17 replies to this topic

[Tyler T5R]

1998 V70R. PO and I ran it in FWD mode without driveshaft for a couple years. Put a new Colorado Driveshaft in it 2 weeks ago. Now it makes some clunking noises. Sometimes loud. Usually when turning left or right, especially in first or second gear and when the road is not flat. It did this twice the first day we put the driveshaft in, and then not at all for a week. This weekend the noises have been more frequent. Sounds like it comes from the rear of the car. Yet we could probably drive 40 miles in a straight line with no noise. I have changed angle gear oil and rear diff oil. AG oil was dirty, rear diff was clean. Used Volvo fluids.

Looking for ideas on what's broken.

[okoye]

is it bolted in properly? bearings lubed?

[Tyler T5R]

okoye, on 18 December 2011 - 04:33 PM, said:

is it bolted in properly? bearings lubed?

I followed Volvo shop manual installation procedure and torques, using all new bolts of equal length.

Which bearings?

[Big Will]

I suppose it's possible that the clunking is coming from the angle gear and you need a new one, but if it's coming from further back then I would look at the torque tube that houses the viscous coupler. There is a rubber bushing pressed into the housing with a large bolt going through it to secure the torque tube to the undercarriage. See if the bushing is cracked and/or the bolt is not torqued down properly.

[Tyler T5R]

Update: I left the car at a local Volvo dealer for 5 days, and during many many test drives they say it only made one weird noise. The mechanic "thinks it could be the VC but can't say for sure". I gave up having them diagnose it and tried myself. It has not made many funny noises in the last couple days of driving.

I followed the VADIS AWD VC troubleshooting procedure:

"Ensure that the viscous unit remains at room temperature (it was about 45 F outside but best I can do).
A7700344
– Raise the left or right-hand front wheel so that it ro- tates freely. The other wheels must be in contact with the ground.
– Select neutral.
– Position a torque wrench horizontally as illustrated (basically attach it to the big axle nut and position the wrench so that it's parallel to the ground with the handle pointing in the direction of the front of the car. Read the torque value.
– Turn the torque wrench half a turn (180) clockwise with even torque for 25 seconds.
– The torque must be GREATER than 50 Nm ( 37 lb ft) during the entire turn.
The test method assumes that all the other components included in the system function correctly. If the torque is below 50 Nm (37 lb ft), the viscous coupling is outside the specification and/or damaged."

What if the torque seems REALLY high, as in I can't turn the wheel more than about 10 degrees? It feels like VC is totally locked up. So I slid under the car to check the rubber bushing on the torque tube, and saw the torque tube housing and VC are oily.

[Jardim]

Maybe moisture got in the VC when you ran it for a year FWD....or did you have the VC off when you were FWDing?

[Tyler T5R]

It's not water, it's some kind of oil. And it was not there a week ago.

[DAK]

Had similar issues with my '98 V70... PO ran it without a drive shaft for some time. I installed a new "prop" shaft, and a loud popping sound would come from the rear typically during slow turns. Changed out all fluids - including the Transmission, Changed EBrakes and adjusted...made sure all tires were same diameter. The more I drove it the less the sound...now it's non-existent. Check EBrakes for sticking/adjustment - Check Tire Diameters - Change out Trans fluid if not done recently, and good luck.

[lookforjoe]

Was the oil evident on the rear section of the VC? Or is it just in the tube itself? There should be evidence of where it's coming out, if it's leaking from the VC. That rear section is actually the freewheel mechanism that prevents the rear from driving the front wheels when coasting & braking..



There's not much lubricant in there, so it won't leak for long. It's that's the case, it will fail shortly thereafter, but you will be well aware of it! Clunking on accel/decel turning, rattle like a ball bearing in a tin can, etc..

[Tyler T5R]

lookforjoe, on 31 December 2011 - 03:53 AM, said:

Was the oil evident on the rear section of the VC? Or is it just in the tube itself? There should be evidence of where it's coming out, if it's leaking from the VC. That rear section is actually the freewheel mechanism that prevents the rear from driving the front wheels when coasting & braking..

It was dark and the car was only jacked up in front. But it did look like it came out of the middle-rear section and got slung all over the gas tank from rotation. Today I'll get it up on all fours and get a better look. Probably going to remove the drive shaft and VC, too.

[Tyler T5R]

Today I jacked the car completely off the ground, removed the driveshaft, and got some more pictures of the VC. A few observation and questions:

1. Rear CV on the driveshaft is not totally smooth like the front one. How much binding is acceptable? Front does not bind at all. Rear CV gets stuck at certain angles when playing with it.
2. When should I be able to turn the VC separately from the rear wheels? I thought if the rears were on the ground or parking brake set, I should be able to turn the front flange on the VC? Mine seems frozen as one unit.
3. To remove the VC and torque tube from the car: What's the best combination of tools and swedish curses to get those 8mm allen headed bolts (bottom of first and second pictures below) out of the VC flange that bolts to the pinion flange? I have an 8mm allen 3/8 drive socket, but there isn't room to get the socket wrench in there. I did PB blast them today so I can try them tomorrow.

Better pictures of the VC:

[Gilhuly]

You have to rotate the drive shaft to get at those allen bolts. U joints should not bind up in any meaningful way. That could be your occasional noise.

[lookforjoe]

As said, there should be no binding of the CV joint. You'll need to replace it. It's the same part as the front CV, although Volvo does not list it. Problem is, new ones are now 300 bucks, so you might as well get a Colorado rebuild, or get a used shaft. It is always possible that stripping, cleaning & servicing the joint with new grease will help. Is the rear boot torn?

The VC/Freewheel should not be leaking, so you'll need to replace that as well. Use a hand held angle allen key to break them loose.

[Tyler T5R]

lookforjoe, on 01 January 2012 - 03:37 PM, said:

As said, there should be no binding of the CV joint. You'll need to replace it. It's the same part as the front CV, although Volvo does not list it. Problem is, new ones are now 300 bucks, so you might as well get a Colorado rebuild, or get a used shaft.

It IS a Colorado rebuild that I just bought a couple weeks ago. I will be calling them for a free replacement.

[Tyler T5R]

Got a used vc. Any way to test it before I install it?

[lookforjoe]

Tyler T5R, on 06 January 2012 - 01:57 PM, said:

Got a used vc. Any way to test it before I install it?

No.

[Tyler T5R]

Used VC installed. AWD working and no noises so far. Yay.

[Volvo5.0]

WTG Tyler. Glad it worked out. Let it snow!