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My 91 240 has an annoying clunk rattle when driving slow speeds over small bumps, like a pavestone driveway for example. It has had this since I bought it. I thought it was inner tie rod ends, since the steering rack was leaking and had a bad boot. Replaced the rack with a Jorgen unit and nothing changed. While there I checked the suspension components, I did not find anything loose or worn excessively. I checked wheel bearings and they were OK. The thing I did not check was sway bar bushings or end links. Maybe those are the culprit? Anyone have any similar experiences and figure out what it was. I also checked the front brakes and the pads do not seem to be rattling.
Thanks.
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Thanks for all the replies, I took a look at the rear control arm bushing, based on location I would say this is where the noise is coming from. The shock gland may also be a possibility. I did try the shock a couple of times by trying to get them to move and they feel tight in there. But now I have a plan, and place to start!
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My 245 had a rattle/clunk when i purchased it. .replacing front pads looked up at strut tube.gland? nut was loose. Shock was banging around in strut tube.tightened nut. Instant quiet.
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Yup, that matches OP's description too. Had that occur on one 240 but not on all of them.
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore
http://cleanflametrap.com/strut.html
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Most likely it is the rear control arm bushing. But yes, also check the sway bar end links and bushings. My 850 had a annoying low speed clunk. Not too loud. It was the sway bar end link. Also, have you checked the strut mounts?
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Some repair garages have a tool called Chassis Ears - do a Google search to see ads and youtube videos.
You can even now get wireless ones.
They cam be placed under the car to hear where the noise is coming from.
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posted by
someone claiming to be CB
on
Mon Apr 22 20:04 CST 2019 [ RELATED]
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this is not a joke.
You wrote: "At SLOW Speed over small bumps" " a driveway..."
How Slow? Devise some hand holds and mount a compliant friend on the hood and drive SLOWLY over some small bumps. Then ask where the noise came from!!!
(old Car Talk solution )...
That said for more info
go to
https://ozvolvo.org/archive/ (thank me later)
and scroll down to find
Volvo_Problem_Solver_Repair_Manual_1962-1994_Models.pdf
(V comes before W so stop when the Ws start)
Download then go to GRP 60 pg 211 Front End Noises Knocking & Rattles. A single page
Your Librarian thanks you. 'READ A BOOK TODAY'... (as a librarian I am required to post that)
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the source of the clunk is most likely as bruce indicated........the rear most bushing on the front control arm
it ought to be replaced and do both left and right side while you're at it.
the job is actually very easy to do.
1. jack up car and remove wheel
2. unbolt top sway bar link nut
3. unbolt and remove long bolt through the front bushing as it attaches to the crossmember
4. unbolt the 3 ball joint nuts
5. carefully remove the 3 rear control arm cap bolts behind which lies the offending bushing
6 remove arm and do the bushing replacement on your bench
you can buy both rear bushings for under 20 dollars and some of your time to give you a new ride feel
the front bushings never wear out so leave them be
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Although I believe Bruce S. has accurately pinpointed the issue, and trichard leaves nothing out of his excellent recollection of the repair procedure, I'm still going to add my two cents to see my name in print.
Having gone through the diagnosis (matching the sound with the cause) and repair at least once on just about every 240 we've owned, I've come to believe the rear control arm bushing has been the best justification for the money and space investment owning a press requires. Yes, it helps with a lot of suspension work besides the front control arm, but these bushings seem to be the heavy hitters.
I've managed to avoid removing the entire control arm to replace the bushing, just removing the cup, but from reading here, I realize some are so corroded the bushing inner sleeve will just not come off of the arm under the car, so pulling the whole arm is the way to do it.
A bit more rationalization comes every time I read on this and other forums of the loose shell issue that follows when the press is avoided, and instead, the old bushing is driven out with a 2-pound maul with a street's curb as an anvil. After that, comes control arm replacement (Scan-Tech or Dorman offers a copy) or tack welding the bushing shell.
Maybe someone has experience with a poly option. I've been skipping over those posts, so can't offer any insight.
Here is the sure way I've been using to do the bushing replacement on the bench.
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore
He who obtains has little. He who scatters has much. -Lao Tzu
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Hi Art,
Great pictures. I've never replaced a control arm bushing, but I will be soon. I'll invest in those fittings.
