Road trip

Skottynan · Post by **Skottynan** » 26 Sep 2010, 19:35

Ok so I'm taking my Volvo on a road trip for the first high mileage trip in a year. Round trip 700 miles, 300 each way plus driving around. So far Ive handled most of the maintainance that I think I need. Got the ac working again, new rotors and pads, seafoam treatment, 5-30 synthetic oil change, drain and fill AT twice in the last month (getting ready for a full flush), rotate and balance tires, new vac hoses all around... Tomaro I'm going to attempt the abs module fix. Is there anything you guys mite think I overlooked? I am very open to suggestions as we all have similar vehicles with similar problems. Also, is there anything I can do about the noise coming from my rear rotors? They were making noise and that's why I replaced them. After the repair they were still making a kind of grinding noise so I've taken them off and cleaned all surfaces three times now and still no improvement! It seems like it must be something so very simple I just overlooked it? Maybe if I use HTV on the back of the pads to join the shims? All in all I'm looking for a safe and quiet trip...

Post by **jblackburn** » 26 Sep 2010, 19:48

Do you only get a noise when applying brakes? If not, it could be the parking brake shoes have let go and are scraping against the inside of the hub. The backing lets go on them and can make those kinds of noises.

Just make sure the cooling system and the rest of it's in good shape. I always carry a basic toolkit and all vital fluids in the trunk when I go on a trip - I put about 2,000 miles/month or more on my car, sometimes 600 miles in one weekend. It has yet to let me down.

Skottynan · Post by **Skottynan** » 26 Sep 2010, 20:11

Well I thought it could be the shoes so I took all slack off them so they wouldn't engage. And they still make noise!!! I suppose I'll just take them off completely tomorrow and hope it goes away. Yeah, so jablackburn you think I should flush the coolant before leaving? What type should I replace it with

Post by **jblackburn** » 26 Sep 2010, 20:25

That's your call. If it hasn't been done before, it would certainly be a good opportunity to do it, and replace the upper & lower radiator hoses if they are squishy at the ends. Blowing a hose in the middle of nowhere isn't fun (been there, done that), and if you don't realize it, your engine will overheat and die pretty quickly.

I use green Prestone - but the owners manual calls for a HOAT coolant, so either Volvo's own, or Zerex G-05 is what Lee recommends.

GoinFor300KMi · Post by **GoinFor300KMi** » 26 Sep 2010, 20:37

Back to the noise from your "rear rotors". You have done a lot of work on your brakes and and tried some tests...what about your rear wheel bearings? They might be shot. Jack up your vehicle and give the wheel a spin, listen carefully.

Skottynan · Post by **Skottynan** » 26 Sep 2010, 21:01

Not sure about that. I've turned the hubs individually without the rotors on and no noise. It almost seems like the noise is resonating off the splash guard(?) when the rotors are attached

Skottynan · Post by **Skottynan** » 26 Sep 2010, 23:32

As for the coolant flush I guess I'll refer to my manual for the interval

adk793 · Post by **adk793** » 27 Sep 2010, 00:29

Well first off, i had that same griding noise coming from my 2000 V70 XC. It was more of a noise thing for me n my mechanic always said stop listening/looking into those minor details in your car. As long as it drives well and you maintain it, youre set.
Long story short, unless that noise bothers you, dont worry about it.

The main thing for long road trips is the coolant system but there are a few other things. Before i sold the volvo, i did 5-600 mile trips in a row on the weekends. Make sure your water pump and thermostat are good/been replaced in time. Make sure your radiator is in good shape/not leaking. Make sure you aren't losing/leaking any coolant and that all your hoses are good.
Other stuff: Make sure your belts are good. Both serpentine(drive) belt and timing belt. 4 surface cracks within 1 inch on the belt means that its old/as to be replaced. On these cars they recommend change it either 70K or 105K so look into that.

When doing a coolant flush, i highly recommend you use the HOAT coolant, which is the Volvo OEM/recommended "Blue" Coolant. Otherwise all the other ones are the same, just make sure you are not using Dex-Cool which is a GM only thing.

Unless you got something major going on, there is no reason why your car shouldn't make it. Highway driving is always good for the vehicle/ the engine.

Always carry fluids with you, including engine oil of the right blend/vicosity, 1-2 jugs of coolant, maybe a bottle of "Bar's Stop Leak", its a very good/efficient temp fix if you develop some kind of leak along the way. (It stopped the water pump/coolant leak on my Saab for a week but its bad for your system in the long run and can clog things up and cause more problems).

Good luck, take it easy, be easy on the car and remember to cool it down for 30-60 secs before turning it off each time to let the turbo to cool down.