Hello,

I am a new owner of a 98 Volvo V90.
It has 160k miles.

It has quite a bit of vibration in the front end. I have noticed it upon startup, in park/ neutral when reving the engine and while driving. So, I suspected the motor mounts. Feeling the mounts and looking at what I can see of them, they look to be in good shape. I took it to a local shop ( not a volvo specialist) for a professional opinion. They told me they also thought the mounts were good and suspected the vibration was coming from the U Joints.

So that doesn't really add up to me though. The u joints are not spinning in park/neutral so they wouldn't play into the vibration I'm getting in park/ nuetral.

I suppose it is possible they are bad and Im getting vibration from two differenneutral. While driving , any speed it feels like mybfront tires are out of balance.

Any thoughts on where to start with the vibration I get while the car is not moving? The plugs are new. That's about all of my expertise and don't know where to go next.

Thanks for any thoughts.

Kindly

Hello all.

It's been a while since I started this thread. I happy to tell you the vibration issues have been fixed!

It ended up being my first instinct, the motor mounts in combination with the transmission mount.

I found an awesome shop here in Asheville, Altamont Auto. The owner has a couple 240s himself and was happy to check out my v90.

Upon inspection, they noticed the transmission mount was toast, ( I was never able to squeeze under the car to look at it) and although the motor mounts looked okay they noted they were very stiff.

After replacing all three mounts, the nuetral vibration and vibration between 30-45 mph have all gone away. He noted the saggy transmission mount most likely got my driveline out of alignment, thus causing the vibration while driving.

I'm super excited, the car is very smooth now. Even more, pre fix I used to hear an exhaust leak inside the car around my downpipe. Getting everything back in alignment, seems to have taken care of that noise too and the car is way quieter.

Thanks for all the help, suggestions and thoughts. I'm sure I'll be needing more advice here in the future.

Interesting that you mention the front engine mounts failing and going hard. You just might have helped me figure out a similar, if not identical vibration. I recently replaced a compressed transmission mount a couple of weeks ago with a Meyle one that seems as good as OEM. Immediately after this there has been a new and minor engine vibration I've never had before in my 700/900s. It's immediately noticeable up the steering column and you can't visibly see the engine vibrating, but can feel it with your hand. It's unlike a rough running or missing engine or anything to do with the trans. Not having a better idea I was going to start by checking the ignition side, but thanks to your post the front mounts now go to the top of my suspect list. They might not have been happy with me raising the trans a bit to remove the rear cross member. These will be the first front mounts I've ever needed to replace in these cars since my old 140 many years ago. Thanks again, you just might have saved me a wild goose chase. Too bad the front mounts are not as cheap as the 140/240 solid rubber mounts.
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Dave -still with 940's, prev 740/240/140/120 You'd think I'd have learned by now

I hope that works for you. I felt all of the vibration in the steering wheel most notably reving the engine between 1000-2000 rpm. It smoothed out above that.

My vibration is now gone. Weird thing though, looking at the car today. I think they may have put the passenger mount in, upside down. I'm racking my brain to remember what it looked like before. It's installed the opposite way of the driver's side. I have a pic of the driver's side from before, so I know the driver's side is correct but I'm almost positive the passenger side is upside down. Ugh

The metal bell cap goes up and taper down, both sides the same. I'd definitely take it back to the shop and make them do it right to avoid premature failure. Upside down there may be an issue with clearances under maximum movement. Internally there are likely differences with the shape of the hydraulic chamber having more fluid at the top that may or may not lead to premature failure if the load forces are significantly different on the rubber body.

I'm pretty much convinced it has to be my front engine mounts. I'm not sure whether to blame myself for causing an old one to fail by jacking the tranny up at the front edge when I replaced the trans mount. I can forgive almost 30 year old rubber for getting hard and cracking. I'll replace both mounts, hopefully ending up with a good spare for the other 940. Last time I did red block motor mounts I supported the engine with a wood cross brace between the strut towers, lifting it a bit by the engine hook. It gives you full access underneath aand decent access above. This time I'll likely jack underneath at the front lip of the oil pan as per Matthew's.

For others following this thread, in addition to what's in the brickboard FAQ here, Matthew's Volvo Site has an excellent tutorial with pics on replacing the front hydraulic mounts, most especially cautions about lifting the engine too much and straining old hoses and the transmission cooler lines at the rad.

