"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
02/14/2020 at 10:33 • Filed to: None
1
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"functionoverfashion" (functionoverfashion)
02/14/2020 at 10:33 • Filed to: None | 1
| 19 |
Literally yesterday I said I had nothing to report on my car because something like “I sold the old BMW and daily drive a Volvo wagon so... booorrriiinnggngngng” well GUESS WHAT.
The Volvo has had a slight grinding noise from the engine, it sounds like a failing idler pulley or something, but could be the bearings in the alternator or a/c compressor, or... lots of other things I guess. But it’s related to engine speed, and doesn’t seem to come/go with temperature, nor does it get better as the engine warms up, nor does it change when you turn the wheel or turn on/off the a/c... who knows? I don’t have the time or space to diagnose it, so I made an appointment at my local trusted indy shop, for Monday. I made this appointment 3 weeks ago.
Yesterday, my wife drove the car and thought she smelled a slight burning smell from time to time. “Noted” I said, as she is never wrong about something being off about one of our cars. It’s quite cold today, about 8F and the car started normally and sounded no different from how it’s been, which is to say there is only a slight extra noise from the engine. Well 3-4 minutes later it gets quite a bit louder, but there is no additional reason to be alarmed. The noise actually goes away after a few more minutes of normal driving. 15 minutes later I’m waiting in line to drop off my daughter at preschool and I hear a very loud screeching noise, and start to smell a burning smell. “This is it,” I thought, something finally seized and I have about 10 seconds before a belt shreds.
Well, no, the noise gets better but there’s a terrible burning smell but hard to know if it’s residual or still being produced . I got my daughter out of the car and got out of there, heading about 1/4 mile to a nearby gas station. When I stopped the car, I could actually see smoke inside (!!) , presumably coming in through the vents. But when I hopped out and opened the hood, there was no smoke at all and honestly, I couldn’t really smell it either. Now I waited a minute to ponder my options, and when I started the car again, there was a different kind of terrible squeaking noise - not constant, but rhythmic - from the engine bay. No more smoke though. I needed gas anyway, so I filled up and when I went to start the car this time, it was normal, other than the slight noise it’s had for weeks. I let it idle for a few uneventful minutes, and decided, what the hell, I’ll drive it straight to the shop where it’s going Monday anyway, and of course, the smell dissipated and it was a totally uneventful 10 minute drive.
No way I’m driving it more at this point, I’ll have to leave it at the shop for the weekend. I’m especially missing having an extra car now, but I can beg/borrow/steal one for the weekend; I had already planned to borrow a friend’s car Monday - Wednesday of next week in case the Volvo needed a couple days at the shop. Well, it definitely does now.
Although to me it feels like a new car because it’s only 8 years old with only 120,000 miles, it’s an 8 year old car with 120,000 miles , so this is not a huge surprise. I just hate being totally unable to do anything about it myself, and that it happened at all. I used to be so vigilant about preventative maintenance and never had surprises like this. However, I guess this didn’t come out of nowhere, but what more could I have done besides make an appointment as soon as I could?
Oh well, it could have been so much worse, like, being stranded without cell service with my whole family in the car on our way to the ski area (like we were going to do tomorrow afternoon... ) - on a cold day like today, no less. So there we are.
Please send a blue 2020 Volvo V90 as pictured above, kthxbye.
Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
> functionoverfashion
02/14/2020 at 10:44 |
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A t least it didn’t abandon you. That’s a plus.
JustAnotherG6
> functionoverfashion
02/14/2020 at 10:46 |
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Sometimes these things sneak up on you and in the cold, making an appointment is much better than trying to go at it on your own in a cold garage under the watchful eye of an increasingly impatient wife.
Good taste in wagons. The V90 has held my fancy for a while now.
CompactLuxuryFan
> functionoverfashion
02/14/2020 at 10:51 |
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Definitely thought this post ended with you trading it for a V90. Am now disappoint
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functionoverfashion
> Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
02/14/2020 at 10:57 |
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Totally... I do appreciate that. I thought for a while before leaving the comfort of the gas station parking lot, which is also a nice little store and they have breakfast sandwiches.
