1999 V70 XC Clicking sound from underneath

PapaHepcat · Post by **PapaHepcat** » 05 Jan 2015, 21:10

On my car, I'm sometimes hearing this clicking noise coming from under the car, maybe towards the front a bit. The sound is related to speed, and remains consistent regardless of engine rpm. It also continues if you shift to neutral while the car is rolling.

I thought maybe it was a cv axle, but I can't tell what side it's coming from. I took it to a Les Schwab (they do tires and suspension and stuff), and after some discussion and checking things, they thought it was the drive shaft / propeller shaft. Those are the same things, right?

Anyway, we all went underneath and they showed me how there's some play between the front and back halves. And when the guy moved the front half around a bit, it sounded similar to the click I'd been hearing when driving, though obviously less pronounced.

I've been reading through a bunch of threads, and it sounds like drive shafts are a common failure point on our cars. The car seems to run just fine otherwise. No grinding and only a slight wobble in the steering wheel, but I think that's a tire issue. So in your opinion, would you agree that it's the drive shaft? How difficult would it be for your average shade tree mechanic?

And is it really okay to drive without one for awhile? I'm thinking I might do that if I need to save up for a replacement. I have other things I need to work on for this car, like the spendy struts, and I may need to prioritize.

Post by **E Showell** » 05 Jan 2015, 21:13

Search the forum. There are many who have removed the AWD driveshaft and run the car successfully as FWD only for many tens of thousands of miles.

PapaHepcat · Post by **PapaHepcat** » 05 Jan 2015, 22:46

I searched some before posting, but I suppose not back far enough. I see what you mean.

Before I drop the cash on a replacement, is there anything else I should check first? I didn't see any mentions of clicking sound being the primary symptom. I know (now) that I can pull it and see if the noise goes away, but could it also be something drive shaft is connected to? I just don't have a wallet big enough to toss around $500 if it ends up being something else.

Post by **E Showell** » 06 Jan 2015, 05:31

Can't help you there. Both my Volvos are FWD, but plenty of others on here can. They will come along in time.

Post by **850 LPT** » 06 Jan 2015, 06:41

I would take the propshaft out and then drive the car. This won't hurt anything one bit. Chances are the noise is gone.
You can then check the condition of the angle gear and viscous coupler. If everything looks fine, get a rebuilt propshaft from Colorado Driveshaft and install.

How many miles are on this car?

PapaHepcat · Post by **PapaHepcat** » 06 Jan 2015, 12:36

170k miles. I'll plan on pulling the propshaft out this weekend and take a look at angle gear and viscous coupler. I'll report back for posterity.

PapaHepcat · Post by **PapaHepcat** » 10 Jan 2015, 17:24

Sure enough. I pulled the propshaft and he clicking is gone. I'll be calling Colorado Driveshaft shortly.

And I gotta say: this forum is great. I had all the info I needed to pull the propsshaft. It was relatively easy and only took me a couple of hours. It would've gone much more quickly if I had allen sockets for my socket wrench. Ratcheting would've been way easier.

And it was a great reason to buy a floor jack and a creeper. And a second set of jack stands. All of that made a huge difference. I've got other work to do on the car, and the the tools will pay for themselves before I'm done. And I'm not even grumpy!

Post by **scot850** » 11 Jan 2015, 23:05

While you have the shaft out, check the bearings at the front end of the viscous coupling housing. I had that fail and it caused some strange noises.

Neil.

PapaHepcat · Post by **PapaHepcat** » 11 Jan 2015, 23:17

There's a local guy who said it'd prob cost no more than a couple hundred bucks to redo the three joints in the shaft. I'll prob go that route bs buying one from CD.

In the meantime, I'll need to put it up on stands again to do the struts and tie rods. I'll check the housing while I'm at it

daveyboy8 · Post by **daveyboy8** » 12 Jan 2015, 03:56

just had this happen with my 2000 v70xc on my way to work this morning.was part way there in snowstorm and all of a sudden strange clicking noise.thought it might be cv shaft,but will check driveshaft since i now have day off from work.had no problems yesterday-drove great all day.will post when i find problem.