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=37474

NLA in the Volvo parts chain, I'm now debating which brand to go for. Corteco (Freudenberg Group, Italy) and Feybe-Bilstein (France) are likely top quality OEM, both expensive and both seemingly hard to find in stock at the moment. I suspect Corteco may be OEM as Volvo often sourced seals from them, but they often also sourced from Bilstein. ProParts Sweden seems the most popular for decent quality. To the best of my knowledge, ProParts sources from other manufacturers, mostly Europe, but also global. FCPEuro sells them with their lifetime guarantee. URO, a branded divison of US based A.P.A. Industries, is another commonly available one, often cheaper and with a lesser reputation for quality. A.P.A. sources global, but may make some of their own rubber products. IPD just says "aftermarket" depending on availability, so could be any of those. RockAuto has numerous jobber quality brands of unknown quality as far as reviews go.
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Dave -still with 940's, prev 740/240/140/120 You'd think I'd have learned by now

Another Update:

So a local indie mechanic ( not a volvo mechanic) was willingbto look at a few things and give me some thoughts/ advice.

In regard to the vibration I'm feeling in the steering wheel while driving:
He put the car on the lift and showed me that indeed, the inner tie rod does have some movement. He said it wasnt real bad and wasn't sure if it would cause vibration, but couldn't say for sure. Thoughts?

In regard to the vibration I'm noticing in the engine/ steering wheel and gas pedal while accelerating ( in gear or out of gear) the mechanic noted it is "rotational". No misses, sputtering or anything like that. He thought maybe the harmonic balancer could be the cause but said it looked pretty true while spinning.
Thoughts on that?

Kindly

Acceleration vibration:
I remember folks installing stiffer non-Volvo motor mounts in their 240’s and complaining about increased vibration. My point is perhaps 1 or more of your mounts have been replaced with non-Volvo OE motor mounts leading to increased engine vibration. My experience with all Volvos is that it’s important to use factory motor mounts if at all possible.

If you decide to replace any mounts and can’t find Volvo OE mounts, I suggest trying Tasca Volvo in RI. They used have a good inventory of parts for older Volvos at reasonable prices. Check their online site.

If you end up replacing tie rods, get a good alignment afterwards. Dave Stevens had a good point. If any tie rods are needed, consider replacing all of them at once. If you replace them one at a time you will need to get another alignment each time.

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Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....

Thanks again for your input Jwalker.

When I first started this thread way back, my first thought was motor mounts. ( as they always say your first thought is usually correct)
It's been lingering in my head since.

Again they look good. I hate to throw parts at it but I may have to go down that road.

I dont know what's normal and what's not. When I Rev it, I can see the driver's side motor mount move up ever so slightly. I assume that a little movement is normal.

I've read in the faq section, the front of the oil pan. should be atleast a 1/4" above the cross member. It appears the oil pan is even, or lower, but it's hard to tell from eye ballin. Wonder if I should try to stick a level from the cross member to the oil pan?

Sure, wouldn’t hurt to check the level. I wonder which side motor mount would cause the oil pan to drop?

Listen to Dave - aka “Volvo from Heck”. He is a Volvo shop owner/mechanic. Maybe the passenger side mount is toast? Perhaps your mechanic can put the car on a lift so it can be seen? Or at least jack it up?

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Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....

Thanks for the endorsement jwalker. Actually I have never worked on a 960 and didn't realize it didn't have the red block based motor--my reference to the right side. I looked at photos of motor mounts on a popular parts site. I take it these are liquid filled? I don't know what a failed mount would look like (but loose cables could be a clue) but "looking" collapsed may not be apparent. At 76 I'm semi-retired and don't do much outside work--but over 50 years of experience tells me - sometimes you just have to go ahead and DO IT. Otherwise--in the end--you wind up spending the money anyway without having the benefit of a properly working machine in the meanwhile. - Dave

Having owned 2 850’s (plus 240 experience), at first I assumed the mounts are similar on the 960/S90/V90’s as they both use the white block engine. Evidently, that is not the case. Don’t think 850’s have any liquid filled mounts but I only replaced the upper torque mount and the front motor mount that are solid. Maybe the rear engine mount and tranny mount are liquid filled but I have no experience with those…

eventoday has not mentioned anything about the passenger side mount so you might be on to something that needs to examined. We don’t know the condition or even location of that one. I’m assuming here the 6 cylinder cars have only 2 motor mounts where as the 5 cylinder cars have 3.

