I just bought a 2001 S40 with 99K. I have come to notice, however, that there are two significant and perhaps related problems.

There is a clanking noise in the rear driver's side (as near as I can tell) that occurs when going over bumps in the road (even those as small as seams in the pavement). I don't think I've noticed it when I've been on the highway, but I spend most of my time driving on roads less than 45 mph, so I can't say for sure. It doesn't seem to occur during turning, unless of course the turn involves a bump in the road.

I have removed all items from the trunk (including the spare wheel apparatus) and tried to shake the CD changer, to see if it was loose. My boyfriend says it sounds like metal on metal, as though something like a tie rod is loose.

The second problem is that the car shakes when it accelerates under pressure--as in, going on the highway or up a hill. This is readily noticeable from either front side seat. I recently had four new tires put on it, and with that the car was balanced, and the problem seemed to disappear. Several weeks later, it's back.

When I had the tires put on, I asked the mechanics about the shake. They took it on several test drives, had it in the back, and couldn't come up with an answer. They suggested it might be the transmission, and said I should get a flush. As the shaking had stopped after it was balanced, I declined to get the transmission flush.

The previous owner of the car said that she had experienced the shaking, also, when I asked her about it. She said though that VIP, where she had taken it, said it was only a balancing issue and it disappeared after that for her.

So, my question is: what do you think is wrong with the car? Could the problems be related? I am not mechanically adept, so any work will have to be done at a shop.

The only other time I've encountered anything similar was on my much-missed Volvo 240, which would produce a mystifying lunking noise in the passenger rear at speeds over 65 mph. However, the problem disappeared just as mysteriously...

 

I had a clunking coming from the right rear a few years ago, (same year/model). IIRC, turned out to be the right rear stabilizer (torsion?) bar. After the bar was replaced, all 4 wheels needed re-alignmnent. I didnt experience any shaking during that time. To get it checked I suggest taking it to a Volvo specialist shop, not "Joe's lube and tire shop" It is probably a little more expensive but IMO, its worth it.

Where is the shaking exactly? In the steering wheel, body, front or rear? Does it increase/decrease proportionally with speed or engine RPM?

 

Also, I almost forgot. I had 2 new tires put on the front, and had them balanced, but when I drove the car away, the car was shaking in the steering wheel and in the front end... I went back to the shop and told them so they put the wheels/tires back on the machine and they reported they were fine. In a polite and professional manner, I said B*** S***!!! So I made them turn the tire 180 degrees on the rim and re-balance them. Also, I made them clean off the dirt/gunk/grime off the rims because that can throw off the balance also.

 

Thank you for your input--I will be taking it to the Volvo dealership soon anyway, for the 100k tuneup, so I suppose I won't waste anymore time going to a non-specialist. (I can't even find foreign car specialists in my area!)

As for your question: I can feel it through the steering wheel, but to speak generally, I feel it through the front of the car. It seems to radiate back from the hood, if that makes sense, so that a passenger side experiences it too. It doesn't seem concentrated from one side, as far as I can tell. It increases with RPM only if I accelerate quickly. As soon as I stop accelerating, the vibration stops.

While I said the mechanics I had look at it said it was the transmission (which I desperately hope is NOT the case), it doesn't make sense to me: I used to drive a standard, and while this car is an automatic, the shaking will occur when I accelerate between 55-65 mph. Shouldn't the car already be in fifth by that time?

 

Allison,

Just wondering if you ever resolved this issue...I am having similar issues with my Volvo 2001 S40 and can't seem to find the problem.

When you took it to the specialist, what ended up being the problem?

Thanks,

Demi

 

This happen between the speed of 55 and 62 mph.

Anything below 55 mph, there is not shaking

Anything above 62 mph no shaking either.

What I'm thinking:
- I had the front rims professionally straightened 10000 miles after I put 4 new tires. The rims were slightly bent. So I'm thinking the new tres got used to the bent rim and morphed into its shae. Now that they are straight, it has some bumps on it.

