Hi all,

I searched a couple threads to find a similar issue but nothing posted before quite matches what I'm hearing. Reddit and youtube didn't turn up results either.

I'm driving a 2017 XC60 T6 AWD, 31k miles and the recent 30k mile manufacturer's maintenance visit didn't turn up any issues. The only service the car has had was to replace the brake pads on all four wheels about a year ago. I got the car used about a month ago and have been driving it almost daily since. It passed my mechanic's inspection with no issues and the test-drive didn't turn up the problem below.I've recently noticed a persistent whine that sounds like when a mosquito or a gnat buzzes into your ear coming from the area of the front passenger side of the car. It is hard to pin down if the sound is coming from the engine block or the wheel well. My wife claims she can hear it coming from the driver side but I've only noticed it from the passenger side. It only occurs loudly when I've accelerated up to around 60-65 mph however I can sometimes hear it at echoing off of fences/guard rails/surfaces at slower speeds if I drive with the window down. If I increase my speed, the whining gets higher in pitch and vice versa as I decrease my speed.

It seems to only occur randomly. I didn't hear it at all for about ten days last week and then all of a sudden it happened all day for one day, didn't appear the next day, and then appeared every day for anywhere from three to seven days; my point is it is completely random. I tried to correlate it to temperature, moisture, and other factors and at first it seemed to only appear on warmer (65 F+) sunny days, but I think that there isn't any real correlation with weather.

There is no change in how the car handles, the turning is smooth and there is no vibration. My only successful intervention was by popping the hood and unscrewing/tightening the various fluid caps and then firmly re-locking the hood (it is possible the hood wasn't fully closed when I first had the car) but this only kept the noise away for a few days. I have also tried playing with the climate fan speeds and temperatures, opening and closing the air vents, muting or turning off the radio; all to no avail.

Other threads mentioned vacuum lines as the culprit but I also read about bad wheel bearings being a potential cause. I tried to get a recording of it this morning to attach to this post but of course it never appeared.

Any thoughts?

 

Had same issue in October. Mechanic replaced power steering pump. Noise disappeared for 2 months. Now it’s back. A daily occurrence. I am having a mechanic friend look at it when he returns from vacation. I do know it’s not a wheel bearing because it is definitely coming from the engine. I will report soon as to any developments. Thanks.

 

Thank you for the response, It's been hard to find anyone with the same issue. I'm thinking of taking it in to my mechanic but I'm not sure how to recreate the sound for them since it mostly appears at higher speeds.

 

I was able to record the sound on my phone during my commute this morning. Headphones or high volume needed:

 

I listened to your audio. Don’t hear anything.My whining sound sounds like a train blowing it’s whistle. Very loud. Its become so loud I’ve had to borrow parents car to commute to work.I’ve been trying to upload my audio file to this thread but can’t seem to have any success.

 

listened to your audio again. I do hear a faint sound starting at 10 seconds. We are definitely looking at 2 different issues with respect to our cars. hope you resolve your issue.

 

I appreciate you taking a listen!

 

For anyone else coming to the thread, this video with a whining alternator is the closest I can find to replicating my car's noise:


Time for an appointment with my mechanic to see if they can pinpoint it.

 

Just a quick update:

The sound is persistent and after going to Volvo service and my mechanic, nobody can figure out what it is. Volvo service couldn't hear it however my mechanic was able to reproduce the sound and said they would set up a future appointment to take another look. I don't want to keep throwing money at this for no result and I'm at my wit's end; I simply don't want to drive the car anywhere far because of this noise. The Volvo dealer won't trade for anther used XC60 because they couldn't find any problem. Should I reach out to the company instead? Anyway, here's a clearer recording of the sound that my friend took and cleaned up:

 

just had my whining noise issue resolved finally after 6 months! it was a PCV Valve/ Oil trap kit that needed to be replaced. if you go to youtube and type in PCV Valve/ oil trap there are a couple videos with Volvos with the exact noise. i searched for months and couldn't find anything until i brought it to my dad's mechanic. relatively easy fix too!

 

I appreciate the follow-up, due to the pandemic I haven't had time to pursue the noise in my car (however I haven't been driving much so in a way it hasn't been an issue). I will look into this PCV valve issue next chance I get!

 

I changed the motor mounts on my 2010 XC60 and it stopped that noise. Im curious if anyone knows if changing the start stop ignition is a plug and go, or will my working key fobs need to be reprogrammed. The keys works fine the car starts but it will not eject. Thanks goodluck with the noise

 

New update, I finally got my local garage to take the car for a few days and do some highway testing. The good news is they were able to hear the sound and have a pretty good idea what it is. The bad news is they are pretty sure it is a drive line issue (AWD system or transmission). They think the whining/buzzing might be due to some gear issue in the transmission. F$%@&. Thankfully the car is still under warranty so I immediately scheduled a visit with the Volvo dealership and they will take it for a few days. Here's to hoping they can fix it and that it's covered by the warranty!

 

I'm happy to report a resolution to this:

I didn't have high hopes for this issue to be fixed, but the ball got moving pretty quickly once I brought my XC60 back to the dealer for a week-long drop off. My local mechanic thought the whining noise was something in the driveline (they thought either a gear in the transmission or the AWD system) and they were sort of right. It turned out to be an unbalanced/vibrating driveshaft. The dealer replaced the driveshaft, u joints, and gaskets and it was all covered under warranty! They were quick and helpful and I'm so happy this annoying issue has been resolved!