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Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....

I haven't followed your thread till this most recent post. Worn out (and with a Volvo everything needs to be good) tie rods don't cause vibration--it's more likely worn out due to vibration from the closest component--the wheel and tire.
As for the other issue--the motor mount on the right side is difficult to see and can appear to be OK but can cause all kinds of havoc if not in good shape. - Dave

Dave thanks for your input!

Motor mounts were my initial thought. I can see the top of the driver's side mount. It looks good and what I can get my hand on feels good, but it is very limited what I can see and feel with out ramps or a lift.
Would you happen to know about the two wire cables that go around them? If they are loose, which mine are, is that any indicator the mount has leaked? Looking at new ones online, the cables/wires appear to be tight, but I've never seen or held one in person.


In regard to the tie rods, the tires are new and I had them balanced. You are saying a worn inner tie rod would not cause a vibration in the steering wheel?


Kindly
Jake

Ugh,

Well I was wrong. I thought the vibration had subsided but it is still there. Back to the drawing board

Hi ____?___,

I've been following your posts with interest, with no experience with Volvo 6 cyl.
But I do have the Volvo wiring manual TP2934202 1997-1998 960/S90/V90 that I
collected while searching 18 months for a manual for my 93 940.
Finally I got lucky and one showed up at Ebay.
Try to find the hard copy manual at Ebay or Abebooks etc.
Search on-line for the PDF manual maybe you'll get lucky.
There's nothing that comes close to the Volvo wiring book.

Looking through the manual I see that your engine has a serpentine belt on the front of the block. This would be active anytime the engine is running.
Maybe there's a bad tensioner or idler bearing or belt?
Check the sprockets for any crud buildup that could make the belt bounce.
Maybe it's easy to get the cover off and look?

I see you also have air (SIPS) bags on the front seats.
Be careful working with the seats.

Good luck, Bill

Hi Jake,

I think you have a pretty good depth of mechanical knowledge. I believe you are ready to take the next step and jump into maintaining that V90 yourself. You’ll save yourself a lot of dinero! Another good Volvo resource is Matthews Volvo site. There are others out there too. IPD and FCP Euro have some good online videos.

BTW - There are some 960 and S90/V90 owners out there on the BB. Just don’t post regularly.

Jim
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Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....

Ok sorry to keep this long thread going, but I wanted to let you know I found the culprit of the vibration that I'm feeling while driving 🙂

Per your suggestions, even though the tires were only 2k miles old, I decided to get the front tires balanced.

I took it to an indie mechanic who works on my Toyota. He showed me how there were weights all over the tire ( too many) He put it on the machine and the tires were way out of balance.

I would say 75% of the vibration is gone. I'm going to go back and have him do the rears. ( I am still suspect the motor mount has something to do with all this)

He briefly checked the brakes while I was there too. He didn't seem to think they were sticking. The caliper pins were nice and smooth. He was unsure why the brakes are getting so hot though.
Is it normal for older volvo brakes to run hot ?

I thank you for your help on the driving vibration, 1/2 there. Now to track down the engine acceleration vibration.

If the hubs are anything more than warm after a good run then the pads are dragging and the calipers needs attention. Rears usually start to drag more often than the fronts, so if it's hot fronts you know things have been neglected. Pad dragging is almost always caused by the piston failing to adequately retract, and to a far lesser extent the pad edges possibly binding in their slots due to rust. Some of the retraction is the extended rubber seal pulling back the piston a tiny bit, which lessens as the seal edges wear. Most of the retraction is the pads being pushed back by rotor movement and expanded hot rotor metal. This will simply keep increasing until the wheel is one step short of frozen. All the while your gas mileage is suffering and your rotors and pads are wearing far faster than they should.

What's happening is that as the piston seals wear, minute traces of brake fluid on the piston are in essence oozing out past the seals and getting on the exposed end of the piston. Under heat, the fluid dries and cakes on the pistons to a brown residue that makes it all the more difficult for the piston to retract in through the seal in addition to seal wear. The exposed brake fluid will also attract any dirt making the dried residue all the worse. If the piston dust seals are damaged, both brake dust and water can get in and allow the piston to rust, which is game over for that piston. If grit gets in it can lead to scoring, again game over for the piston. Rust can also be caused by any hydroscopic moisture in the brake fluid.

