98' V70 XC high pitched whine from AWD

[850 LPT]

Hello everybody,

A couple of weeks ago I had my indie Volvo mechanic install my new (NOS?) viscous coupler, or torque tube as Volvo calls it. He took the VC apart, inspected the front bearing which he found to be in good shape, installed the new torque tube, and put it back in the car. He then installed the driveshaft with new hardware and took it for a test drive.

The car drove perfect when I got it back. Even the slight vibration that was going through the car before the new VC went in was now gone .

After we got the last snow my wife took the car out and when she came back she mentioned that there was a whining noise and I should check it out. Sure enough, when I drove it the thing was screaming like a bunch of tortured kittens. The noise comes and goes and the pitch changes slightly with different speeds. It seems that it goes away completely at higher speeds.

I think when she drove the car the AWD had to work for the first time as she was hitting slippery surfaces. Up until that point, the VC did not have to engage because the car was mostly driven on dry pavement and that's why there was no noise before.

It looks to me the VC is making the noise, but what is happening inside of it to cause this? Have any of you guys experienced this? Should I be concerned?

BTW, besides this noise, there is still ZERO vibrations or clunks or anything when driving the car.

Your thoughts are much appreciated.

Dirk

[scot850]

Was the torque tube a brand new part? I have heard of even the NOS parts being faulty out of the box sue to how the have been stored. They should not be stored horizontally as the 'fluid' in them does not keep the clutch plates lubed and causes them to tear on first use.

If the part is new it should have a warranty on it, and I'd take it to the dealer to ask for confirmation if it is faulty. Did you replace the front bearing in the VC unit at the same time or is it the original?

Neil.

[850 LPT]

Thanks for your reply, Neil,

Yes, the torque tube is new from a Volvo dealer, and I do have a 1 year warranty on it.

I do have a couple more questions regarding the storage of these though. Are they not completely filled with the silicone fluid? If yes, the position for storage shouldn't matter, should It?
And if they are not filled completely, then this would create a slight imbalance on start up if they were stored horizontally, which should result in vibration in my mind.
I guess I am questioning the theory of the failed VC because of wrong storage. Did someone (maybe at Volvo) actually verify that this is sometimes happening or is this a theory? How would anybody know unless someone cuts one open and inspect?

To answer your other question, my indie Volvo mechanic pulled the VC apart and inspected the front bearing. He told me it was spinning just fine, no need to replace it. I took his word for it, he is a very good mechanic.

I drove the car again last night, although not very far, but it made no noises I wish I could figure this out.

Dirk

[abscate]

Intermittant bad noises..ugly.

Sidenote - are you missing any kittens?

[850 LPT]

Intermittant bad noises..ugly.

Sidenote - are you missing any kittens?