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Started getting that dreaded 50 mph vibration again... AND other rant

3K views 9 replies 7 participants last post by  wcaseyb 
#1 ·
The one that Volvo says is a not common occurance - fixed it with half shafts last time - so I crawled under to check them today -

BTW - these are replacement units from Autozone from 2-1/2 years ago (and over 60,000 miles ago) - they were new not remanufactured.

Both sides, and both joints on each side, have rotational slap (wear) in them. You can turn each and feel it in your hand. ANY is unacceptable - I've got "a lot". Which makes sense since 300 hp, most of the time on the front wheels - hammer out the cvs... not surprised at all.

To ya'll who want to say "yeah, but VOLVO ones wouldn't do that" I simply point to exhibit A, the old ones, that were at about 70k when I started feeling the vibration, and finally replaced at 100k for the same exact reason... and the vibration went away. Gone.

The really scary point on this: the carrier (cardan) bearing on the passenger side unit - it looks hammered out bad... this was the bearing that, when I put the new shafts on, was about .001 too loose and would slide on the shaft (with a little force) , and had allowed the drive shaft to walk out of the transmission, causing a tow to Volvo dealer, a reinstallation of the old shaft, and a fix consisting of 640 bearing/sleeve retainer on the shaft to keep the bearing from walking off the shaft again.

So, in a couple of weeks (when I have time) - the shafts will get replaced under warranty, the brake rotors and pads will be changed on all 4 corners (because they are below min and the pads are thin and getting due).

The OTHER thing that gets done then is one that is truly annoying... I was passing a semi on US 50 last night when I hit a bag or something in the center of the road and damaged my front bumper at the bottom centerline... so I'll have to see if I can fix the bumper again (it was repaired somewhat before I bought the car - probably hitting a wheel stop and then fixed) or if I'll finally have to knuckle under and put a new bumper cover on it. Also, whatever it was that I hit, it also it the cross guard on the lower intercooler and put a dent in it... no breakage anywhere I could find, but dang it, I hate that kind of thing...

The upside, we went all over central Kansas yesterday, drove 300 miles - and had a wonderful day. R performed flawlessly. Even with taking a hit amidships...
 
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#2 ·
Do these AutoZone replacements have rzeppa or tripod joints? The theory was the tripod joints may not be able to withstand the R's additional power like on the other S60s.

Also, feel your pain on the fist-shake-at-the-universe car carnage. Was driving my LR3 on Friday and going through a low underpass at night, I didn't see there was a length of cable or something hanging down from under the bridge. Smacked right into my windshield and the truck's "forehead" leaving a nice line of scratches in the glass and a deep scratch in the paint. On the bright side, at least it didn't crack the windshield and I'm still alive...

Is the bumper just cracked or is there a hole? I doubt a bag would dent the intercooler...
 
#8 ·
Nice, another caR/LR3 combo!!

Sent from my iDevice using Tapatalk
 
#4 · (Edited)
Hey Stealthy, read my original post - the originals had 105k on them when I replaced them for having slap in all 4 - they are same design as original - and mine frankly vibrated from the time I got the car (59k) until I replaced them. So - about 60k and vibration again (I just turned over 170k on Saturday) - so yeah... not really much difference in durability. Apparently I launch harder than you do, though... as did the original owner... LOL!

Checked with a buddy of mine (former employee) who runs an Auto Zone now - he said, no problem swapping out - so lifetime warranty is ok.

Again, the only point I heard about (and dealt with) is the carrier bearing on the right inner being too loose on the shaft... I'm thinking seriously about just putting sleeve retainer on there from the get-go while it's out and free -and I have my press handy to move the bearing around (it won't slide by hand, but it doesn't take much to move it on the old one - and I made a lot of comments up the AZ food chain when I had problems with it before)

Also, I fully understand there was something more than just "a bag" I meant a bag full of trash or rock or something... sorry I wasn't explicit... it was a little bigger than a skunk (and thank goodness it wasn't that!) but yeah, hit hard enough to pop the drivers side of the bumper off the track, cause a small amount to go missing, and split the crack on the lowest part up and around and almost clear through said lowest part altogether (about 2/3 of the way around at this point)
 
#5 ·
I replaced wheel bearings, rotors, pads, control arms..long story short it was the wheel and tire combo. Same thing you're describing, wheel hum/vibration at 50-60mph. Are your wheels OEM with standard size tires? I had 18' pegs with some super sport Yoko tires which just exacerbated the humming and vibration.