For most people, it's caliper replacement time. Finding reliably good reconditioned calipers is a whole other story.

For people like me, as long as the pistons remain pristeen and I'm fairly sure everything except the rubber is in good shape then I rebuild my own calipers. I've done at least a dozen on my Volvos. Assorted seal kits with new rubber seals, dust boots, guide pin boots and bleeder nipples are available. They used to be cheap, but they're now halfway to the price of a new caliper. Dealing with worn guide pins and worn guide pin bushings in the caliper mounting frames is another consideration. At that stage it's no longer an easy DIY fix. Caliper rebuilders vary on properly replacing the guide pin bushings. I believe few do this, most will replace only worn pins, which are available. Over the years occasionally replacing guide pins I've come to learn that guide pin bushing wear is equal to pin wear, so new pins only addresses half the problem.

As a bit if a trip down memory lane, I'll mention that if you don't have the funds for new calipers or the time and skill to rebuild them yourself then you can try extending the life for another year or so by removing the dust boots, extending the pistons as far out as you can without popping out and cleaning off the dried piston residue with brake fluid and a toothbrush. Rinse with spray brake cleaner, push the pistons back in all the way and repeat until there is no more residue on the pistons and they easily retract. The dust boots on the front single piston calipers cannot be removed so cleaning options are limited to trying to get brake cleaner under the lip, basically not worth the effort. For the rears, the caliper should be removed for piston access and great care taken not to pop the pistons out or puncture the dust boots. In my starving student days I used to do that, but never since then once I learned to rebuild them without risk of mistakes.
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Dave -still with 940's, prev 740/240/140/120 You'd think I'd have learned by now

Hello

So quick update / thought.

Again, looking around at the hoses I do hear a slight hissing/ whistling sound.
I took off all the hoses around the throttle body and inspected them. They all look great. I dud a very basic clean if the throttle body too but it was clean.

I did notice the hose from the brake booster is stiff as all can be and kind of scaley. It is in poor shape. I'm not sure where it connects to, maybe the block??

I don't mean to pull us down a million rabbit holes here, but could this be a source of some of the problems? Could a brake booster vacuum hose leak cause sticky brakes, or an acceleration vibration?

Jake

Morning,
Never had a brake booster, hose or check valve go bad. I seem to recall that the check valves very occasionally go bad on old 240’s. A bad booster hose would certainly cause vacuum issues and consequently brake performance issues. Would also affect engine air mixture. I really don’t know if a bad hose would cause both your brake and running issues??

Did you set the brake fluid at the correct level? Found the link below educational.

https://grimmermotors.co.nz/brake-booster-vacuum-hose-leaks-repairs-hamilton/#:~:text=Rough%20idle%20–%20A%20leaking%20brake,as%20higher%20RPMs%20while%20idling.

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Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....

Could be 2 separate issues. The moving issues might be a different problem. If the front wheels feel out of balance it could simply be that or perhaps bad alignment.

You should check two safety concerns.
1. If the wheels feel really floaty it could be bad ball joints or hubs. I think your car might have hubs that incorporate the ball joints. One test is to slam the brakes at a fairly high rate speed if it pulls a lot you need to replace them ASAP.
2. Bad tie rod ends. That can cause a floaty feeling too. Quick test is to drive over broken pavement or a smaller hole. If it bangs sharply then you probably need tie rod ends.

Both can be easily tested if you put the car on a lift. Or if you or someone else can SAFELY jack up the front end and test them.

Since it is a new car to you it is a good idea to check them out. Peace of mind!

I agree with you. The idling issue doesn’t sound like u-joints. Did the shop check the transmission mount too? A bad one of those can cause your idling issues. That needs to be checked. You should also check all the engine mount brackets you mentioned in your previous post. If one of those are broken that might allow the engine to shift.
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Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....

Just following back up on this.
After some more time owning and driving the car, I have noticed it seems to be out of alignment. It pulls pretty good to right at highway speeds. Also I tried rocking/ shaking the tires today, not jacked up. I noticed the front passenger tire has a lot play. Would that indicate a wheel bearing? I dont notice any sounds when turning.

I don't know the etiquette, sorry to keep this thread going. Should I create two separate threads instead since I have two different sources of vibration?

