Hello all, I've just purchased my - used - V60 D5 AWD model year 2015, a really nice looking model with the Ocean Race blue color. I've had the S60 D5 before which I've driven for 6 years and also loved. Now this "new" V60 has a very abnormal and annoying high pitch noise, kind of tinnitus like sounding.

I've managed to record it today, also to confirm it's not within my own head :-)
Make sure to listen on hifi capable speaker or headphones since it is such high frequency:


Anyone got any idea what could be causing this noise?
It is NOT the blower fan, that I've ruled out already.
Could this be drive belt, some pulley, or the kardan axle for the AWD? All ideas are appreciated, since I'm stuck and cannot stand to drive with this sound in the long run - and I do love the car.

 

Sounds like the turbo. Bearings possibly going bad. Which only happens if you have an issue with your oil. I'd check your oil level and PCV system.

 

Ouch that would be a blow... but I'm kind of happy I noticed it the day after it came home and I immediately contacted the seller (second hand dealer) and told them this was not as expected, to try and get them to take responsibility for the fault or missing information when I bought the car. I'd be very happy to find out though what it can be, to have some argumentation power.

Car has full service history though, it is at 188.000 km and always been served at Volvo dealer.

 

When does the noise occur (e.g., at startup, once the engine is warmed up, when accelerating, all of the time)? Does the sound stay at a constant level or increase/decrease as you accelerate or decelerate? Does the noise occur or change when the steering wheel is turned or the AC is turned on? Once the engine is at operating temperature, does it run normally or rough and is the pickup good or sluggish? Is the oil at the proper level for the engine and the power steering unit? You mentioned that the car was serviced at a Volvo dealer. A key to a healthy turbo is oil changes conducted at appropriate intervals. While Volvo recommends once a year or 10K mile oil changes for their gas powered engines, I'm not sure of the mileage guideline per year for a diesel. Suggest checking if the oil changes were done, at least, according to factory specs. Open up the oil cap at the top of the engine and look into the valve cover. Are the internals darkened by burnt oil or is sludge noticed, or does everything look ok? I own a gas-powered V90 T6 which has a turbo and a supercharger. Even though the factory guidelines are to change the engine oil every 12 months or 10K miles, I typically change it every 5K miles, which for me is every 6 months. This was suggested to me by a seasoned mechanic.

 

Maggs, here some answers to your excellent questions:

When does the noise occur (e.g., at startup, once the engine is warmed up, when accelerating, all of the time)?
The noise is not there from the start. So when I start the car in the morning to drive off to work, it is not there. I start driving, first miles, nothing. Later when on road with higher speeds like coming up in the 80-100 km/h range, it starts.

It kind of correlates with speed but not in the direct sense such as a bad wheel bearing would be for example. I sense and hear it does change character a bit when giving full throttle, revving up in sport mode f ex, then it can go away for a while, and then when letting the revs come down to normal 1500-2000 range again it comes back.

I've tried to determine if it comes from under the car, from engine area, or even the windshield.... it is really very hard to determine.

Have not been able to do steering wheel adjustments in the higher speeds, but I do understand the point on power steering noise. Maybe I should do a fluid change on that just to rule out - or remedy.

Engine feels really good and happy. It is the D5 with only 18.800 km so it's not even at half-life. My previous one did well over 40.000 and was still fresh but unfortunately got scrapped due to a minor accident. Which is the reason I'd wanted another D5 by the way.
Oil is at proper level in engine. The power steering oil is near the L mark, I will most likely do a full refresh on that oil and then top up.

Right now the most likely theories seem to be either low on AC gas or power steering. I'll keep you posted once I make progress.

 

If your car has a turbocharger, the sound you hear could be from it spooling up and down. When you first start up the car, the turbo isn't engaged. It comes on once the engine is warmed up and when you want to drive at speed.

One question you didn't answer has to do with opening up the valve cover oil cap and looking inside. If the oil was properly changed in the past and nothing happened to "cook" the oil due to overheating, the inside should look fairly clean. If the metal is darkened and appears to be coated with shellack or if there's oil sludge found, then there's a possibility that the turbo wasn't receiving proper oil during its life to remain adequately lubricated.

I learned a long time ago that low mileage, alone, is not necessarily a true indicator of the engine's soundness. A low-mileage car, driven primarily on local roads at low speeds, and never getting up to optimal engine temperature for very long, will incur more internal wear-and-tear than a car driven more often at highway speeds for a longer period of time at proper engine temperature. Also, this will better ensure that the engine seals are properly lubricated and not dry out. At least two things can keep a turbo healthy; frequent oil changes and running the car for distances that allow the temp to reach its proper limit for a period of time. By the way, a low mileage car, often going on primarily short drives with a relatively cold engine, can also experience PVC problems due to the same issues that can affect the turbo. Oil is the life blood of all things mechanical.

 

Hi all, this is the strangest thing, the noise seems gone now. Here's what I've done today:

First, I bought 2 litres of power steering fluid and changed that. Good feeling the car now has fresh power steering fluid, but the noise did not change after that.
Then, my wife reminded me of a situation we had with a car many years ago, similar terribly annoying sound, and she told me it was the tires that time.
I thought, what the heck, let's try anyway. The car came equipped with winter tires mounted, since it's winter here in Sweden, and the summer tires followed along.
I switched to the summer tires, took the car out for a good drive and.... sound gone! Not kidding, I tried all situations which the days before had made the squeeking noise, similar speeds, now nothing. Since it's still winter I needed to switch back to the winter tires. And strangely enough, now also with the same set of winter tires as before, also now the noise is still gone.

This has gotten me thinking perhaps something was of with the mounting they did at the car dealer since they put the winter tires on right before delivery this past week.
Maybe some minor piece of whatever got stuck somewhere, squeeling at certain speeds? I cannot explain it nor understand it, but it is in fact gone as of now.

Gonna keep on listening the coming days, and if it would reappear then the quest will continue.