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functionoverfashion
> JustAnotherG6
02/14/2020 at 10:58 |
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I agree. I’d love a V90 but honestly, one of the best parts of the XC70 is the giant box of cargo space that it provides, which is much smaller on the newer design. More rear seat room, swoopy lines, smaller cargo space.
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functionoverfashion
> CompactLuxuryFan
02/14/2020 at 11:02 |
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Well, one problem is that our local dealer almost certainly doesn’t have a V90 in stock that isn’t a V90 Americanized Cross Country.
The other is that they aren’t free.
Amoore100
> functionoverfashion
02/14/2020 at 12:02 |
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I wana say AC compressor clutch bearing, my indie basically described what you went through as the worst case scenario when it finally goes after weeks of rattling; the fact that the sound doesn’t coincide with the AC being on though makes it odd. It’s definitely a common failure point though, replaced at 120k on my 2012 and I’m hearing it start rattling on my brother’s 2012 at 56k, although it’s intermittent so I haven’t taken it in yet.
facw
> functionoverfashion
02/14/2020 at 12:41 |
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So honestly I probably wouldn’t drive my car if it were doing that (though I do drive with a disturbing trans mission clunk, so who knows) . I was getting a weird vibration from mine and it went to the shop the next day (without making an appointment, just asked them to look at it when they could). A week later they told me it needed a new CV axle, plus two new motor mounts. T he former was a small surprise since the vibration seemed to be dependent on engine load, though my PPI did say the boot had a small leak. The later was expected though.
Obviously, the fact I work from home (and live close enough to my parents that I can steal one of their cars if necessary) made it a lot easier to abandon it for over a week, though even if I had to drive, a week’s worth of ubers are way cheaper than blowing up an engine or something (not sure if you are too rural for that to be an option).
Future next gen S2000 owner
> functionoverfashion
02/14/2020 at 13:42 |
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I read online you can get a sweet deal on a XF wagon right about now.
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functionoverfashion
> facw
02/14/2020 at 14:11 |
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Yeah I’m not driving it until they have a look on Monday. I am close to my parents (3 miles) but they don’t have an extra car in the winter (me either).
Uber isn’t a thing around here, but I have plenty of options in friends with extra vehicles, or who live where they work (residential campus teachers), etc. so I can get a car for a few days here and there. This is the first time it’s come up since I sold the BMW in June!
DerW220
> functionoverfashion
02/14/2020 at 17:06 |
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It likely is a combination of the tensioner p ulley failing and an oil/coolant/power steering leak and the fluid being heated (if there was such smoke). First thing I would do is measure fluid capacities to catch a leak and listen with a stethoscope on each bearing.
cbpitt01
> Amoore100
02/14/2020 at 18:57 |
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But if you have the front defroster fan on, which he may well have since it’s so cold, the compressor would be on to dehumidify the air. So it still may well be the compressor clutch bearing.
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Amoore100
> cbpitt01
02/14/2020 at 19:54 |
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That’s true, but the AC compressor has an indicator light for when it’s running and a button to disable it, so I assumed that he had already manually turned it off via t hat switch when he mentioned that the sound is present regardless of AC mode .
tpw_rules
> Amoore100
02/14/2020 at 23:18 |
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Not sure about Volvos, but that doesn’t work on my car. In defrost mode, the A/C compressor runs even if
the switch and light are off
.
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BenYedder
> functionoverfashion
02/15/2020 at 07:46 |
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So what's wrong with the car?
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Adventurebound
> Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
02/15/2020 at 09:12 |
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Yes, unlike my XC70 - which is broken down and throwing codes more often than it’s operating properly.
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Amoore100
> tpw_rules
02/15/2020 at 23:45 |
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I think it’s different, if you kill the AC compressor manually it just kills the defrost as well.
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functionoverfashion
> DerW220
02/16/2020 at 21:14 |
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Stethoscope would be my next move for sure. I don’t have space or time to work on the car in the winter, so I’ll be waiting for the diagnosis from my trusted local shop. But good thought on the possible leak. It’s at the age where it could be developing some stuff like that...
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functionoverfashion
> BenYedder
02/16/2020 at 21:15 |
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Eh, don’t know yet. The shop is looking at it tomorrow.