Hey, I'm new to volvos and was looking for any input I can find.
2004 volvo s40 1.9l t
I noticed when I start my car(cold start) the engine is really load, almost "chuggy" sounding is my best description and then goes quiet after it warms up.
It doesnt have check engine light on, doesnt leak any fluid, doesnt have any issues with idle or acceleration. I just want to know if anyone has this cold start noise and if it's something I should take care of.

 

on mine the only noise I hear at start up is the vaccuum pump kick on and cycle but that's kind of a mild hum sound. The engine sound is pretty much the same as when warm.

 

Thanks for the reply.
When I first start the car it idles loud. Almost like thumping.

 

Without knowing where you live, weather, parked in the garage or how long you've own it and what oil you use besides mileage...
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Purchase some Costco motor oil or Rotella T6 5W-40 and do an oil change. The Rotella has been the oil of choice for quite a few years and is robust for all weathers but recently I've tried the Costco and it is super uber quiet in an 19 Atlas with 4K plus miles and an 03 Odyssey with 235K miles. Do the oil change first and see if anything changes. Whatever you do don't use Mobile One of any kind and no oils under 30W.
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https://www.costco.com/kirkland-sign...100527865.html
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You can buy it in the one gallon also.

 

not sure if I agree with the advise on Mobil 1. bobistheoilguy.com is a good resource for reading up on the nuances of motor oil and related lubricants. For these cars, the owners manual should be your guide as to what weight oil to use. The manual also says what quality standards are recommended for the oil. We're talking about a 15 year old car here - any name brand oil will likely meet the listed spec in the manual:
Quality: Meeting minimum ILSAC specification GF-2, including ACEA A1, API SJ, SJ/CF and SJ/Energy Conserving.

As oil choices, you should choose the weight based on your local climate and driving conditions. For most that points to 10W30. For colder climates its 5W30, and for warmer its 5W40. As to synthetic vs dino, Volvo designed the car for traditional but there's no issue with using synthetic. Other considerations are how many miles, how frequently you change etc.

Personally I use Castrol or Quaker 5W30 (fall change) or 5W40 (spring change) synthetic high mileage (both carried by Walmart), which has a seal softener - good for older models which were designed for traditional oils. I change oil 2x a year which comes to about 5,000 or less per change. I do that to give the car's VVT gear a good chance for longevity.

 

Thank you all for the input!
I'll go ahead and do a oil change to the car and a few fuel treatments and see what it does.
More info on the car:
100k miles
live in southern california

 

if the noise is more of a thumping vs metallic clatter, then I'd inspect the motor and transmission mounts.