I have a 2000 s40 with about 111000 miles on it. Its vibrating a good amount. Not a ton when im idleing but at low rpm's it vibrates quite a bit and also when im driving around 60 mph and above. I read it could be engine mounts...could be ignition coils...could be both. Need some help quick here. I drive a half an hour every day to school on the thruway and the vibrating seems to be getting worse.

 

You are right to consider the engine mounts, this model is known for them, so check their condition & security first, but as you say, could be other things too.

From your comments about RPM you clearly suspect the engine is the source of the vibration. If you manage to rule out the mounts then it might be worth checking the fuel is getting to all the injectors, that they are all giving a good mist/spray rather than a stream or dribble so to speak, that there is a good strong spark at each of the plugs & they are correctly gapped - you know the drill!

If one or 2 the sparks is/are weak then suspect the coils or leads Are the ignition leads the originals? If so then consider buying a new set. If you then replace the old leads only 1 at a time & drive the car before fitting the next one, this will tell you whether 1 of the leads was beginning to break down.

I'm assuming that the vibration does not occur only during braking (if only during braking then suspect disk offset or disk thickness beyond tolerance or broken/missing anti-vibration spring). I'm also assuming that it occurs when stationary as well as when moving? I only ask because if the vibration only occurs when moving then inspect tyres (flat spots, bulges, correct type & pressure), wheels, steering components, driveshafts, suspension & wheelbearings & check that a wheel balance weight has not been thrown or knocked off.

Does the vibration occur in neutral as well as when in gear? if not, do you have manual or auto transmission?

Good luck tracking it down - I haven't had this problem with my car but others on the forum may have, so expect more replies!

 

Agreed check all the mounts. Mostly the rigth side one and the trans mount.

 

the vibrating mostly occurs when im accelerating but there is some when in neutral also. it is an automatic.

 

My S40 vibrates a bit when I am in idleing, I think this is pretty normal.

Is the vibration getting worse the faster you go? Does it change during accelation ie when gear shift happens does it vibrate less than build again? Where do you feel the vibration (steering wheel, bottom of seat. entire seat?) just asking it could be a number of things.

 

yea the vibration gets worse as i go. and if i stay on the gas (not hard) the vibrating gets increasingly worse until i have to left off the gas because it definately doesnt feel right. keep in mind this is only occuring around 60mph, not too much in lower gears. i feel most of the vibratting in the steering wheel and dash. i can feel it in the gas pedal too.

 

ps...im getting it checked out right now...hope its not too serious

 

I think you should have them run your wheels and see if they are ballanced

 

they actually told me that the rims could be bent...i dont know about the balancing. but it doesnt make much sense if it was the tires or rims because it vibrates when im on the gas but when i let off, the vibrating stops.

 

Engine mounts!!!!

 

yea im gonna have to get those fixed asap. thanks for the help

 

had that engine mount changed...still vibrates when acclerating at speeds above 30mph...changing transmission mount...is this the right thing...what else could it be? it vibrates when accelerating but not when coasting

 

I have aslo seen a bad axle on these cars cause the same thing.

 

axles were checked and nothing was found wrong with them.

 

Then I am about out of Ideas.

 

Really, check the axle (drive shaft) again. What you are looking for is the inner CV joint to be bad. A lot of times (most of the time) the outer joint goes bad while the inner joint is still pretty good. A good mechanic may even miss a bad inner CV joint because they really don't need to be very loose to cause a big vibration problem, you also won't hear them click, which is the diagnosis usually given to a bad CV joint. In addition, the type of joint that the inner CV usually is, tri-lobe(the type that is on this model Volvo), usually only produces problems once it is spinning. Even Volvo certified mechanics sometimes miss this. Sorry to tell you this...but fixing any problem with a drive shaft will be expensive. If you take it to Volvo, they'll just replace the driveshaft. There are repair kits...but usually the cost of getting the kit plus the time to get the shaft out, disassembled, reassembled, and then back in again will be close (within about 50-100) dollars of actually just replacing the driveshaft. A Volvo retailer won't perform a rebuild either. For a new driveshaft, you're looking at least 500 from Volvo, probably more like 700 for the parts anyways. Then, it usually takes about an hour and a half to two hours to get the old one out and the new one back in.

 

ok now im just getting pissed off. i had all of the engine mounts changed and the front axle was replaced today, and its still vibrating. this is rediculous. the car has been at the shop for almost 2 weeks.

 

The engine isn't missfiring is it?
Does any lights flash when it happens?

 

no and no.

 

Let me see if I can find out anything from work.