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So we did end up buying an XC60. Have had it for all of 8 days now. 2015, 96k miles, 3.0 T6 model. Picked it up from Hudson Valley Volvo, a 130 mile drive from home. Damn it's nice.
But (I wish there wasn't always a "but") yesterday we started noticing a "tick".
To me it sounds similar to a woodpecker pecking on a tree
Not the clickety-clack of injectors
Not vehicle speed dependent. Engine speed dependent
Hot or cold (lifters tick maybe 4 times when cold, then nothing)
Most evident when just barely pressing the accelerator
Comes and goes at idle
Harder to hear at speed but I think it's there
I couldn't pinpoint it to the front or rear of the engine.
Underhood inspection yielded few conclusions (boy it's tight in there). What bits of the accessory drive belt I can see look normal (had an 850 with an "engine knock" that turned out to be a delaminating serp. belt). It's not due for replacement for another 50K miles.
Thoughts?
The anxiety is high. We're spooked and also want to drive it 700+ miles next weekend so we'll be dropping it at our local Volvo-only indy tomorrow for their diagnosis.
Thanks,
Will
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Took a week but the dealer had it towed the 130 miles to their shop. It was diagnosed with an internal failure somewhere in the bottom end. They're not going to delve any deeper to investigate. Service manager claims this is the 3rd time he's seen such a failure since Volvo started using this 6-cyl engine in 2008.
They're going to install a used engine (20K fewer miles) on their dime.
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Man, you’ve certainly had some bad luck with Volvo engines lately! Makes me wonder about the quality/durability of some of their newer engines.
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Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....
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Ah, as for mice.
I recommend Kness Snap-E mouse traps.
I actually have one mounted to the bulkhead ahead of the engine in my XC70 - I have trapped two at this location in the last two years.
I have trapped perhaps 50 on my house, detached garage, garden shed, and an old travel trailer that I have, over the last 5 years, activity picks up in the fall. And I have two cats!
These traps are fast - they only travel 90 degrees compared to the 180 degrees of the old wooden traps, they have strong springs, causing swift kills, they have a bait cup surrounded by a trigger plate half the size of the trap and cause kills from all directions, including the rear of the trap. They can be washed.
They are easy to bait with peanut butter.
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For me, noise in the morning after rain calls for a good look at your alternator.
Having owned many older cars, I often had noise from the alternator on a damp morning, it is working hard after start-up, this puts stress on the alternator and its bearings.
Once the deficit of charge has been returned to the battery, the regulator may increase and decrease the load at idle.
We HAVE had a dramatic alternator failure - the alternator in our '90 744TI seized up at 215K miles, Luckily, my daughter was near our dealer - they removed the alternator belt and told her to gently drive the 15 miles home - I got a used one from the junk yard.
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The belt change interval is indeed 150K miles. Schedule is available @ https://volvo.custhelp.com/app/manuals/OwnersManual/om_id/149
I suspect that they get away with the extended interval because of the clutch system. It reduces the tension required and changes in load. It's a short belt too.
I inspected it looking for delamination that would cause a "knocking" noise. Found nothing out of the ordinary.
I would love for the problem to be a faulty alternator or other accessory. Unfortunately my mechanic diagnosed it as a problem internal to the engine. So it sits waiting for the dealer who sold it to us to come tow it back to the dealership for further diagnosis. He and I are both dumbfounded as to what could go wrong at such an early age with no warning - and no warning lights.
We shall see. In the meantime it's a drag to be paying for a car we can't drive, but happy that the problem happened within the short warranty period.
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With the new EPDM micro V belts, you cannot judge their condition by looking at them - these belts wear out like the tread on a tire.
They do not crack or lose material like older belts
You need a gauge to test their wear.
Volvo dealers change these belts according to your maintenance manual, not by trying to see how they look, my dealer does not use a gauge.
If I remember correctly, I thought the schedule was 60K, check your manual.
See - https://www.gates.com/us/en/vehicle-engine-systems/power-transmission/micro-v-belts-serpentine-belts/c/344
View this video on youtube - GATES TRAINING: Inspecting Serpentine Belt Wear with Gates' New Belt Wear Gauge
They were offering a free gauge - I got 3 of them, one for my son-in-law who is a Subaru tech - he had never heard of them.
My indie mechanic has a Gates display on micro-v belts and does use a gauge
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I have never trusted car salesmen. Have your Indy change the oil and filter, using full synthetic of course.
If the "tic" is RPM dependent, I would also have looked at the serpentine belt label. I would have thought that the belt would need replacing by now.
Do you have any maintenance history?
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Keeping it running is better than buying new
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I'll try and get a better look at the serpentine belt. I'm sure it's original. Per Mother Volvo's grand plan, it doesn't get replaced until 150K miles.
I only have what the CarFax told me. So may or may not be complete. It shows regular maintenance up to 60K, then a State inspection at 70K. So if the worst is assumed, it went 30K on an oil change and missed out on a new set of spark plugs at 70K and a brake fluid flush at 80K. When pushed about this the salesman gave me a song and dance about how it was serviced at their dealership and just had the 100K maintenance done (which is little more than oil/filter plus engine and cabin filters).
We took the chance on the car with virtually no warranty because it was the right car at the right price. No reason to trust or mistrust the salesman, dealer, or car. It's clean and appeared to be well cared for. That said, right before this started I popped the upper engine cover off and vacuumed the mouse nest out from the top of the engine. Kudos to Hudson Valley Volvo for doing such a thorough inspection of the car before reselling...
KlausC I had half a mind to address my initial post straight to you. Thanks for being so reliable. Your response is more helpful than a google search, which only scared me with talk about faulty bearings in the rear engine accessory drive (READ) gearbox.
Enjoy your day!
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A mouse nest? The car has been sitting for a while, so now you have to take a good look at the wiring.
If the car was always serviced at the dealer, they can provide you with a printout of all maintenance ever done at the dealership.
Try turning on the AC with the engine at idle and see if the ticking changes. Depending on the weather, you may try the defrost switch.
I don't know if it is visible, but take a look at the alternator pulley and the AC clutch pulley.
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Keeping it running is better than buying new
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Not AC. Mouse nests are common here; those buggers move in in one night. It's a nice warm spot for a few hours.
Had a stressful ~2mile drive to our Indy this morning. The off and on click-click-click turned into varying but constant dry bearing type noise (best description I can come up with). What changed? 1. it sat outside in heavy rain overnight and was driven on a wet road. 2. When I last parked it I took another look at the serpentine belt. I found that the accessory drive on the back of the engine operates on a one way clutch. That allowed me to turn the works by hand to confirm that the belt is in fine condition. Perhaps my turning it by hand (and forcing it backwards) accelerated its demise. Google would seem to support the failed overrunning clutch pulley theory.
Awaiting word from the mechanic... Then I'll have to do the dealer warranty dance. New York State law says 30 days, 1000miles. But do I want the hassle of dragging it all the way up there.
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