The "CRACK" is back!

V70Johnson · Post by **V70Johnson** » 31 Dec 2010, 09:56

Yes, it returns with more frequency this winter vs. prior years. This morning, it's 20 degrees outside...pretty darned chilly for these parts. I jump into my beloved V70 & fire it up. After about ten minutes of warm-up driving, the defrost on full...."CRACK"....from the front windshield....damned near drove off the road! I fully expected to look over to the right side of the windshield & see a glass rendition of the Grand Canyon. It's ironic that one should be happy to be disappionted!
Quite some time ago, I had commented in a similar thread regarding this issue. I know that others experience the same annoyance and I remember that someone offered an explanation as to why this happens, but that's what currently escapes me.
Thoughts anyone?
On a different note....the CEL lit up a week ago, so & plugged in my code reader. Here we go again...PO442 (evap system - small leak). The last time I did battle with with this, I found a crack in the J hose that connects into the charcoal cannister, which I repaired, but only after replacing the gas cap & purge valve. Money for nothin'. At this point, I REALLY don't feel like climbing all over the car looking for the proverbial needle ( ok, call me lazy). By the same token, I'm not too keen on shelling out to a pro to accomplish the same....especially right after Christmas! Which brings me to my question : Can anyone give me a clue as to how much it MIGHT cost me to have a shop fix this? (loaded question...I know) Many thanks!

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 31 Dec 2010, 15:03

The windshield crack is not a known problem, it may have started with a stone chip that you didn't really see in the masked off areas at the edges. In my case I almost wish mine would do the same on the Platinum - I think the PO followed a sand truck every day on the way to work and the windshield is horribly pitted.

Check you comprehensive coverage for the deductible amount. I carry $0.00 deductible on comprehensive coverage but between my wife and I we have taken out 6 or 7 deers (we were trying to tally them up the other night) and at least as many windshields. Comprehensive claims don't normally ding your insurance rates like a collision will.

As far as the CEL goes you already know the drill, look for a broken line in the EVAP system and it is usually an elbow. The lines that are the hardest to get to going to the top of the fuel tank are the ones that usually break.

...Lee

Post by **BEJinFbk** » 31 Dec 2010, 15:54

A correctly installed windshield should not be affected by temperature.
I'd agree that the pre-existing chip mentioned above is a likely suspect.

osmium · Post by **osmium** » 31 Dec 2010, 21:06

V70Johnson wrote:Yes, it returns with more frequency this winter vs. prior years. This morning, it's 20 degrees outside...pretty darned chilly for these parts. I jump into my beloved V70 & fire it up. After about ten minutes of warm-up driving, the defrost on full...."CRACK"....from the front windshield....damned near drove off the road! I fully expected to look over to the right side of the windshield & see a glass rendition of the Grand Canyon. It's ironic that one should be happy to be disappionted!
Quite some time ago, I had commented in a similar thread regarding this issue. I know that others experience the same annoyance and I remember that someone offered an explanation as to why this happens, but that's what currently escapes me.
Thoughts anyone?
On a different note....the CEL lit up a week ago, so & plugged in my code reader. Here we go again...PO442 (evap system - small leak). The last time I did battle with with this, I found a crack in the J hose that connects into the charcoal cannister, which I repaired, but only after replacing the gas cap & purge valve. Money for nothin'. At this point, I REALLY don't feel like climbing all over the car looking for the proverbial needle ( ok, call me lazy). By the same token, I'm not too keen on shelling out to a pro to accomplish the same....especially right after Christmas! Which brings me to my question : Can anyone give me a clue as to how much it MIGHT cost me to have a shop fix this? (loaded question...I know) Many thanks!

I get the same kind of thing with my windshield. Sounds like a ball bearing is hitting it. Gone over it very closely, but haven't found anything. First time I heard it, I expected to see a coast to coast crack on the glass, but nothing has happened so far.

-os

Post by **JRL** » 31 Dec 2010, 21:13

Is no one READING?
He said the windshield did NOT crack.

To the OP, you probably have a broken clip that attaches the dash (to the firewall).
All the other clips are probably good, so when you hit a certain bump at a certain temp, it makes noise

Post by **matthew1** » 31 Dec 2010, 22:16

I've had the same anomaly on my 850. V70Johnson is not exaggerating when he writes that it's really really loud.

This winter I haven't heard it, and it seems to have stopped for the same reason it started.

Post by **jreed** » 01 Jan 2011, 05:40

My '97 855 GLT at 142K miles also makes a loud 'crack' sound from the dashboard / windshield area near the passenger's side, but only during initial heat up on cold days. Something must be warming up, expanding, and then shifting suddenly... but I don't know what it is. Anyone figured it out already?

Post by **FlyingVolvo** » 01 Jan 2011, 15:21

I get the same thing on my 2000 XC. Doesn't happen very often at all, therefore I can't really speculate as to what conditions cause it, but it always does catch me off-guard!

Post by **JRL** » 01 Jan 2011, 16:23

There's one thing you all can look at that isn't much of a PIA.
There are 4 long screws that hold in the dash (among others)
You remove the cowl and they're staring at you.
If you had a new evaporator put in (and most of you now have) requires among other things removal of these screws.
If one was not tightened up or has just loosened up a bit, you WILL get some nasty cash noises.
This is fairly simple and does not require removal of the entire dash like you would to fix the plastic retaning clips that occasionally break.
I had a 98 V70R about a year or so ago.
Nasty dash noise.
My mechanic looked at this first, lo and behold one screw was almost out!!
Tightened it up (all of them) and it was as quiet as new

GuyS · Post by **GuyS** » 02 Jan 2011, 19:10

Your defrost panel/ dash carrrier is cracking. The cold plastic is suddenly expanding when the hot defrost air hits it. Sometimes, the cracks are barely visible on the top and often they are on the rear side where the cowl mounts are. This was a bad design by VOLVO, dissimilar plastics adhered together. One expands more rapidly than the other. I have removed so many of these carriers. Most are brittle after all these years. Sometimes, its as loud as a gunshot