Bad bearing noise and vibration under drivers feet at 30mph and up

forestfarm · Post by **forestfarm** » 22 Jul 2022, 10:57

My wifes volvo,2004 xc70.Bad vibration,more like a grinding noise under drivers feet at about 25mph and up.I replaced wheel bearing and axle drivers side,no improvement.I thought it must be the angle gear.Bought a good used one and new coupling,installed unit and noise and vibration are still there.Passenger side wheel bearing and axle and carrier bearing seem fine,i had the right axle out to pull out the angle gear.Not sure what to do at this point.Its a pretty bad noise,nothing that you could ignore,increases in intensity with speed,like a howling.Could this be a bearing failure in the transaxle on left front where the axle goes into the trans?I had the vehicle up on stands and started it and put into gear and ran about 30 mph with the left front axle removed and felt no vibration or noise at all.Thats what led me to replace the axle and wheel bearing on that side,but it didnt solve the problem.That led me to believe it had to be the angle gear.Replaced angle gear and new coupling.Problem is still there.I need an expert volvo tech to weigh in on this one.Im getting a bit aggravated at this point

Post by **BlackBart** » 22 Jul 2022, 11:56

forestfarm wrote: ↑22 Jul 2022, 10:57Its a pretty bad noise, nothing that you could ignore, increases in intensity with speed, like a howling. Could this be a bearing failure in the transaxle on left front where the axle goes into the trans?

That seems like a good call to investigate.

Could it be anything to do with the north-south driveshaft carrier?

Post by **Blacklab467** » 22 Jul 2022, 18:34

You could remove the propshaft and isolate it to anything south of the angle gear. Failing that, remove the Angle gear and drive it to see if the noise goes away. But first I would get it securely on 4 jack stands and make sure the heat shields in the propshaft tunnel are not rubbing on the shaft, you'd be amazed at how common this is and how many people have changed driveline components chasing this issue down!
Also don't throw out your replaced wheel bearing and axle, if they're OEM you will likely have to put them back in if you replaced them with aftermarket junk.
I see this is your first post, this website has some incredibly experienced Volvo owners who can provide great advice. Go check your heat shields and carrier bearing and report back.

Post by **Blacklab467** » 22 Jul 2022, 18:36

Also how many miles on your car?

forestfarm · Post by **forestfarm** » 22 Jul 2022, 20:24

196k miles,Have two of these cars been maintaining them myself for 15 years now.I had the driver axle out with vehicle on stands and running,there was no vibration then at moderate wheel speed.I had the right side axle removed when i replaced the angle gear unit,the carrier bearing on right axle seems fine,no play,spins free and quiet.I aligned the angle gear unit to the right axle before tightening down the bolts,slid in nice and free.I am thinking at this point i need to drain the transaxle and look for metallic debris from bearing failure.If i find no metal debris i think i might pull out the left front axle and lever out the out seal and take a look at that outer roller bearing in the trans that carries the end of the left front axle.I think im going to find a lot of evidence in the trans oil,should have looked there first.I will check the driveshaft tunnel for anything i might have overlooked but this is a definite vibration directly under the drivers feet

Post by **jonesg** » 22 Jul 2022, 20:29

I had a bad rear wheel bearing, it felt smooth when spun in my hand, but a nagging drone when under load.
keep at it, you'll find it.

Post by **Blacklab467** » 22 Jul 2022, 21:22

You seem pretty proficient based on the work you have done so far. In my experience, noises and vibrations don't always reveal where they are coming from while seated and driving. I've not heard of transmission bearings failing but it may be possible. Could possibly be a torque convertor also. Does the noise go away at speed in neutral? I had a problem like this three times, first time it was the heat shields, second time it was emergency brake shoes delaminating and rolling around in the drum, and third, the power steering fluid was low and the pump was cavitating. All three sounded like something else entirely and definitely more serious!

Post by **justanotherhumanoid** » 22 Jul 2022, 22:32

I'd second Blacklab's guess at the prop shaft, only because I had the forward joint go bad and it started vibrating at exactly 30mph. But it was a much more severe, car-shaking vibration than the howling under-driver's-feet vibration you describe. Perhaps it is the same thing manifesting differently. I'd try first checking and then removing the prop shaft to see if it goes away.

Post by **cn90** » 22 Jul 2022, 22:38

At dealer, they lift the car up in the air and runs through the gear, while another tech is underneath listening with a stethoscope.
I paid $35 for the diagnostic fees, worth it.
This is for my 2005 XC90 2.5T AWD, turned out it ws a stripped angle gear collar.
I decided not to fix it but it was worth $35 diagnostic fees at dealer.

Post by **br0dy519** » 23 Jul 2022, 05:59

My dealer would charge $165 for that.

OP, please keep us updated. I’m chasing a similar noise. When you do the swerve test does any one side increase the sound level of the noise it’s making?