But I'm not not where it's coming from. I think it's the front .

Also why does it only vibrate between 55 and 62 mph?

 

Guys how am I going to start a new thread?Can anybody help me?
Where is new thread key on this forum?
Thank you.

 

Hi there:

I was having 2 problems; I'm not sure if you're experiencing both or just one.

The first problem, the rattling, was a bent sway bar on the passenger's side in the front. It was little less than 100$ to fix and worth every penny. I believe I had taken it to a VIP or similar - it wasn't a specialist - they diagnosed it and fixed it.

The second problem, the shaking, continues as it did when I bought the car. I haven't noticed that it's gotten worse, and I'm still not sure what causes it. Several non-Volvo mechanics have floated various theories - problems with an axle or transmission are two popular choices - but nothing has been verified. I suspect, in all honesty, the transmission, as the shaking seems to occur when the car changes gears. I'm not very keen on our dealership here, and independent Volvo specialists are thin on the ground, so I haven't yet taken it in to someone who actually knows the car (despite the fact that I said I would!).

I hope this is helpful - good luck to you.

 

Alison,

Thanks for the reply. I actually had the opportunity to take it to my Uncle who owns a mechanic shop. He's not a Volvo specialist either, but we generally get by.

He diagnosed it as the CV axles. I'm actually picking it up later today - the CV axles have been changed out and he says that fixed the problem, so fingers crossed. I'll post back here if it didn't solve as I hope.

Just to clarify though, I had similar issues to what you were experiencing. (I have a 2001 s40 - btw) As I got up to about 45mph through to 65mph, the car would shake badly while accelleraring. When I let off the gas, the shaking stopped completely. Also, when holding at a steady speed around 60 or 70, the shaking was still there but not nearly as noticeable. I also heard a clunking noise from time to time which it turns out was the damaged CV axle.

Another issue was that in idle, the car vibrated a lot more than it used to. I'm not sure that this was also the CV axle, but possibly related. I'll see if it still vibrates like this, but from what other ppl have posted, I imagine it could be a bad engine mount or strut mount, perhaps made worse by the shaking from the CV axle.

 

 

I have a 2000 S40 and I had very similar problems. Clunking noises, although in the front not the rear. I replaced the sway bar end link and it was fixed. The rear also has a sway bar end link which could be the noise maker. Not an expensive part, after market around $35 and very easy to install, only two bolts.

The vibration is exactly what I had too, accelerating above 50mph, especially hard or up hill caused the car to shake. I replaced the passenger side cv axle and its gone.

 

Thank you very much for your replies! Truly helpful information, and I am very appreciative. Do you have a cost estimate for the repair? I like going in for a repair with a good idea of whether or not they're over-charging me.

 

The hourly rates vary from shop to shop but I have a repair manual that states the replacement of a sway bar link takes 0.5 hours and the replacement of an axle takes 1.8 hours. I hope that helps a little bit.

I remember my local Volvo shop told me the drive shaft was $435 (passenger side). Aftermarket parts are hard to come by, at least for the passenger side. The driver side is available as a rebuild aftermarket part from O'Reilly or Autozone for around $59. I found a passenger side shaft on a salvage yard for $75.

 

councelor828 - Yeah the vibration at idle is still there and I think you're right. It's probably the engine mounts. I'll look into changing those the first chance I get.

Alison - I'm happy to report that after changing the CV axle, the shaking is completely gone and car rides smooth again. Was difficult to tell the problem, but we noticed when we put it on rack that passenger side CV axle was slightly mishapen at one of the joints and had a little play when twisting it at that joint.

As I mentioned my uncle owns a mechanic shop so I'm very lucky. He just charged me his cost for the parts. He did say that with his markup on the axles (we changed both passenger and driver side cv axles just to be sure) they would each cost about $75-$80. The labor took him about 3 hours to change both, so he said total cost would have been somewhere between $400 - $500. Hope this helps!