Sounds like it could be tie rods, to cover all bases, did you ever jack it up and do the 12 and 6:00 push/pull test on the tire to check the ball joints? (Lemforder is OE for ball joints but sure TRW’s are fine too.) With the number of miles on your car it could be either one. In my experience, outer tie rod ends don’t even last that long. On Volvos they seem to go at about 100-150k miles. The inner tie rods and ball joints typically last longer.

It is recommended to replace both sides if it is either tie rods or ball joints. Good idea to replace the rack boots if doing any of the tie rods. They inevitably split…

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Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....

Worn tie rods are more likely behind your horizontal freeplay rather than wheel bearings. Doing them as part of a wheel alignment is ideal. The shop will routinely check for worn joints anyway. Your V90 has an inner and outer tie rod. The outer will tend to go first. You need to verify whether yours is TRW (most common) or CAM steering. You could try to identify which one(s) are gone, but probably best to replace everything as part of a front end suspension overhaul that won't cause problems again anytime soon. When doing the tie rods it's a golden opportunity to replace the steering rack boots before they split as when they go you need to take everything apart again and be very careful to preserve wheel alignment. The shop will be able to order the parts, but you should make sure they're ordering top quality aftermarket or Genuine Volvo as some shops might go for what's most readily available or cheap. Or you could get quality parts for them ahead of time and save yourself a few dollars. Some shops prefer not to install customer parts due to warranty issues, so maybe check with your shop before ordering, maybe also get them to quote on a couple of the better brands.

FCPEuro sells a TRW tie rod kit with their lifetime guarantee and excellent customer service reputation.
https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/volvo-tie-rod-kit-inner-outer-960-s90-v90-lemforder-kit

RockAuto has quite a bit cheaper prices, but you need to be careful of brand reputation. Vaico seems to be popular for quality.

No real need to start a new thread unless you run into a mystery that's not related to the subject. If you want to address a specific issue you can change the subject like I did here or start a new thread.
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Dave -still with 940's, prev 740/240/140/120 You'd think I'd have learned by now

Thanks for the reply. I very much appreciate it. In regard to the balance and alignment, the tires were new and alignment done 1k miles before I purchased. Not to say it's not a possibility but just for reference.

As far as "floaty" feel I'm not sure I understand. It doesn't feel floaty to me. When I think floaty I'm picturing like an old Lincoln continental:) Is that what you mean? The driving vibration I get, kind of feels like I'm driving on a semi smooth dirt road.

You may be onto something with the tie rods. I definitely get some banging on smaller holes and broken pavement. I noticed that right away. I was expecting this luxury wagon to feel smoother. Would bad tie rods cause front end vibration?

I assume they checked the transmission mount but not sure. I'll see if I can wiggle under there tomorrow. For a little more clarity and this is the best I can describe it. The idle revving vibration kind of feels and sounds like, in a way an exhaust leak in the steering wheel. Maybe there is a small leak, could that cause a vibration?

Again thanks for any advice. Even though so ewhat similar the v90 is way different than the 740 I previously had.

Kindly

Floaty - I mean there is a loose feel to the steering.

Start with the tie rod ends. Sounds like that could be it. If not, check out those hubs…:)

Besides the tranny mount and mount brackets, based on your description, I’d search for a leaky exhaust manifold gasket. Don’t burn 🔥 your fingers! Stethoscope or small diameter hose are helpful here.

One more - Does it sound like air hissing? If so, check your vacuum hoses for leaks.

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Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....

No air hissing.

I'll try jacking up the car tomorrow, shake the wheel to see if any tie rod play.

I just came across an old post on Volvo forums where someone had real similar virbration symptoms. Sounded like cleaning his MAF sensor helped. Suppose it can't hurt to spray some cleaner in there and see what happens too.

Kindly

I would highly recommend against using MAF/AMM cleaner except as a last resort. It's especially risky on self-cleaning hot wire AMMs. I had a working LH 2.4 AMM that was causing poor performance (determined by swapping in a known good one). I used AMM cleaner, using it as instructed and without removing the screens. It was worse than when I started and a subsequent cleaning made it even worse. It now lives at the bottom of a box as a bad example.

I agree with others, possibly two issues going on here, but I would address engine vibration at idle first. A thorough throttle body and PCV system cleaning is where I'd start, all the while looking for possible vacuum leaks such as split hoses. A worn/sticky idle valve can hunt and may cause rough running with the ECU trying to keep up with it. Given that you've replaced the plugs, next after that might be ignition wires and a worn distributor cap/rotor.

