Hello all,

I have just recently purchased a 2002 S80 T6 with 45k miles on it. I have been driving it for a few months and I just recently replaced the loud michelin tires with much quiter Bridgestone Torenze Serinity tires. Lately I have noticed between 10 - 12 mph I hear some sort of metal clap noise from the front of the car. This only occours the first crank then hit 10-12 either on the gas or coasting down a hill doesn't matter. I have even tried it in reverse samething.. I can't get the noise to happen again until I shut off the car then start and between 10 - 12 mpg again a clap noise. I have had two other people with me listen to the noise and they just scratch there head and say hmmm I don't know. Well I don't know either and I am pretty good with cars but this car has so many electronic features that I don't know where to begin. Is it one of the CV joints, sway bars, ABS, struts hmm? don't know. ps it's louder when the windows are up rather than down. if I had to guess a location I would say the front left of the car but I could be wrong.

Thanks to all who reply.

 

I would check teh backing plates first.

 

wouldn't it do it all of the time though? I just want to check before taking the wheels/ cal/ rotors to make sure they are torqued down properly..

 

No it might be a temp issue. If you can just get under the car and feel around it and make sure they aren't touching.

 

ok I grabbed the backing plates well the amount that I could between the rotors and the plate itself. But I wasn't able to wiggle it. I did a visual inspection to make sure that nothing was hanging off either end. Can you think of anything else. I have been trying to monitor the sound and I think that I noticed even a different sensation when driving in the mornings now that it's coldit's dropped below freezing. The car starts up without any problems sounds good no hesitation at all. (after 30 sec.) Throw car into reverse and I hear a on off sound with the brake pettal of a hum hum sounds like the booster?? Or do I need to bleed the brakes? (maybe some air that is why it wants to build the brake peddal so much. I counted the number of times rolling backwards I'm guessing 3 times.WhenI have to turn the steering wheel I heara screach in the front? Need to check?When driving down the main road it sounds like something is raddling but I don' t thinkit is a shockbecause when I hit a bump in the road it seems to handle it well anythingthat you can think of to check?

 

If your car has a brake cacuum pump that might be what you are hearing.

The rattle noise is maybe the spring seat?

 

sorry it has taken me sometime to reply but I just got back from the dealer and asked a tech to ride with me as I was able to reproduce the problem. In order to hear the noise you must start the car (only happens once) start off and between 10-12 the clunk occours. Never again. The tech said that he had this same problem reported from another customer and he spent hours trying to figure it out and it was the ABS cycling through tests. He said that once the computer notices movement from the wheels that the ABS must cycle and the noise was normal. Does anyone else have a 2002 S80 with simular noises. As I think that this dealer likes to give bs just to shut you up sometimes.

 

first of all you have to know the difference between mpg and mph. Does the clapping noise come the first time you start the car and reach about 10-15mph then that is normal. It is just the ABS system testing itself. Sounds like a 1 second long "TTRRR". Also this noise only comes on the first time the car starts up.

If the noise comes up when you are getting 10-12 mpg then I dont know at all.

 

yes mph sorry for the typo.. I know the difference between mpg and mph!

You are correct only happens once. If you want it to happen again you have to turn the car off and back on again for it to happen. So if it is normal then I am done. I have driven a lot of cars with ABS and this is the first one that I have had to make a noise loud enough to hear inside and outside the car. I was just concerned that it was a problem.

 

I assume you have the answer, but for what it is worth my 2002 S80 has done the one time noise you describe when you first start off since new. My dealer said it is the ABS testing itself. I also think I read it in a manual or VALDIS at one point. It is normal.

 

the wifes 2000 s80 does the abs check, also my 96 mercedes does it as well, odd sound it is though.