I have been facing a whining noise just about every time I start my 98 GLT with several hours between drives. I have been putting it off, had my volvo mec. look at it...tell me it was one thing...fix it....spend $$ and no real solution. An airline mechanic that lives down the street suggested it sounds like something in a turbine...like my turbo.

Could this be caused by a failing part....like a copper washer or the like in the turbo? I would love to know if anyone else has this problem..and if you found a fix. It only lasts between 1-3 minutes and then seems to be fine.

And does anyone know if you can drop a larger turbo into the GLT without much else being changed...I have heard you can, but need the reassurance. Already had it tuned by Upsolute...very happy with that.

Thanks.

 

Hi,

I have been facing a whining noise from just about every co-worker and am about to grab my chisel and...[8D].

I used to have similar problem in my 850 and I never found the problem since it was negligible to me.

It may be due to some pulleys, either in the timing belt well or the serpentine drive belt. There are quite a few pulleys on S70 I believe, such as idler pulley, tensioner pulley, alternator, PWR steering, etc... The factory manual for 850 recommends periodic lubrication of all pulleys, but not sure if it's necessary (I would do, if it were my car, unless Tech says it's not necessary).

I am an airline mechanic but can't tell the differences in noise amongthe compressor section, the combustor/burner section and the turbine section (except that the compressor section produces high-pitch spooling noise; turbine noise is generally overridden by the exhaust noise once the engine lights up).

As long as you have been changing the engine oil & filter (10W-30, preferably synthetic oil & OEM filter (MANN for S70?)) regularly and do not see any bluish smoke out the tail pipe and getting normal boost, the turbocharger is probably fine.

>And does anyone know if you can drop a larger turbo into the GLT without much else being changed...

1. Get a larger turbo, the larger the better.
2. Hoist it right above the engine.
3. Unhook the hoist.
4. The gravity does the rest...[8D]

.......sorry for being ridiculous[8D].

As I'm not into mods (stock 850 gave me enough punch to merge into the 70mph traffic, but I could have an additional 50HP or so), wait till members into mods reply to you.

I wish you the best of luck. Sorry for the lame sense of humor.


JPN

 

When was the timing belt done last.
Usually that noise is one of the timing belt pulleys going bad.
You don't want to hold off to long if it is that.
Because if it is and the belt breaks then it will cost you about $3000,00 to get it fixed.

 

Thanks for the replies...however, timing belt was done about 75k (only 106k now), and the tensioner was replaced again shortly after that when I took it in for the whining noise.

I also thought it was the air pump after that...replaced it with a brand new one about 5k ago and still no fix.

It is coming from the left side of the engine...this is why logic was suggesting to me the turbo. There is also a small gasket leak maybe?? around the turbo. Need to fix that one next.

 

Hi,

I thought the air pump was equipped on the NA models only?

There is a turbo oil return line, which is nothing but a metal tubing and the upper connection, which attaches to the turbocharger, has a gasket, and the lower end, which attaches to the crankcase, has a rubber seal ring that is known to fail after some years.

What type of oil & filter do you use on your S70? Double-check to make sure there is no loose clamps, hose connectionsand hose ruptures around the turbocharger, and if you can still hear the noise but goes away after a few minutes, it probably isn't anything serious. I would try full synthetic oil to see if it cures the problem.


JPN

 

Turbo cars have air pumps as well.
That may be the noise he hears.

 

I see, thanks Tech!


JPN

 

To get at your second question, if you had tunning done on your ecu you should get a larger exhaust before you you get a larger turbo. If you get a larger turbo first, it will not pump out teh exhaust fast enough and will overheat(if turbo is full on) For driving around town it should be fine, but I would open up the exhaust first.
You can also drop a stock T5 turbo in it with changing pretty much nothing at all(if anything)

 

you can remove the plastic skid plate under the front end and unplug the power harness to the air pump and crank the car. no more noise = bad air pump.

if it doesn't fix it, try a cold start with the ac off and see if the noise returns. report back to us with results.

oh and don't bother with a turbo swap on a glt. the blocks aren't made to handle the boost that a T5 block can. just buy a T5 if you want to make a lot of power.

 

I just joined the Forum to ask about an intermittent high pitched noise and then I saw your post.

If I'm having the same noise it's not from your turbo b/c I don't have turbo.

The noise comes and goes and does not seem to affect the car's performance in the least.

Don't really know what to do.

Hope someone figures out what this is.

 

Hi volvoprof,

Welcome to the forum, I hope you find it helpful & enjoyable.

I'm assuming that in your case the noise may be from the serpentine accessory drive belt, one of the pulleysor timing belt pulleys (Or, something in the brake components).

When do you hear most often? I know it's difficult to explain since it is intermittent, but does it happen when the engine is hot/cold, at idle, upon acceleration/deceleration, etc...?

The more details you can provide, the easier it is to help you.


JPN

 

JPN:

Thanks for your response. I will pay attention as to when the noise occurs and reply again.

Volvoprof

 

Hi, since the last poster didn't come back with any more details and I'm noticing the same thing with my car, here's the details as I've noticed. But first about my car. I have a 98 Volvo S70 Automatic. Non-turbo. The timing belt was changed around 75k by the dealer where the car was purchased. It has about 105k now.

When I start the car cold, if I let it warm up for a while it may or may not begin to whine. I could leave it running for 5 minutes and it'll idle normally. If, however, I start it and begin driving within a minute or two, it'll usually start whining at that point. It sounds similar to a loud laptop fan running at high speed. It whines for a minute or so then quits. It almost seems like it may have to do with some kind of pressurization or charging of something. What, I don't know. It's a little worrisome because of how loud it is. It sounds unnatural for a car to make.

I saw someone mention something about brakes in a previous entry. My rotors are worn and likely need replaced, but my pads are fine and I brake normally. I don't know about ABS systems or whatever other safety steering/braking systems Volvo uses in their cars, but could it be something with this? ...and if so, what?

Thanks for any suggestions.

Update: I just found a link in another post on this forum that mentions this could be an Air Pump. This would be located under the battery pan on the driver's side. Read the 12/8-12/9 listings for info here: http://forums.swedespeed.com/zerothread?id=89794

 

WOW! seems alot of people are having this issue...as do I ! I have a 98 S70 glt (160,000 miles) and i have exactly this same problem, on cold starts i hear a whining noise and in about 2 or3 min min. it goes away as the car warms up. Many of you think its the air pump and i think you are correct. I have not had the time yet to have someone take a look at it but its nice to know where to start. I also have a feeling it could be the turbo, because as the car warms up so does the turbo and heat could cause expantion of some parts on the turbo causing the noise to go away?? just a thought not sure if i am even close to an answer. If anybody has more ideas please share ...you guys are great! thanks!

 

Just an update, still having the same problem. Car has 116k now and has never letup on this whining noise when the engine is cold. I have taken it several times to the shop w/no luck to date.

Just ate another air pump, but this sound is by no means the air pump, nor rotors/brakes, and definitely not the bearings...all have been replaced. I have had the axle and arms replaced as well as a few other things.

There is a small oil leak from the turbo...which i am finding to be normal, no oil leaks other than that, and its been smoke tested for vaccuum lines as well.

Just thought I would update in hopes that just maybe someone has come up with a fix to this troubling noise.

 

Timing belt pulleys good?

 

Tech, thanks again.

Not sure about the pulley's, how can I tell if they are going bad? Any easy way to get a diagnosis out of them?

Thx.

 

Pull the timing cover and inspect the pulleys. Look for them leaking grease out of the bearing area check out this post to see what the bearings look like when they loose the grease.

https://volvoforums.com/m_81255/tm.htm