A failed trans mount is usually noted as low clearance to the supporting frame and possibly hitting it when going over bumps. Failed engine mounts are associated with engine vibration. Blip the throttle up to high revs and note how much the engine twists under torque.

There are no ignition wires, dizzy cap, rotor or distributor on the V90’s. They use coil packs. Which typically last over 100k miles. If they haven’t been replaced yet then that is a possibility. However, typically when they go south the car will really run like crap…:)

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Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....

I started to wonder about that after I posted. I should learn more about the B4204T(?) engines in case I trip over a nice one as the early V90s are one of the few "newer" (laugh) Volvos I would upgrade to that I figure I could more easily maintain.
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Dave -still with 940's, prev 740/240/140/120 You'd think I'd have learned by now

As I mentioned to eventoday, I haven't owned a 9 series. However, came very close to buying both a 93 and 94 940 Turbo. 240, 850 and 2001 V70 experience only. So, I am certainly no expert!

Have read a fair amount about the 960/S90/V90 series. The engine used in the 6 cylinders is called a B6304. Test drove a few. If you get serious about buying a 6 cylinder the most important thing to be aware of regarding these cars is that the 93-95 960's can have porous blocks. So, steer clear of those years! My suggestion is that if you get serious about buying a 6 cylinder stick to the 96 960 and 97-98 S90/V90. They are more maintenance intensive than the 4 cylinders but can be maintained by a backyard mechanic.

The 850's have the same engine minus 1 cylinder. So, some overlap there. If you ever consider going over to the "Dark Side" the 95-97 850's and 98-2000 S70/V70's are also good cars and can also be maintained by a backyard mechanic. They are pretty simple compared to modern cars. The electronics really get more complicated beginning with the 2001 V70's.

JW
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Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....

When cleaning the MAF:
Be sure not to touch the sensor wire!

If it were my car, I would first thoroughly check your throttle body hose for hidden cracks, damage etc. before cleaning the MAF. If that is the original throttle body hose it is overdue for replacement. Cracked TB hoses can definitely cause engine vibration and possibly rough running.

Good luck,
JW
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Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....

Hi JW

Thanks, I'll poke around the the throttle body hose.

Quick update in regard to the moving vibration. I jacked up the car and checked for play on the front wheels to check the tie rod ends. I grabbed them at 3 and 9 and shook back and forth. I didn't feel any excessive play. I got maybe a 1/16 inch of movement. I'm assuming that is about normal?

However, I did notice that while spinning the tires I could hear a rubbing sound sound for about 3/4 of the revolution. Even weirder, it was the same on both sides. Before I bought the vehicle, the brakes and rotors were replaced. The brake fluid reservoir is also very full and the brake pedal feels very stiff. I wonder if I have some lightly sticking calipers and if possibly that could cause a vibration while driving?

Kindly

Jake

Apart from sloppy/poor steering and control, front end suspension issues will cause vibrations by magnifiying any slight unevenness in the road surface with harmonic vibrations varying by road speed (sweet spots of vibration). Steering alignment is where to start. At that time, the steering end link bushings should be checked for wear -there should be no discernable horizontal looseness and no sense of movement other than resistance to normal hub and steering rod play. Next is checking the radial control arm front bushings (the four conical bushings) and the sway bar end link bushings (the four cupped bushings), both are common wear points. Note carefully there are early and updated conical bushing depending on an updated control arm (to help prevent brake vibration) which can be determined by measing arm length. Note also the two kinds of sway bar end link rods listed, the common one is steel, but you may also see a very different aluminum one for an aluminum arm. The pressed-in rear radial control arm bushings (chassis) and lower sway bar linkage rod bushings are further down the wear list and in addition to being occasionally inspected for cracking or side play, when the other bushings are being replaced they should be bench checked that the rubber core isn't starting to detach. I had occasion to do that earlier this month and found one lower sway bar bushing starting to let go that had checked out during inspection.

