1990 240 DL Suspension noise in the rear

[brutt]

Hello,
By no means I am a mechanic so please bear with me when I describe my problem. Perhaps you will be able to point me in the right direction.

For sometime now I have been hearing a noise coming from the rear driver's side. The noise is present when driving slowly , on flat surface. Also present on a bumpy surface. I do no think that it is present at highway speeds.

The noise sounds like something hard is hitting another hard surface, and is more like a rattle , less than a thump. It is difficult to describe sounds in words

I have taken my car to two different mechanics. The first guy said that he does not hear anything and to ignore it. The second, heard it. We got the car in the air, he check all around the area were the noise is coming from, checked the brakes, the muffler, we took out the rear seats to make sure that nothing has gotten there. No luck. I asked about a broken spring, he said that he doesn't think that's it. BTW, how do you know if the spring is broken?

He noticed that I need new strut mount bushings. I also hear a screeching sound after I replaced the rear shocks. Could the rattle be related to bad bushings?
I asked him how much it would cost to replace them but he said that it would be very costly and it is better to drive with the noise.

I am very happy with my car, had it for 5 years, no rust, so it drives me crazy that someone wants me to ignore an obvious noise. It makes the car sound junky.
I would be very grateful for any suggestions.

[sseir39]

There are suspension bushings on the rear of 240's that go out and need replacing. I have replaced a few in my time but purchased the tool to press out and press in the bushings. The panhard rod also can have bushings that go out.

Don't know what your mechanic means by expensive, but and experienced Volvo mechanic or indy should be able to help you. You also can go to brickboard.com and go the RWD section for good help. They have the best FAQ section also for RWD.

Good luck and have fun.

[brutt]

Thank you for your reply and the info on RWD.

Would it be possible for someone to provide a list of what kinds of bushings there are in the rear of the 240? Perhaps that way I can check them one by one.

Is there a way to check them without lifting the car off the ground?

[billofdurham]

There are several bushings on the rear suspension:

Support arm rear end where it attaches to the axle.
Support arm front end where it attaches to the bracket from the support stay.
Support stay where it attaches to the same bracket.
Support stay where it attaches to the axle.
Cross stay both ends where it attaches to the axle.

To check for play in these bushings the back wheels should be off the ground.

I think the mechanic who told you it would be expensive did not want the job. Try to find someone who has Volvo experience or, like my friendly mechanic, enjoys a challenge, does a good job and does not charge enough to require a mortgage.

Bill.

[brutt]

Bill, thank you for your help and the list.

I live in eastern Pennsylvania and its is hard to find a mechanic who would want to tackle this job. The responses that I'm getting are " nothing wrong, turn the radio up" sort.
I just want my car to feel and sound prior to replacement of the rear shocks. I almost regret that I got them replaced.

Does any one have a scan of a diagram of the suspension of the 240? Is it possible to post it or email it to me? Thanks.

[billofdurham]

As the saying goes, "Your wish is our command".



The red arrows point to the bushings.

As usual we are divided by a common language. In the list I gave you the support arm is the control arm in the diagram; the support stay is the torque rod and the cross stay is the track bar. However, the axle is the axle.

Amazing to think that both sets of information came from official Volvo sources.

Ask around your friends, work colleagues etc. Somebody must know a good mechanic. Volvo experience is not necessary as this is 'bread and butter' work to any competent mechanic.

Bill.

[brutt]

Bill,
A thousand thanks for your help, and especially for he diagram.



Hopefully, armed with this knowledge, I can figure out what the problem is.

[brutt]

I wanted to give an update to my problem and its solution.
After careful inspection, the noise was caused by a bad shock. It was the last thing I suspected, because I have installed new shocks about 1 year ago. Well, I guess they were faulty (at least the left rear one was). The noise is gone and I am happy.
Once again, thank you all for your help.

[sseir39]

Thanks for reporting back. I did have some KYB's that literally rusted out when I lived in MN. Lifetime warranty???