Is this car haunted? '06 V70R Howling on startup

dynamite9500 · Aug 14, 2019

I think it's turbo related, but I'm not confident at all.

It's audible on cold start (when the car is idling at 2000RPM)
Once the idle RPMs drop, the noise goes away.
The noise does not come back if I rev the car in park.
The noise does come back when driving and accelerating at 2000RPM
When I accelerate beyond ~2500 RPM, the noise abruptly stops

I'm gonna try and pinpoint the noise using a stethoscope. It seems to be coming from the driver/rear side of the engine.

I'm also thinking of pulling out the turbo and checking if the shaft is loose. Anything else I should check before I do that? Am I even on the right track?

Cheers!

SwissXC90 · Aug 14, 2019

Sounds to me like belt noise. Replace the belts.

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Papa_Kirlo · Aug 14, 2019

My R makes a similar noise occasionally, esp on colder mornings.

ZZZZZZZ · Aug 14, 2019

Agreed. That's NOT belts to me.

Papa_Kirlo said:
My R makes a similar noise occasionally, esp on colder mornings.

dynamite9500 · Aug 14, 2019

I suspected belts/steering pump/aternator initially! But the sounds is really coming from the other side of the engine, not the belt/pulley area.

When driving, the noise stops abruptly when I go over 2300 RPM. Just when the noise stops, I hear the turbo go "whoooosh" and the car takes off as you would expect. It's almost as if the noise stops as soon as the wastegate opens (or shuts? I'm not sure).

dynamite9500 · Aug 15, 2019

Just got a stethoscope. Now I'm pretty sure it's the turbo

. It sounds the loudest when I touch the turbo housing.

cattlecar · Aug 15, 2019

Mark the inner to the outer parts of the crankshaft pulley. Recheck the next day and see if they are in alignment. Slipping harmonic balancers can cause belt like noise after belt has been changed. It also will not go away if silicone lube or other spray stuff is tried in attempt to quiet the belt.

JeremyR · Aug 20, 2019

One Possibility is a clogged or broken catalytic converter causing backpressure in the turbo. And or wierd exhaust leak. Its so odd that thats what came to mind. Then you said it takes off normally, something may be restricting it.

dynamite9500 · Aug 23, 2019

JeremyR said:
One Possibility is a clogged or broken catalytic converter causing backpressure in the turbo. And or wierd exhaust leak. Its so odd that thats what came to mind. Then you said it takes off normally, something may be restricting it.

Thanks for the suggestions! I'm gonna get under the car, check all the seals, and test the backpressure. Here is an updated video. The noise has gotten worse. It has a tinny/rattly/metallic note to it now. I'm pointing at the wastegate actuator because that's where the noise was loudest using a stethoscope.

ZZZZZZZ · Aug 23, 2019

That's so weird!
I wonder if you get it stationary on a dyno or something if the noise is really still there when it is spooling up and under load.

dynamite9500 · Aug 23, 2019

If I rev the car in park/neutral, no unusual noise. If I rev it up in drive, while holding the brake pedal, the noise is heard at 2000RPM while stationary.

So yeah the engine really needs to be under load for the noise to happen. I guess on cold start the engine puts itself under load to try and warm up faster, thus the noise. If I start the car with a warm engine the noise is minimal to none (until I start driving, or rev it up in drive with the brake pressed down...).

HunterBD · Aug 23, 2019

I have a similar sound. When I started my car after it has been sitting for a bit. When it hits about 1800rpm the noise is there for about 3-5 seconds. Once the idle drops it is normal. It sounds like something is loose. I turned the car off immediately to listen and I could hear what sounds to be the turbo spinning down. I don’t get any noise after the 3-5 seconds. Maybe it is the turbo.

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Gonadz · Aug 24, 2019

I just wonder if it's an air leak somewhere, that can produce all manner of odd noises depending on whether its under vacuum or boost.
I'm basing that entirely on the sound of a You Tube clip, so I could be waaay off, if it IS an air leak then it won't be anything unique to a Volvo so in theory a good mechanic might have some good ideas where to start

dynamite9500 · Aug 24, 2019

But if it's an air leak would it be noticeable on the stethoscope?

When I probe the stethoscope on the engine block or transmission, I hear a normal humming sound. When I probe the turbocharger housing, the noise is so loud it hurt my ears!

I'm getting it on a lift on sunday. Gonna try some of the suggestions here, and check the turbo for shaft play. Hopefully report back with some answers.

JeremyR · Aug 24, 2019

I'm thinking the turbo now. Sounds like the bearings, or oil starvation.

dynamite9500 · Aug 27, 2019

The noise is gone! It was the turbo after all. I replaced it yesterday with a used one from ebay.

Turbo replacement was an adventure. Every muscle in my body hurts. My neck hurts from looking up from under the car. Lots of stuff I wish I knew before I started. I'll make a write-up on it soon.

Look at that shaft play on the new vs old unit:

Here is a happy cold start:

Rollins38 · Oct 17, 2021

dynamite9500 said:
The noise is gone! It was the turbo after all. I replaced it yesterday with a used one from ebay.

Hey man how did you get the turbo off. I'm currently stuck trying to figure out a way to take it off. It's being stuck by the oil line on the top of the motor. There is no wiggle room to move it out of the way.

Turbo replacement was an adventure. Every muscle in my body hurts. My neck hurts from looking up from under the car. Lots of stuff I wish I knew before I started. I'll make a write-up on it soon.

Look at that shaft play on the new vs old unit:

Here is a happy cold start:

Is this car haunted? '06 V70R Howling on startup

dynamite9500

SwissXC90

Papa_Kirlo

ZZZZZZZ

dynamite9500

dynamite9500

cattlecar

JeremyR

dynamite9500

ZZZZZZZ

dynamite9500

HunterBD

Gonadz

dynamite9500

JeremyR

dynamite9500

Rollins38

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