For road vibration, I'll start by mentioning tires. If you suspect it could be a tire then simply switch the wheels back to front and you will soon know, even side to side to narrow down which one. Tires of course need to be properly balanced and even occasionally re-balanced. All new tires will be slightly out of round, the question is how much is acceptable for road use. Manufactures have varying degrees of quality control, but it doesn't mean they catch everything. In the normal case, a dymanic balance can eliminate out of round vibrations at all normal road speeds. For more advanced cases, you need to have them load force balanced to simulate road conditions. I now always recommend paying extra for load balancing, which includes indexing the tire to the rim. A load balance will help keep tire wear more even, keeping its balance and ultimately lasting a little longer. When a load balance can't get the wheel balance within spec, it tells you how much of the problem is due to the wheel rims and how much is the tire. If the rim is within spec then the tire should be returned under warranty, accompanied by the load force balance printout. When the wheel is out of spec, it's time to search for a straighter wheel unless you can find a rim straightener. I've had two such out of round tire returns in my latest batch of eight Continentals and one in a previous batch of four BF Goodrich that could not be brought into load spec and had road vibration at certain speeds. One place wanted to do the warranty return using a prorated mileage formula as it took a few weeks to note the problem under highway driving conditions -I almost lost my cool that time.

Mr Dave,thank you for all of this info. That's a lot to take in. I'm going to have to read and re read this a few times 😀

I feel I should mention the vibrations are very minimum but I also know that it is not right. I guess we all have things we can and can't live with. Vibrations and oil leaks mess with my central nervous system.

I think I am going to take it to the local tire shop to get a balance. It may be a waste of money but that was my first thought. I kind of brushed it off as the owner put tires on a couple thousand miles before I bought it.

As far as the brakes, Thanks for the info.
I took about an ounce if fluid out to get in the proper range. I took it for a drive. It feels the same. I do the think the wheels are extra hot though. I'm going to get some grease today and check out those caliper pins.

Scuffing pads is normal. That the scuffing is similar on both sides speaks highly to the evenness of your braking system.

Vibration due to brakes should only be noticeable in motion during braking, not when driving or coasting. Brake vibration is usually magnified when the brakes are hot, such as coming to a stop light on the highway. When cold, as you come to a slow stop, feather the brakes and you will quickly know up through the steering column whether "warped" (uneven) rotors are the issue with pulsation keeping in time with wheel revolution. Worn/binding calipers and loose/binding pads themselves should not cause vibration, but serve to magnify warped rotor symptoms under braking. Brake squeal is a whole other topic.

Your noticing brake pad scuffing for part of the revolution when the wheels are being turned is quite normal. You can only expect scuffing not to be present (or a minimal scuffing all the way around) when the rotors are pristeen and within the .0004" thickness variation spec and have been indexed/shimmed to the hub within the .0014" runout spec. As brakes become used, uneven pad deposits on the rotors will lead to hot spots, uneven expansion, uneven wear and consequent "warping". I'm just now learning after all these years the importance of occasionally re-bedding the pads before problems start to develop, especially with city driven cars.

As for seizing calipers there are two issues: the pistons not retracting after brake release or the caliper guide pins binding. After a good long drive, check the hubs with your hand to see if they're notably hot, compared side to side and to the rears, an indication of dragging brakes needing attention.

To check for adequate piston release, raise the front wheels, apply the brakes firmly under brake boost then release. With effort, you should be able turn the wheel gripping the hub area or with one finger on the outside of the tire. With the wheel off, you should be able to move the rotor around by the studs using two hands. As long as you can do that, it's safe to assume the pistons are able to release and will further release under travel. When the pistons and seals are pristeen the pistons should pull back enough on their own so the wheel and rotor can be easily turned. But as things go along the seals will start to wear and not retract the pistons as far, also dirt collects on the pistons and restricts piston movement under the seals. Eventually the caliper will need a rebuild with new seals, or as most do a reconditioned replacement.

Although the guide pins can bind and occasionally lockup (to the point of not being able to drive), more commonly the caliper simply starts to get a bit sloppy and you will note uneven pad wear and uneven rotor wear. Removing and relubing the guide pins (and occasionally cleaning out the guide recesses) with high temp silcone brake grease at each rotor change is advised and optionally at every pad change. Worn guide pins can be replaced, especially if rusty. The guide bushings in the caliper frames wear just as much and are not replaceable except at a machine shop using a drill and press, also needing to source the bushings as they are not available in the Volvo parts chain.

