That rattling is driving me nuts ...

[Clemens]

So my 96R is a pleasure on the freeway, but bumpy roads in the city are a pita. And since I have 2 more 850ies with very similar mileage (all around 190.000) I know it is alot worse in the R.
This probably comes from the 17 inch wheels and the sport suspension for 200.000 miles and and 22 years.

So what are the known culprits and how do I fix them?
I think I hear at least the following parts rattle:

Dashboard
Doorpanels (f+r)
Tailgate
Cargo cover (it works, but it rattles)

The suspension is in really good shape, so i know it is all just the interior.

Would new shocks improve the ride? They are not bouncy or leaking, but still the original ones.

[scot850]

At that age if the shocks are the originals you will notice a huge improvement with new ones. They tend to go hard and with the 17" wheels and little sidewall it amplifies all the rattles.

Having said that, here is what I usually find cause some of those issues you list:

1) Tailgate - 1) Inner panel has broken the mounts. Buy one of the repair kits (even Pro-Parts or Scantech work). Glue the metal
repair patches on for additional security of the repair using a glue that sticks plastic and metal.
2) Rear latch has worn out. There should be a plastic cover on the central pin the latch locks onto and usually it breaks
off allowing it to rattle. Try some electrical tape rapped around the pin in several layers and see if that helps. The latch
is not hugely expensive. and fairly easy for you to replace.
3) Check the rubber bump stops (one each side near the lower rear lights) have not broken off. Try greasing them a little
Lithium grease.

2) Door rattles : 1) Broken lower mount for the rear window guide. Not sure the 850 one is still available. The one for a V/S70 will
work, but you have to rivet it on unlike the original which used a small screw.
2) Check all the mountings are in place for the inner panel and not broken.
3) Check the door retainer straps are not broken or the mounting to the 'A' pillar.
4) If the door panels are 2 piece, check they have not separated. Not sure that is relevant to an 850, but just also
check they have not just come loose and tighten their mounting screws up.

3) Dashboard : Broken mounts. Big job, but I used plastic glue, a propane gas welder and metal straps to repair. Now stronger than
new. I think I wrote a repair on that for my 2000 V70 base.

4) Cargo cover: Only thing I can suggest is to check the runner end mounts. Chances are they are worm and rattle. Not aware of new
parts being available. Maybe try silicon grease or oil on them? Also check the end covers are not broken with age.
Skandix do a repair part as does a guy on Ebay in Belgium/Holland?

Hope that helps.

Neil.

[misha]

If you ask me....shocks are good untill they start to leak.The same for rear nivomats.Even when they start to leak,you have time.Leak is just an indication that they are going bad.
Their condition does not depends on mileage.It depends of the roads condition the car had been driven on.

[Clemens]

Neil, thank you for the detailed description.

I will try to fix the tailgate panel a third or fourth time, this time using some flecible glue or sthg. along with the brackets and clips. I think the upper bezel around the window is the main problem here.

The rear window guides were available 2 years ago. I have one in my toolbox. I never instslled it. The window works fine w/o it (surprisingly). I guess i will try to soundproof the doors and check for any rattling culprits inside the door.

I remember your dash fix. Very inspiring, as usual.


I might give new front shocks a though. I habe new rear nivos waiting for install, so i might just get front shocks as well.

Are the oem sachs front shocks different for lowered and standard suspension?

[callahanoffroad]

You need new shocks/struts all around. They do go bad over time. My 850 base had ORIGINAL shocks and struts from the factory. They weren't blown and rattling nor leaking but they were definitely tired and worn. New on all 4 corners made all the difference.

Is your wagon door rattling, squeeking or bumping?
My wagon never ceased to bump over bumps in the road. Nearly drove me mad. Man I miss that car...

[Clemens]

The wagon door is squaking and rattling. The bumpiness went away after setting up the gap of the lock mechanism correctly. The lower part of the tailgate cover sits quite firmly, but I believe it is atill rattling and squeaking. Gotta add some gooey glue to all the contact areas between plastic and door/glass i believe.

I just checked the doors and the dashboard. They seem pretty solid. I think they are good.

Maybe it's time to install new shocks and toss out the front cross brace...

[amblerman]

If you want to see a different option for dash mount repairs, take a look at what I did back in July of 2017.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=81991&p=444318#p444318

My dash is still quite and quite solid.

My method does require a couple of days to let the the ABS cement to fully set and allow multiple layers to build up. Not difficult, just requires some time. Like if you don't need your car for a long weekend.

BTW. There are a lot of things I like about my volvo. The way they designed the dashboard mounting points is not one of them. I feel as if they are doomed to fail. It's the only car I've ever had fail in this way. On the upside, it was completely fixable.

Andy

[Kara503]

I have most of the rattles you guys have been talking about, but also another nobody has mentioned- my second row seats squeak and rattle all the time. I believe the noise is coming from the latch that you disengage so you can fold them down. The seats freely move just a bit when in the up and latched position so they rattle back and forth. Might check that too.

I wrapped the posts that the latches attach to in electrical tape and it solved the problem, but that only works until you fold the seats down 2 or 3 times and it breaks the tape.

[Clemens]

Andy, thanks for the link. This helps alot. I indeed found one broken tab on the dash today.

As for the second row seats: have you tried duct tape? It should withstand the abuse better.

[Clemens]

Reporting back on this:

Meanwhile I came closer to silence:
- I installed my brandnew sport nivos and springs in the rear
- I removed my kid´s MCs from the glovebox (for those born later than our cars: Music Cassettes are ancient music storage devices that rattle like hell over any road imperfection) and put them in the seat pockets
- Upon closer inspection, the doors weren´t rattling, just stuff in the door pockets which I simply removed.
- I removed the upper dash pad and fixed a few cracks and the odometer gear and supported the dash itself with 2 additional drywall screws.
- I am about to order H&R front springs which should only be a tad lower than the original R springs but with a progressive rate which in theory should be a bit softer over tiny bumps. I willl also get new struts (probably Sachs oil filled standard struts) and new strut seats and so on.

This leaves me with a quite improved ride by now, with only the tailgate left as a source of noise. I will tackle that after my vacation!

Thanks for all your contributions