Weird axle noise while moving wheel - 00 V70 non-turbo

ashlee2319 · Post by **ashlee2319** » 19 Mar 2023, 18:11

I've had this strange "metal pop" noise occasionally when I make a slow turn up a hill or into a driveway and shops haven't found anything out of the ordinary. Tires could live for another year or so. I've always felt like the front end up had some play, or was loose feeling, so I had a hunch it may be the axles (originals) but never had any classic axles-going-bad sounds.

I got under it today and took a video of me moving the wheel back and forth. The noise you hear is from the driver's side. I don't hear this on the passenger axle, just the other side. This also sounds like the mysterious noise when shifting from drive to reverse despite having all new engine mounts...
Anyone know if this is normal?

Post by **scot850** » 20 Mar 2023, 10:21

There is a little 'slop' on the axle and trans. Is this an automatic or manual trans?

I would say that there is more movement than I would expect, so you could have a worn CV joint. Typically you get a clicking when turning if a joint is getting bad. Trans type is needed to help further.

Neil.

ashlee2319 · Post by **ashlee2319** » 20 Mar 2023, 18:51

scot850 wrote: ↑20 Mar 2023, 10:21 There is a little 'slop' on the axle and trans. Is this an automatic or manual trans?

I would say that there is more movement than I would expect, so you could have a worn CV joint. Typically you get a clicking when turning if a joint is getting bad. Trans type is needed to help further.

Neil.

Hi it’s an automatic

Post by **scot850** » 20 Mar 2023, 20:04

You do get a bit of play in the auto trans when you move the wheel end of the axle.

I would try to see if you can see or feel any movement in the join on the drive axles at both ends at the CV joints.

When you replaced the engine mounts what brands did you use? The usual offenders are the torque rod bushes failing (top and bottom), and the engine pad under the crank pulley. I would recheck all of those to make sure they are still good. I have had mounts fail in months from aftermarket suppliers.

Have you checked your sub-frame mounts for wear?

Neil.

Post by **FireFox31** » 21 Mar 2023, 10:47

The sound captured on your video is identical to what I hear on my 2000 V70s when moving the wheel. There's always a little play until the transmission gets engaged. It sounds like that play is at the trans, not at the wheel. I've never worried about it.

By design, the axle splines are a tiny bit loose in the wheel bearing hubs. This allows the axle splines to shift a little inside the hubs when the car's weight shifts. This play causes one slight "pop" per side after driving in reverse when you begin to drive forward. All of my 2000 V70 NA automatics have this. The solution is to put a tiny amount of special adhesive on the splines to bind them to the hub, as noted in the Haynes manual. Unfortunately, based on everything I've read, the adhesive binds very strong and even requires heat to remove, which is difficult with rubber axle boots in the way. I have chosen not to use adhesive on my axle splines, as have many other MVS users.

On one of my 2000 V70s, one axle bolt was surprisingly loose. Check that they are torqued to 35 Nm / 26 ft lb, then angle tightened a further 90 degrees. I believe that they are single use bolts so you might even consider replacing them. To tighten them: remove the wheel, remove the wheel center cap, reinstall the wheel, lower the car, then tighten them through the center cap hole.

ashlee2319 · Post by **ashlee2319** » 21 Mar 2023, 12:54

Subframe mounts are good, engine mounts are genuine and OEM.
I had bad shuddering from the steering wheel when making slow turns. It’s at the shop right now and turned out to be the axles and the left side wheel bearing

Hopefully someone can benefit from this post

Post by **FireFox31** » 21 Mar 2023, 23:18

Interesting. Every wheel bearing I've had fail produces a loud howling when driving. Was yours doing that? Is it possible for them to fail without making a sound?

I'm curious what about the axle had failed. The only axle failures I've experienced were torn boots letting grease out and dirt in, wearing out the bearings. This caused a noticeable cyclical bump in the car each time the worn spot was touched. How else can an axle fail?

ashlee2319 · Post by **ashlee2319** » 22 Mar 2023, 08:27

FireFox31 wrote: ↑21 Mar 2023, 23:18 Interesting. Every wheel bearing I've had fail produces a loud howling when driving. Was yours doing that? Is it possible for them to fail without making a sound?

I'm curious what about the axle had failed. The only axle failures I've experienced were torn boots letting grease out and dirt in, wearing out the bearings. This caused a noticeable cyclical bump in the car each time the worn spot was touched. How else can an axle fail?

It did have a howling noise. I thought it was my cupped tires but the sounds eventually got louder on the highway.

I think the bad wheel bearing ultimately wore on the axle, which caused the inner joint to have a lot of play, hence the video. I didn’t have any clicking while turning
Also my cupped tires are probably from the bad wheel bearing!

ashlee2319 · Post by **ashlee2319** » 22 Mar 2023, 08:31

FireFox31 wrote: ↑21 Mar 2023, 10:47 The sound captured on your video is identical to what I hear on my 2000 V70s when moving the wheel. There's always a little play until the transmission gets engaged. It sounds like that play is at the trans, not at the wheel. I've never worried about it.

By design, the axle splines are a tiny bit loose in the wheel bearing hubs. This allows the axle splines to shift a little inside the hubs when the car's weight shifts. This play causes one slight "pop" per side after driving in reverse when you begin to drive forward. All of my 2000 V70 NA automatics have this. The solution is to put a tiny amount of special adhesive on the splines to bind them to the hub, as noted in the Haynes manual. Unfortunately, based on everything I've read, the adhesive binds very strong and even requires heat to remove, which is difficult with rubber axle boots in the way. I have chosen not to use adhesive on my axle splines, as have many other MVS users.

On one of my 2000 V70s, one axle bolt was surprisingly loose. Check that they are torqued to 35 Nm / 26 ft lb, then angle tightened a further 90 degrees. I believe that they are single use bolts so you might even consider replacing them. To tighten them: remove the wheel, remove the wheel center cap, reinstall the wheel, lower the car, then tighten them through the center cap hole.

Disclaimer: My mechanic noted that applying adhesive to the splines does not apply to ALL 2000 V70 NAs.

Post by **FireFox31** » 22 Mar 2023, 12:45

Thanks for this information. While working on my 2000 V70 last night, I checked for play in the axles. The left felt tight but the right was notably loose between the axle splines and the wheel hub. That could be because I just replaced that hub while the left is likely original, firmly in place with grime. Or perhaps I harmed the right axle by driving on the old right hub which had massive failure. Thankfully I have a spare right axle.

Thanks again for sharing the info.

I checked both axle bolts to be sure they were tight (since the right wasn't before replacing the hub). They were, but one side had a rusty 17 mm head while the other had a clean 14 mm head. I might just replace both since they're unknown age and quality.