2015.5 XC70 T5 Drive-E rattle/knock noise upon acceleration?

odonnebj · Post by **odonnebj** » 14 Mar 2016, 20:44

I own a 2015.5 XC70 T5 with the Drive-E engine. About 1,000 miles after my 10,000 mile service, I have started to notice a rattle coming from the front end upon hard accelerations. It's intermittent but reproducible with enough accelerations. I first noticed it going uphill and accelerating to pass someone. It's a brief rattle (about 1 second or so) and sounds a bit like shaking a paint can or a coffee can with marbles. Again, really brief but noticeably loud. It sounds like it's more on the driver side. I've recorded it and attached a google drive link below. My phone was out the window so pardon the wind, and I took another recording with the windows up.

I took it to my dealer and they claimed they were unable to reproduce it, however after I signed the work order upon check out the tech and service advisor admitted to being able to replicate it but threw their hands up on trying to fix it. I'm at a loss. Any suggestions?

Phone out the window recording:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7qiZu ... sp=sharing

Windows closed, phone inside car:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7qiZu ... sp=sharing

cathanas · Post by **cathanas** » 14 Sep 2016, 14:21

I have a 2015.5 S60 T5 with the same issue. Google "2015.5 S60 T5 clicking" and you will find more of us. Very frustrated. I was able to take my service tech for a spin and duplicated the issue. He immediately said it was detonation. Unfortunately, Volvo has no fix for the problem. I suggest you call Volvo Corporate and open a case with them.

Idigbebop · Post by **Idigbebop** » 23 Sep 2016, 01:28

Mobil detergent. Premium 91 R+M for all injected turbos and 3.2 Densos. If 91 works ok, back off to 89 and try a tank. It sounds like low rpm acceleration ping. Take 17 gallons and call me in the morning.

Post by **kcodyjr** » 26 Sep 2016, 13:04

They have no fix for detonation issues? Srsly? That's like a doctor saying they have no fix for a bloody f***ing severed artery. Do they also not know how to tie shoelaces? I'd be skeptical of that dealership doing anything more advanced than oil and light bulb changes. Come to think of it, they could screw that up too. You can probably trust them for a wash and a vacuum, though.

Low octane fuel, excessive timing advance, overly lean mixture, or a hot spot in the cylinder.

Do what Idigbebop said; drive the tank as low as you dare, then top it up with 91 or 93 octane, and dumping in a bottle of Techron can't hurt. Then take it out for a ride and give it a good kick in the ass, but progressively: start driving gently, and then start getting more and more aggressive. Ideally, at the peak of aggressiveness, you should be going up a longest steepest hill you can find, with your foot on the floor. Then, back off and give it a few miles of gentle but not entirely off-throttle driving before going home. This drive should take you 20-30 minutes. The objective is to blow out any carbon deposits that might be built up on the valves or cylinder walls (which can get hot enough to cause preignition).

There really shouldn't be a timing issue in these cars. It's 100% computer controlled now. No distributor to misalign, no vacuum or centrifugal advance to fall apart. The software would have to be seriously out of whack, or the wrong software for the car altogether. I don't even know if that's possible.

If you're still getting knocking, you're looking for two things: too much air getting in the cylinder, or not enough fuel getting in the cylinder.

1. Look for vacuum leaks by spraying carburetor cleaner or starting fluid around the engine compartment. If you spray near a leak, it'll rev up.

2. Look for a fuel supply problem by taking a pressure tester to the schrader valve on the fuel rail. It may be necessary to test with the engine actually under load. A defective pump or a marginally clogged filter could be restricting fuel flow when it's calling for maximum. I know it's only got 10K on it, but all kinds of crap can get into gasoline between the oil rig and your engine. It's possible for a filter to be plugged up already, especially if you use a shady gas station with a decrepit underground tank.

3. If still stumped, look for a fuel delivery problem by removing the injectors and watching them spray into a bucket. I'm not sure of the details of this procedure on your model, look around the forums, there's gotta be someone. A crappy spray pattern would indicate a clogged injector.

