Rattling, ticking, and vibration at startup and low power acceleration

OneWatt · Post by **OneWatt** » 02 Sep 2021, 10:19

I have a 2010 Volvo XC60 T6 with 130K miles. It is making a rattling/ticking/vibration sound at startup and low power acceleration. Higher power acceleration makes the noise go away and the engine sounds normal. This problem started about 2 weeks ago and rapidly became worse in the first week. I have removed the bottom splash guard and listened for abnormal noises from underneath and above, but the engine sounds normal except for the valve ticking may be a little louder than usual. The noise is more noticeable from inside the car, and sounds like it is coming from the engine compartment on the passenger side. I am thinking exhaust leak or turbo charger, but there is also the valve ticking noise on the top side of the engine. It appears to be coming from the passenger side end of the rear cam. My first reaction was to check the oil because it kind of sounds like an engine with low oil, but it goes away when I accelerate hard. It was a quart low, but this is not unusual since this car has been leaking oil for a while. I think the oil is coming from the turbo because there is a lot in the intake, and the oil on the bottom of the engine is on the transmission/driver side. No check engine light or low oil level light. Any help or suggestions to diagnose this problem would be appreciated.

motormikeyman · Post by **motormikeyman** » 02 Sep 2021, 10:59

Could be a loose heat shield on the catalytic converter. They can make a heck of a noise and it's hard to tell where it's coming from.

OneWatt · Post by **OneWatt** » 22 Oct 2021, 12:17

New symptoms discovered on my XC60. I opened the oil filler cap while the engine was running and noticed high vacuum on the cap. This seems to be a symptom of a failed PCV valve, although I do not have the indicative whirring noise that is usually associated with this failure. I ordered a new oil trap and hopefully this will cure the engine rattle as well. I also changed the oil at this time and noticed that the oil filter housing was full of oil when I removed the filter. This is usually empty after draining the oil. Is this a symptom of something? Maybe some oil passages are clogged. I let is sit a a while until the oil in the filter housing drained. What would be the best way to flush the oil passages without getting too invasive?

OneWatt · Post by **OneWatt** » 03 Nov 2021, 06:59

UPDATE: I replaced the oil trap, and the vacuum on the crankcase is gone, but the rattling/vibration noise has not changed. It only occurs after start up and diminishes as the engine warms up.

Volvogurl89 · Post by **Volvogurl89** » 03 Apr 2024, 06:33

Curious if you ever found a solution. I’m having the same issue with my Volvo and the warranty company refuses to continue allowing the shop to look for the problem. They originally tried to tell me it was pcv but it’s not the noise I’ve compared to the similar noise you describe. I still have 1000 miles under warranty I’d love to get it figured out.