volvo parts, and I can confirm this by what I see going into the car when he works on it, and by having seen deliveries by the local Volvo dealer's parts truck when I am waiting there while he is working on the car. He will NOT use crappy Chinese aftermarket junk. Plus, his hourly rate is $65, based on actual time, not book time. It was $45 when I started using him 6 years ago. I suspect his accountant told him he was undercharging relative to the marketplace. My guess is that if i push him to examine this situation in more detail, he will come round to diagnosing the problem, but will tell me it's not serious enough yet to bother with.

the volvo parts catalog calls it 'release bearing', PN 3549391 (assuming you have the M47 5-speed transmission on a 1991 240)

It's a 4 speed with overdrive.

on a 91? oh. hmmm, i thought those were long gone by 91. is this a conversion?

anyways, I dug back to an 86 240 with an M46 4speed+OD, and it also uses the same PN 'release bearing'.

Thanks for the research, Pierce, to verify the correct name.

No, it is not a conversion. It is completely stock. Spent its first 15 years in Florida, North Carolina and Virginia before my son drove it up here to Maine in 2006 and gave me the keys. Serious paint failure on the hood and roof, probably due to its having lived outside all the time in the brutal southern sunlight. But, because of where it has been, it is rust free, unlike other Volvos of its era which have spent their entire lives enduring winter's calcium chloride roads up here.

well, AFAIK 1986 is the last year that the M46 transmission (4 speed with the Laycock J type overdrive) was on option, everything newer than that got the M47, which is a straight 5-speed, so having an M46 in a 1991 is quite unusual.

Yeah, that car came with a M47 for sure, only the 740 Turbos in the US had M46 in 1991. Rare "conversion" this, usually they go the other way. But it doesn't matter as far as the bearing, whatever you wanna call it--every car with a clutch uses one.
Waydown: Do you have an owner's manual for the car? The easiest way to verify the tranny type.

when we say 4 speed + OD, we mean, the M46 has a 4 speed stick, and there's a switch on top of the kob that engages the separate electric overdrive unit, which is mounted on the back of the transmission. The M47 has a 5 speed shift pattern, even if the 5th gear is labeled 'OD' instead of '5', and is a integrated 5 speed transmission.

Pierce and lev, mystery solved. It must be a 5-speed manual trans. The stick knob has 1-2-3-4-5 on it. There definitely is no switch on the dash for overdrive. According to page 115 in the owner's manual, it is an M47 II manual transmission. Except for a VW "squareback" from the early 70's, it is the only manual transmission vehicle I have ever owned. Thanks for helping me clear this up.

My 81 245 dl has been squealing recently, softly when i am in neutral and louder when i push on the gas(regardless of whether i am in gear or not) it goes away after the engine hits a little high rpms.
one of my buddies told me it could be my water pump.
Any thoughts on the matter?

could be your generator belt ? the bushings age and sag and it loosens. also it can get out of square, so the belt is running at a slight angle, makes it squeal and age prematurely.

get a hardwood dowel, maybe 1/2" in diameter, 2-3 feet long, with smooth rounded ends. open hood. start car. with car idling, touch various non-moving hard parts with the dowel while gently putting your ear on the other end. you might be amazed with what you can hear, its like a stethoscope.