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Squeaking from dashboard C70

Help, Advice and DIY Tutorials on Volvo's P80 platform cars -- Volvo's 1990s "bread and butter" cars -- powered by the ubiquitous and durable Volvo inline 5-cylinder engine.

1992 - 1997 850, including 850 R, 850 T-5R, 850 T-5, 850 GLT
1997 - 2000 S70, S70 AWD
1997 - 2000 V70, V70 AWD
1997 - 2000 V70-XC
1997 - 2004 C70

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abscate
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Re: Squeaking from dashboard C70

Post by abscate »

Mounts and the rim of the dash rubbing against the window frame

The one repair that worked for me, without removal, was forcing thin butyl rubber tape in front of the dash to stop the dash/ frame rubbing above. It was messy and you need to find the right spudger to force the tape in but it does work

On Evita, we put a thin strip of butyl tape on the very front of the dash and that made it quiet
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Post by Chuck W »

CoupeC70 wrote: 15 Feb 2025, 18:48 Thats not looking nice without dash :)

Bought Osixo anti-squeak aerosol, some Krytox stuff.
Is also used in the automotive industry
It's worth a try before I open a big construction site
All you're going to do is coat the wiring and that batting with nasty goo.
Bracing and such has been suggested. Get in, examine things and go that route.


A P80 dash can be pulled pretty easily. I've definitely had to deal with worse. These are much more modular and thought out than what I normally deal with.
Image

(I can get an 850 dash out w/o breaking stuff in under an hour)
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Post by foggydogg »

Add my voice to what the others have said, spraying anything into the gap will likely cause more problems than solutions. A wedge or some shims between the steering column and the bottom edge would be the fastest quick fix and give an idea about the extent of the damage.
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Post by CoupeC70 »

abscate wrote: 16 Feb 2025, 04:33 Mounts and the rim of the dash rubbing against the window frame

The one repair that worked for me, without removal, was forcing thin butyl rubber tape in front of the dash to stop the dash/ frame rubbing above. It was messy and you need to find the right spudger to force the tape in but it does work

On Evita, we put a thin strip of butyl tape on the very front of the dash and that made it quiet
I have a gap between the windshield and the dashboard, you dont have a gap between ?
Is there a simple invisible solution to eliminate the noise?

My idea would also be to press a lot of foam between the gap...
Do you know how big the cavity is inside down there?

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Post by Chuck W »

You have a gap because the mounts have failed, or the dash frame has cracked and allowed it to drop.

Shoving things in whatever space you have now will just make matters worse.
The dash needs to go up and be supported, not pressed down more.

There should be little to no gap between the dash and the windshield.
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Post by scot850 »

If it is that bad, the 2 support mounts by the door are likely broken.

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Post by CoupeC70 »

@Chuck_W

I have this gap almost for 13 years, since I have my C70 and there was no noises
And my dash doesn’t move a millimeter

It looks normal to me if there is a few mm distance to the windshield, I have seen it on other cars and other C70

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Post by Chuck W »

If it's been like that for this long, I'd be more inclined to check the tightness of the 4 fasteners at the cowl.

You have to remove the wipers and the cowl cover in the engine bay, but that's all pretty simple. The heads of the 4 bolts are accessible there. 10mm socket and a small 1/4" drive ratchet to do a quick check to make sure all of the bolts are snug.
'97 854 T5 - Manual Swap/M4.4/COP/NA cams/P2R Brakes/16T/ chassis bracing/ XC70 nose swap
'97 855 GLT - Hers. RN swap/16T/COP/VVT/exhaust/302s/Flashed M4.4/ chassis bracing/ 2 kid seats
'78 GLE - Waiting in the wings. Future whiteblock/T5 swap.

The Others- '83 TBird turbo, '85 Mercury Marquis LTS (1 of 134), '86 LTD Wagon, '81 Granada GL, '76 Beetle, '93 F-150 I6

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Post by CoupeC70 »

Chuck W wrote: 17 Feb 2025, 16:33 If it's been like that for this long, I'd be more inclined to check the tightness of the 4 fasteners at the cowl.

You have to remove the wipers and the cowl cover in the engine bay, but that's all pretty simple. The heads of the 4 bolts are accessible there. 10mm socket and a small 1/4" drive ratchet to do a quick check to make sure all of the bolts are snug.
I read that too about the 4 screws. But I'm a bit scared of touching them and making things worse...
My concern is that it might help at first, but then the tension on the mounts is stronger and the mounts really break or even more or other mounts.
How likely is it that the screws will loosen in 25 years ? :D

I tinkered around a bit yesterday. I did use PTFE spray. I really wanted to know and didn't leave it untried. But it's a dry PTFE spray, so maybe that's why it didn't help.
I know the squeaking and creaking disappears when I press against the dash at the top edge.
That's why I put a shim in the front where the sensor is.
Yes, that helps. But it bothers me somehow to see it. And I don't know how deep I can put it in without it falling in. It would be a disaster if it fell in, even more rattling noises from a shim rolling around behind the dash :? :o

I've now considered working with foam. I ordered a 2mm thick roll from Amazon. And I want to stuff it in there and pad it out. But I think I'm underestimating the small gap and the angle of the windshield. It wasn't easy to work with the PTFE spray either.

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Post by Chuck W »

Even a 1/4 turn could increase the compressive force enough to silence things. I'm not saying to wail on them with a 1/2-meter-long breaker bar. ;) They're only M6 bolts. If one spins easily, then that mount is probably broken.

Things settle. Things compress. Especially after 25 years. It's clamping plastic, not metal.
'97 854 T5 - Manual Swap/M4.4/COP/NA cams/P2R Brakes/16T/ chassis bracing/ XC70 nose swap
'97 855 GLT - Hers. RN swap/16T/COP/VVT/exhaust/302s/Flashed M4.4/ chassis bracing/ 2 kid seats
'78 GLE - Waiting in the wings. Future whiteblock/T5 swap.

The Others- '83 TBird turbo, '85 Mercury Marquis LTS (1 of 134), '86 LTD Wagon, '81 Granada GL, '76 Beetle, '93 F-150 I6

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