1998 V70XC Rear Axle Area Catastrophic Failure - Any Ideas?

AJ1G · Post by **AJ1G** » 28 Feb 2009, 19:42

On the way up to my son's place here in Vernon, CT, we stopped for gas about five miles out. Car had been running absolutely fine. As we left the gas station , we heard (and felt) a repetitive heavy clunking/banging from the right rear of the car - like something was hung up in the wheel. I stopped and noticed nothing. Went another few miles, no clunking, but my wife and I did hear a faint high pitched whine that came in and then went away. As we slowed for the final turn into my son's street, the heavy banging/clunking started again. When I got to his driveway, we tried backing the car up and then driving the car forward in the driveway, which reproduced the clunking localized to the right rear wheel, and what was really weird, upon trying to move forward from a dead stop, the right rear wheel sometimes locked up and was being dragged along. The engine was laboring to make the car move at that point. Putting the car in reverse released the lock up, but it came back a few more forward and reverse cycles later. The clunking noise seems very localized to the right rear wheel area, and has a rate related to wheel rotation speed. The car is going to be flatbedded to my son's local Volvo mechanic as soon as we can. Anyone have any idea what the heck this very expensive sounding noise might be? The car has about 170K and (with the exception of a trashed set of valves caused by a timing belt tensioner failure a little over a year ago) has been relatively trouble free. At least it broke down very close to our destination and to a good Volvo mechanic....

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 28 Feb 2009, 21:55

I know it may appear that you are being ignored. You are not. Most of us don't have all wheel drive and hence we have no real expertise. I'm hoping that JRL or BEJinFBK will jump in soon since they have more experience with the AWD versions than any of us.

...Lee

AJ1G · Post by **AJ1G** » 01 Mar 2009, 06:42

Can't say I think I'm being ignored - only posted about 9PM last night!

BTW, no abnormal TRACS or ABS trouble lights during the clunking. After I posted to this forum, we went out and did a few more driveway fwd and reverse cycles to see if the left rear wheel was also locking up - the lockup did not re-occur, did have a few more intermittent loud clunks (i.e noise only present on a few fwd/reverse cycles, not every one) that again seemed to be coming from the area of the right rear wheel. Nothing visibly wrong under there, as best could be seen without putting car on a lift.

Post by **JRL** » 01 Mar 2009, 06:57

Most probably your e-brake shoe broke and or seized.
I've NEVER heard of a rear axle (ring and pinion) actually braking in these cars.
Occationally carrier bearings start to whine but as for breaking just like that, you would be the first one that I've ever heard of.
Anything's possible but personally I would remove the RR hub assy and check the ebrake assy.
They rust and DO break

AJ1G · Post by **AJ1G** » 01 Mar 2009, 07:21

JRL - I hope you are right. E-brake would be a lot less $$$ than a bevel gear or VC repair! Here's hoping..and praying!!!

ratfink_v70_2000 · Post by **ratfink_v70_2000** » 01 Mar 2009, 07:37

+1 on what JRL says. My handbrake(e-brake) shoes collapsed on each other and caused a total lock up, car wouldn't drive forwards or backwards. Prior to that happening I had had some noise from right rear wheel and had put it down to moisture on discs causing brakes to bind on start up as I live by the sea and discs get surface coating overnight.

Post by **holler1** » 01 Mar 2009, 09:36

Just by way of further explanation, the ebrake consists of a shoe and drum system inside the rear disk brake rotors. To get to it, remove the wheel and the disk caliper and then the disk brake rotor. The rotor may be hard to get off if the ebrake shoes are jammed against the inside of it. In my car, the ebrake occasionally makes clunky noises but has never jammed it tight. The shoes can come loose from the anchors and the ebrake cables that pull the shoes can get stuck due to rust. I think there are some threads in the repair database on this. If not I can probably find some pictures.

I have an AWD and did have a rear drive axle problem, but it was just a grease leak- it never made any noise. Lots of people have had problems with the "propeller" shaft or the driveshaft that goes from front to the rear, but mostly with the front part of that driveshaft.

Post by **BEJinFbk** » 01 Mar 2009, 23:51

Heigh De Ho, Neighbors! Sounds like I missed the good part...

But I vote disintegrated E brake, too. Sounds like the most likely culprit.
Makes for a perfect opportunity to check all that disc-ey stuff back there, too.
( Brakes are a definite plus in the driving tool box.

)

Seriously, there are plenty of posts out there about the linings
and the shoes parting ways and causing exactly these symptoms.
I have yet to hear about one of these diffs blowing up. Axle is probably fine.
Should be cake!

Jellobmw · Post by **Jellobmw** » 02 Mar 2009, 07:15

My money is on a missing bolt from the trailing edge of the caliper. Happened to me once.

bobsnow100 · Post by **bobsnow100** » 02 Mar 2009, 07:52

I have a 2001 xc70 awd that had these same noises. It sounded like the clunking noise came from the rear but it ended up being the bevel angle gear at the transmission where the propeller shaft attaches. If you jack the car up,grab the propeller shaft and shake it , see if there is play where it enters the bevel gear. I ended up making my AWD car into a two wheel drive.