I ordered a pair of rear bushings from FCP Euro recently. They list different part #'s for left and right. The rubber on the passenger side is noticeably softer. I don't know if that's because they were designed that way or because one was made in Turkey and the other in China. Both were Mayle.
When you say that you went through a 'diagnosis (matching the sound with the cause)',I assume you mean it's a distinctive sound that leads you directly to the bushing. To someone unfamiliar to the sound, or in my case having it described second hand by my daughter at a considerable distance, is there any physical test to evaluate the bushing without removing the A arm ?
I told her to have it looked at and a mechanic said the bushing was fine without unbolting anything. He wanted to dismantle the strut, but I'm dubious because I replaced both of them a year ago and they rebound as they should. Both the gland and top nuts are tight.
Thanks, Peter
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Hi Peter,
You pose some good questions which challenge my memory. Relating the sound to the cause is an experience I can't record with a camera, or at least I don't recall taking any pics of the failed bushing. My memory has the inner sleeve detached completely from the rubber, but now I'm scratching my head wondering why I don't have the evidence to show, and a good description of what mechanical action makes the noise.
James brought up Chassis Ears. When I first learned of the product, it was one of those "if you can think of it, it has been done" moments for me, having several times wanted to rig microphones to a multitrack digital audio recorder. Best I can say is I've driven the car, listened and felt the clucking, clacking, clunking and then just went through the possibles from loose crossmember bolts to loose gland nuts. It is easy to grab a 14 and zip off the three bolts from the bushing cup, and once I do I find I can turn it any old way in my hand, when the bushing is shot.
I can tell you this much: I've never replaced one I've replaced. Not yet. Used to be that way for ball joints, but I've since broken a replacement I installed, though it didn't owe me any miles. If I found one with a loose nut like Don did, I'd have to blame myself, but gleefully, as a useful lesson.
The kids all went to school within an easy reach of home. Not so with the grandson, who found an indy shop near his school, which relieved me of the remote diagnosis pressure. Haven't seen his 240 in years now.
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore
"BTW, your voltage drop test is the right approach providing you repeat it with the battery connected and under load, but can be a little tricky. The trick is to catch it when it is occurring. High resistance in a contact or connection is not a stable event. Very time and temp dependent." - AB
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Ted, Your description of this A arm bushing job is pretty good.
From a bad experience with a mechanic about 20 years ago I cannot resist to add this advice when re-assembling:
A arm bushings and stablink bolt must be tightened with weight of the car on its wheels. SAFELY.
I use ramps before I slip under the car.
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Yes, I forgot about this. I'm sure I've read here of several instances where the nut was tightened with wheel hanging, resulting in another failed bushing.
An alternative to ramps I've used is tightening the nut with the cup clocked as it would be with the arm flat (loaded) before attaching the cup with its three bolts, using channel lock pliers to twist the cup into place to start the bolts. When you look at the flat surface of the bottom of the cup it is easy to align that to the same plane as the control arm as it appears when the tires are on the ground.
The reason I do this rather than drive up on ramps is on the right side, the exhaust gets in the way.
I think the original bushings were different left-to-right (slightly different torque resistance design) but all of my replacements have been done using the same aftermarket Boge parts. Also, I think I've noticed only the newer 90's 240's used a nut needing an 18 wrench instead of the old 19.
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore
A man will pay $20 for a $10 item he needs. A woman will pay $10 for a $20 item that she doesn't need.
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Check the nut at the rear of the control arm, where it comes through the bushing. It can most easily be reached from the engine bay with a 18mm box wrench.
Worked for me, after a long exhausting search.
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Bruce S. near D.C.
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Bruce you were right, the rear bolt was loose. I tightened it as best as I could for now, I had to use a stubby box wrench as my long 18mm was a 6 point box and I needed a 12. In any case I probably got about 30 ft lbs on it. The noise went away.
I also found in the service records where those bushings were changed, then another entry a while later where the customer complained of a front end clunk.
Thanks everyone for your replies, Art, I love the way you use the union as a pusher it takes experience to figure that out.
Don
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Hi Don,
Regarding the Home Depot Press Tools Department, it wasn't all that clever, just me wandering the iron pipe fittings with a tape measure on my belt. Now that contraption for doing the rear trailing arm bushing, that was a recipe I gladly followed.
--
Art Benstein near Baltimore
Neal Wilcer's TAB Tool
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