Hi everyone! Long time Volvo owner/lover here..I just bought a 95 940 turbo with 197k miles. The car was maintained extremely well with dealership records going back all the way to 1998. One owner and gargae kept.. I drove it home about 30 miles and everything was smooth. I went back out to start it up after letting it sit for about an hour and the check engine light came on. Then I noticed what seemed like higher than usual rpm's at idle. After driving a few minutes I started hearing a tapping sound that seemed to be coming from underneath the car. As I pulled into the garage it became increasingly louder..check out this video to let me know what you think.
It sounds like a rod bearing maybe? I did notice it was very low on oil after hearing the noise. No oil light though,
Are these motors hard to find? Am I better off trying to repair or rebuild this?

Video here:

 

how much oil did it take to fill it up to between the lines ? there's only like 4-5 quarts in these engines, and if they get much below two quarts from full they don't get adequate lubrication.

the oil pressure light should come on when you turn on the ignition, and go out when the engine starts. if its very cold it might take a couple seconds to go out. the light indicates there's no oil pressure, it does not tell you its low on oil (it has to be very low before you'll lose oil pressure, followed almost immediately with engine siezing up.

its really hard to diagnose sounds from a video as there's no reference for volume. that certainly does not sound good,

 

Thanks for your response. I just went out today and started it up and the sound is completely gone. I took another video ...this is really strange though because the oil level wasn't that low. It only took about a quart and a half or so to get oil back to full mark on the dipstick line. The engine is running smooth and quiet now..even took out out on the road an got on it a couple times with no issue at all.

 

Goldenblock here!! So glad your car is ok brother.
it may actually been closer to 2 quarts low... Lubrication is essential to redblock longevity!!!

As Jay Z said " you cant beat whats unbeatable"

 

It couldv'e been 2 quarts..I was pouring out of a 5 quart jug until I saw some oil on the dipstick. I'm so happy and surprised this thing is running smooth now lol I still have a weird idle and CEL but i'll get that checked out later this week

 

Cool cool let me know if you need insight!!!
peace and blessings

 

one thing I appreciate about the Mercedes 300E thats replaced my last volvo, it holds like 7-8 quarts of oil, it has to be TWO quarts low to be at the bottom line on the dip stick. AND in addition to an actual oil pressure gauge, it has an oil level idiot light triggered by a separate sensor in the block, that comes on when the oil is about 1/2 quart below that low mark.

 

That does not sound like a bottom end noise.
RPM should not, cannot, increase in case of rod, bearings noises, any kind of mechanical problem.
Was the oil level OK before your 30 mile trip? If it was OK, how did it lose 2 qts over such short distance? A 940 should not lose 2 qts under any circumstance even over several thousand miles.
Run the OBD see what the CEL code is, should give you a clue.
Whatever the noise was, I wouldn't sweat it too much as it went away, but investigate the oil loss...

 

2nd video sounded ok but, since you just bought the car maybe a complete new oil + filter change may be a good thing to do...
then monitor oil level frequently.

 

Yes, I plan on doing that later this week and get the codes read as well. I'm a salesman at Volvo dealership so i'll have one of the techs that knows these motors work on it. I just hope the sound doesn't come back again mysteriously

 

I did check it prior to driving but that was after a couple engine cranks(battery was dead and I had to go buy jumper cables)..I really don't think it was quite 2 quarts..definitely at least a quart though.

 

the codes are read on this car by pushing a button and counting blinking lights. no equipment required, these predate OBD-II (which was new in 1996)

have any of your techs been there since the early 90s? if not, they probably do not know that much about these classics, most dealer techs only work on newer stuff, and the older guys retire and open their own indie shops.

 

oh, after the engine was cranked over cold, you need to wait an hour or so for the cold oil to settle back down to get an accurate reading. if the engine was fully warmed up, then just a few minutes gets you close enough, although I prefer to wait 30 minutes after parking on a level spot.

 

Yeah i'm aware of this..luckily we still have a few guys here that drive and work on these older models. We have a 93 940 Turbo in for service now..surprisingly enough people still bring these things to the dealership for service..hence how I got mine.

 

I plan on doing an oil change later this week..but after adding oil it seems like the level is staying the same so that's good. I'm driving it back and forth to work so we'll see how it goes.

 

Lol it was a bolt that was caught between the flywheel and tranny..

 

Good thing they were able to find it, these types of "freak" problems can haunt a tech for ever! Might have caused some worse damage too. Wonder what bolt was that ended in there like that, a flywheel attachment one?

 

Is this a stick shift car, and that bolt was banging around the clutch? Automatic transmission have a flex plate rather than a flywheel, and the torque converter.

 

Sorry, I meant flexplate bolt..im just glad it didn't do any further damage! I feel kinda dumb because I kept adding oil when it didn't even need it lol

 

a wiser man than me said -

if everything goes right, you don't learn as much.

i can only speak for myself, but 90% of what I know (and continue to learn) abides by that principle.