Another way to approach this is with an OBDII connection to a laptop computer. You could drive the car while someone sits in the passenger seat looking at the air-fuel ratio and the O2 sensor readings. That would take some knowledge to interpret, though.

+1 only using hi-test in these turbo engines. In my 97 850 GLT, I'll use 91+ all summer long, then in the winter, I'll do alternate half-tanks of 89. I believe the spec is that octane has to be 90 or higher.

Post by **kcodyjr** » 26 Sep 2016, 14:17

Pardon my penchant for hyperbole - but that really ground my gears.

Shrugging their shoulders and sending the customer on their way with an outstanding detonation issue is, at the very least, unprofessional, and at worst, criminally negligent.

Best case: customer drives to another dealership who fixes the problem, or at least explains it, and the customer remembers dealer #1 as an idiot.

Worst case: 1/4 mile down the road, detonation causes engine damage, such as a chunk of spark plug getting blasted off and sucked into the valves, or a chunk of piston being blown down into the oil pan. Flying chunk gets wedged in something that spins, causing an immediate engine seize, and in turn locking up the wheels. The car is still moving, so now "undesirable operation" has become "loss-of-control incident". I'll leave the next step in the chain of events, to the reader's imagination. Hint: there's no permutation which has a positive outcome, only differing degrees and types of disaster.

Detonation can, has, and does kill engines. Engines dying suddenly in a moving vehicle can, has, and does kill people.

Please post the name of that (jackass) dealership in a prominent place for the world to see. There's incompetence, and then there's this.

Tarring and feathering 'em wouldn't be a bad idea either.

Post by **sleddriver** » 13 Oct 2016, 12:49

Sounds like detonation. Time to run back-to-back tanks of 91 or 93 for a few months and see if it stops. A bit early for a bottle of Redline Si-1, but it won't hurt anything either.

Post by **alschnertz** » 17 Oct 2016, 14:50

I know nothing about Volvos newer models, but it's my understanding that knock sensors have been installed on Volvo engines since the 1980s (maybe even the 70s). The car's computer should immediately compensate for any knock so as to keep you from damaging the engine - even with 87 octane fuel.

There is NO excuse to say your car is detonating and then send you on your way - especially with a new car.
Total BS.

dcbryant1978 · Post by **dcbryant1978** » 17 Nov 2017, 08:47

I know this thread is old but I am experiencing the exact same issue and am desperate for a solution. Both the dealer and Volvo USA are telling me that it is my ESC (electronic stability control) and that it is detecting loss of traction of a tire. They assure me that everything is normal and working as designed.

This is a 2-year old car, wasn't cheap and was purchased primarily for safety and reliability. I love Volvo cars but if they don't work to resolve this it will be my last.

2015s60SD · Post by **2015s60SD** » 13 Apr 2018, 08:30

I too am desperate for a solution. I have the exact same problem and I see online many, many complaints. It seems Volvo recalled the spark plugs to kick the can down the road and are trying to blame customers for using fuel they authorize in their manual. Volvo has a huge problem on its hands and doesn’t want to confess. I’m an attorney and am happy to represent us all in a class action. I don’t know about you but I’m not wasting more time going back and forth to the dealer, allowing my warranty to run out before they fix the problem. Let’s all join together.

cmon66 · Post by **cmon66** » 26 May 2018, 13:12

I'm having the same issue. Also, make sure you change your spark plugs before 50K, because the Volvo plugs have problems. Parts of the insulation around 2 of my plugs were missing and the metallic tip of 1 of them when the shop took them out . We lost power coming from vacation and had to drive 40 to 50 MPH at times. The error codes were related misfires. Volvo reimbursed me for the $250 charge but I'm not sure what kind of long term damage this caused. High octane fuel helped to decrease the knocking but it's still happening. I'm am seriously questioning this purchase.