Hi Jake,

Yes, sticking calipers could cause a vibration at speed. Since the brakes were just replaced, let me suggest something. I don't know your comfort level with brake repair, but this is something basic you might want to try yourself. If the caliper slide pins weren't greased or properly greased that might be the issue. You could redo the brake grease on the pins. Go light with the grease. Just enough so the pads don't stick. To keep it simple, probably best NOT to remove the pads from the caliper. Plenty of instructions on this out there on the WWW. Brake grease available at any Auto parts store.

One more thought. Test those ball joints. Stuck calipers shouldn't cause suspension banging?? This will be easy for you! Jack the front end again and make sure the front wheels are hanging off the ground. This time grab the front wheel at the 12 and 6 o'clock positions. Rock the wheel inwards and then out to feel for any play. There should be minimal movement. If you are comfortable with doing this, you might be able to see the ball joint as it is close to where the wheel mounts. Safety first always! Check if the rubber boot is split or other visible damage.

JW
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Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....

JW , again thank you!l for your time. I hope I'm not asking too many questions. I'm just real excited about this car and enjoy learning.

I pulled the wheel off to check out the brakes this morning. The pad is definitely touching the rotor a bit.

I don't know enough about brakes to know but should there be the tiniest little gap between the rotors and pads? I will pick up some grease and lightly get those pins. Do you think removing some of the excess brake fluid would also help?

On a different note. Checking the throttle body hoses for leaks and cracks, everything looked good to me. However, I did notice behind the fuel rail, a missing bolt. I think it's an intake manifold bolt, but dont really know. It is between the the 3rd and 4th rubber boot behind the flame trap hose. Its not a bolt that would hold the fuel rail on either.

If it is an intake bolt, I wonder if I'm getting a little leak from the intake manifold.

No problem 😉, I was the same when purchasing a “new to me” Volvo.

Disclaimer: I am no expert on the 960/S90/V90 series. Never owned one. Just 240’s and 850’s. Other than being FWD the 850’s aren’t that different. So that knowledge is helpful.

Regarding the hose to the IACV you mentioned in another post, hoses are deceptive. It may look good but pull it off and look for splitting at the ends and damage on the bottom you can’t see with it clamped in.
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Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....

It doesn't have a clamp on it. I'm going to get one today and put it on unless you know of a reason I shouldn't? See if that is indeed where the hissing is from.

On a similar but different note. I ordered a new volvo flame trap just as preventative maintainence. When I pull the old one off, I should have easy access to look at the trottle body ? Probably should see how dirty or clean it is?

V90’s have flame traps? 850’s don’t have them. Just an oil separator also called a breather box. It’s attached near the intake manifold.

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Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....

Yep. The v90s have flame traps.
The breather box on these cars are buried too. The intake has to come off to access it. I dont know that it will ever save me from replacing the breather, box but for $5 figured I will change it out periodically.

Interesting - Maybe I should have added a flame trap to the 5 cylinder breather system. My experience was positive crankcase pressure is less of an issue with those engines. If you use synthetic oil you should be fine. Strongly recommend that. Those engines (lumping together the 5 and 6 cylinders) don’t like conventional oil.

Yes, the breather box is pretty well buried on the 5 cylinders too. Can replace the breather box without removing the intake manifold but understand it is easier to remove the intake manifold first. Lucky me, never did that job. Avoided it like the plague… :)

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Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....

It’s ok for the pad to touch the rotor.

After thinking about this, before greasing the pins, use a Turkey baster or similar to remove the excess brake fluid. Being overfilled might cause brake drag and be the actual source of your brake issues. See what happens. Greasing the pins might not be necessary. The mechanic might have screwed up and overfilled the system when doing the brake job.

Don’t think that hole is an issue if it just a mounting bolt for the intake manifold. Just to be sure, start the engine and while it’s still cold check above the hole to see if you feel anything.

Before cleaning the MAF, check the condition of all your vacuum hoses. Deterioration, cracks etc. Also see if you can hear or feel any leaks. It’s your call about cleaning the MAF, personally I’d look at few other possibilities first. With age of your car, you might end up replacing all the vacuum hoses eventually anyway.



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Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....

Quick mini update.

Looking at the hoses around the throttle body again, this time with the car on, I did hear a hissing/ whistle. It's hard to pinpoint it, but I believe it is coming from the hose that goes down to i believe the IACV.
The hose looks good and is nice and soft but I noticed there is not a clamp on it. I assume I should put a clamp on, BUT thought I should verify there is not a reason why it was left unclaimed.