How to get rid of that "old motor sound" in my Volvo?

[deevergote]

You know the sound... that rotational whirry squealy sound that so many old motors seem to make... My Volvo 940 GL is a 92, just like my CB7, and it has 199k on it.

The motor just makes that sound... sounds horrible. I forget I'm in such a nice looking car because it SOUNDS like an old beater! It's hard to say exactly what it sounds like... and since I don't know for sure what causes it, I can't even be sure what to mess with.

Pullies? Cams? (a valve adjustment does seem to be in order). Internals? What could it be?

[deckeda]

Try a stethoscope first. Put it right on anything that spins, the valve cover, whatever. Because that's gonna greatly amplify everything, don't concentrate on the loudness but instead the tone of what you hear to clue in to what is contributing the most when comparing it w/o the stethoscope.

I even talked to one mechanic that has some sort of contraption with wireless sensors. He says he can attach a handful of the sensors to stuff like various suspension parts, drive the car and select which sensor to send its sound through to headphones. When the "squeak" or whatever comes though strong on sensor X, he knows exactly which part is the culprit. I want that toy.

[deevergote]

Well, the sound is most definitely external... I think it may be the water pump (or the water pump pulley)

[ACCORDianate]

Assuming that you don't have a turbo or a v6, you should have a b230f in your 9, which is the same engine as in my 2. Keep in mind that these, starting with the 2.0 the early 70s were originally designed to be tractor engines.

Now, I have the same 'old european car' sound to my 2, but its due somewhat to a noisy water pump (as mentioned above) but primarily due to a noisy power steering pump. Even topping off the ps fluid and an oil change didn't change the sound from the engine area.

Keep in mind that some of the OHV Volvo engines have shims instead of adjustable rocker arms for valve lash; the cam contacts directly to the shims which pushes down the sprung valves. There's a shim kit from IPD but it isn't cheap.

[deevergote]

From what I've read, the b230f in my car (yes, that's the motor) is SOHC. The valve cover is thin as anything compared to an F22, so perhaps what I'm reading is wrong. I need a manual!

Would a new water pump and/or power steering pump possibly fix that noise?


It's a shame... I can't locate a Volvo forum with an active 940 section... I'm about to start 940tuner.com! (of course, the 740 and 240 share many things in common...)

[ACCORDianate]

go to turbobricks.com [an excellent resource] and start asking questions; that's what I did. I also spent $20 on a Haynes manual for my 2, which is almost priceless.

A new water pump is right up front and easy to access; its between the engine and the fan and if it was a snake it'd have bit you by now

There's plenty of 'brick forums out there, and yes, the 2s, 7s, and 9s have a ton of shared parts.

Oh, and go to IPD or call them at 800-444-6473 and get a 700/900 series catalog mailed to you for free (far better than their website).

[deevergote]

Just before reading your post, I was searching the IPD website for about an hour... Damn camshaft, stabilizer bar, and anti-sway bars are tempting me!

I signed up for swedespeed, but I'm still waiting for my password to be sent. Brickboard is primative, but I've gotten one response on there... nothing really helpful though. I suppose turbobricks is where I should go...

[JDMcb7]

If it is somewhat of a loud squeling noise, especially under a load, it's probably the rubber material between the harmonic balancer and the crank pulley. The rubber is know to go bad and allow the harmonic balancer to slip causing a gawd awful noise. My 940 does it quite frequently.

[cp[mike]]

if you cant get a stethoscope, get a good sized screwdriver, and put the round end of hte handle in the center of your ear, and touch the tip to various components, you can hear them loud and clear through it.

old power steering pumps often make a lot of noise... i dont know a thing about volvos so i cant help much beyond that...

[deevergote]

It's more of a rotating sound... that's the best way to put it. The rotation of the water pump seems to match with the sound.

[90cb7beast]

it must sound like my cb. it may be the ps belt or alternator. u should have asked me to llok at it while i was there this weekend