Swap your wheels around or with a known set of stock wheels with decent tires.
 
#6 ·
not a bad idea, but no. i have enkeis on now,and pegs to trade with. good rubber on both sets of sheels. tires /wheels are fine. You have the right idea for diagnosis, please don't get me wrong, but that is definitely not it this time. Clues include, power on only, on / off throttle, reverse to drive and back noise... and of course, the rotational give of the joints to the shaft is a "clue".
 
#7 ·
I bought a Napa rebuilt axle for my 850 turbo that was truly a rebuilt OEM assembly. Not the replaced pieces but the rest including the splines which were in great shape. A couple years later the other side needed replacing and I was in a hurry. Napa only had a 'new' non OEM part so i bought it. It was total crap. The castings were crude and the splines were half void (bubbles in the casting process). I was stunned that parts that ****ty could be sold. I needed the car so I threw it in there and drove the car gingerly until I could get that thing out of there. I returned it a couple weeks later for another great looking rebuilt part from Napa. That was this guys experience. results may vary.
 
#9 · (Edited)
UPDATE:

Replaced both half shafts last week, everything went out and in smoothly (1.5 hours start to finish for both sides) and solved the vibration problem.

Now all I have left to fix for now is that crack in the front bumper. Weather hasn't been cooperative here, and I rushed to get the half shafts and brakes done before the ice storm hit - glad I did, too - some people in town were without power for 4 days... the shop was only without power for a total of an hour over those 4 days - but the one thing I don't like driving on is ice.. and we had enough of that...


EDIT: I should note, the joints are properly machined.. and the earlier problem with the carrier bearing on the first replacement I got back when has never reappeared. I checked these again yesterday, and it hasn't budged (after a bit of twisty driving to see if I could pop it loose)
 
#10 ·
The one that Volvo says is a not common occurance - fixed it with half shafts last time - so I crawled under to check them today -

BTW - these are replacement units from Autozone from 2-1/2 years ago (and over 60,000 miles ago) - they were new not remanufactured.

Both sides, and both joints on each side, have rotational slap (wear) in them. You can turn each and feel it in your hand. ANY is unacceptable - I've got "a lot". Which makes sense since 300 hp, most of the time on the front wheels - hammer out the cvs... not surprised at all.

To ya'll who want to say "yeah, but VOLVO ones wouldn't do that" I simply point to exhibit A, the old ones, that were at about 70k when I started feeling the vibration, and finally replaced at 100k for the same exact reason... and the vibration went away. Gone.

The really scary point on this: the carrier (cardan) bearing on the passenger side unit - it looks hammered out bad... this was the bearing that, when I put the new shafts on, was about .001 too loose and would slide on the shaft (with a little force) , and had allowed the drive shaft to walk out of the transmission, causing a tow to Volvo dealer, a reinstallation of the old shaft, and a fix consisting of 640 bearing/sleeve retainer on the shaft to keep the bearing from walking off the shaft again.

So, in a couple of weeks (when I have time) - the shafts will get replaced under warranty, the brake rotors and pads will be changed on all 4 corners (because they are below min and the pads are thin and getting due).

The OTHER thing that gets done then is one that is truly annoying... I was passing a semi on US 50 last night when I hit a bag or something in the center of the road and damaged my front bumper at the bottom centerline... so I'll have to see if I can fix the bumper again (it was repaired somewhat before I bought the car - probably hitting a wheel stop and then fixed) or if I'll finally have to knuckle under and put a new bumper cover on it. Also, whatever it was that I hit, it also it the cross guard on the lower intercooler and put a dent in it... no breakage anywhere I could find, but dang it, I hate that kind of thing...

The upside, we went all over central Kansas yesterday, drove 300 miles - and had a wonderful day. R performed flawlessly. Even with taking a hit amidships...
My bumper cover is cracked at the bottom in the center as well. Mind giving an overview or link to how you fixed it? I don't want to bite the bullet for a new bumper cover unless I have to. Thanks.
 
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