My name is Burke and this is my first Volvo. I bought it in Houston, TX with 120k miles on it. I've tried going through the search option as much as possible but I still have a lot o questions left unanswered. I hope you guys don't mind me bugging you so much
.While the vehicle is in rather good shape for its age, I have noticed some pretty loud clunking noises coming from the front end as well as some not as loud clunks/rattles from the rear. This is accompanied by a steering wheel shake that isn't very severe but noticeable (very slight up to 35 mph and moderate around 65 - 70). When I roll over bumps at very low speeds (almost a crawl) it doesn't produce any clunking sounds but if I try to drive over uneven pavement at more than say 15 mph the noises appear. I've checked several posts and a site with an FAQ, and think that it may be the "lower ball joints" or "control arm bushing"? Am I correct in this pseudo-diagnosis? If it's either, how do I check which one of it needs replacing?
As for the miscellaneous questions... I have an automatic model and noticed that while driving normally the upshifts seem a little abrupt. Kind of like if you were driving a manual car, shifted into second, and popped the clutch a little early. Downshifts are perfectly smooth though. While the upshifting is abrupt it is not accompanied with any loud clunk noise. Is this normal-ish? I have never owned an automatic car, not to mention an automatic 20 year old tank
. The a/c is suuuuper cold but sometimes when I turn the a/c off and turn off the car I can hear a slight hissing sound remain for about 10-15 seconds after the car is off. Like I pissed off a snake in the air vents or something... Normal?I think that's all the curiosities I have for the moment. Thanks for reading and I hope I get some help
