Vibrating engine under load

[frebor72]

During the last months my car has developed more and more vibrations under load. Feels like an exhaust leak or something and I can feel it in the acc pedal. Almost nothing at idle bur significant under load during low rpms. On top of this I can hear a metal rattling that appears to origin from under the dashpad somewhere.

Any suggestions? I really wants the car to be as smooth as before.

Volvo v70 2002 2.4 non turbo

[oragex]

How many kms ? The rattle may be the heat shield behind the engine that keeps that tube for the hot air. Also one of the thin alu exhaust shields (not easy to silence)
For vibrations, turn the wheels to lock and look at the small rear subframe bushing see if it's torn. Other may be worn rear engine mounts - may start looking at the two toque ones, or big play in the axles

[vtl]

Read the code w/ DiCE/VIDA - the car may tell what's wrong.

Check the catalytic converter (knock on it with something more or less heavy - shouldn't be rattling).

Check the spark plugs, should be uniformly colored. Ignition coils are good for about 200-250k km, then they start to fail providing a good spark for engine under load.

Crawl under the car and check the ends of exhaust manifold. If you see any soot around - the gaskets are blown and need a replacement. It is also not a bad idea to resurface the manifold since it warps.