Hearing a Clanking noise when driving?
The 1998-2000 AWD V70 use 3 different drive shafts. 1. early 1998 2. late 1998 – 1999 3. 2000
You need the VIN to figure out which drive shaft you have. Or you can measure the flange size.
PaulV70 »
I need some advice please.
The car is a 1998 V70 AWD, 20V engine automatic car. It has about 110,000 miles and a full Volvo service history.
There is a noise which has just appeared, which sounds like it is coming from around the gearbox area. The car is my Dad’s, and he sent me the following to describe it:
So far the noise happens once the car is warm, in as much that it happened first when the car was already warm, and today it only started once the car had been driven for about 20 minutes. It is a clacking noise, as though a piece of metal was hitting another piece of metal. The sound is as if the prop shaft was sometimes touching the body, but no vibration is felt in the cabin. The frequency is proportional to the car speed. It seems to start with a vibration noise as though something is rattling, then it can become quite loud, so that a pedestrian might turn to look at the noise. The noise is not constant, and comes and goes for no apparent reason. It happens at low speeds (but I have not driven it fast since the noise started), including from walking speed upwards. I get the impression it is coming from outside of a compartment, rather than from e.g. inside the gearbox – the sound is not muffled. Started yesterday, and returned today after driving for 20 mins. I have the impression it is related to road speed rather than engine speed.
holler1 »
I started to hear the sound of a lawnmower outside my window until I realized that it was the car producing the clacking noise from what seems like the left back end. The noise could be compared to that of a playing card attached to moving bicycle spokes, or a plastic bottle stuck in the wheel well, or as said before, a lawn mower.
That is exactly what a bad CV joint on the driveshaft sounds like, except for the front joint the noise comes from the console area. If the rear CV joint is bad, it might seem to come from the rear. However, the front joint fails more often. I would check it first, and then go on from there. Twist the driveshaft and see if there is play at the front joint; there should be none. If this doesn’t work, simply remove the driveshaft and drive the car as an FWD, and see if the noise goes away. You can drive it as FWD with no problems at all as long as you want. Removing it is about a 20 minute job for a skilled mechanic. If that doesn’t remove the noise, then the problem is somewhere else. If it does, you can either continue to drive FWD at no cost, or replace the driveshaft (Colorado Driveshaft $400). This need not be mysterious- it’s a very common problem with the AWDs. That way you won’t be “throwing parts” at the wrong problem. The rear parking brake shoes inside the rear brake rotor sometimes make noise, but not the noise you describe.The parking brake typically rattles or grates at very low speed.
rmmagow »
You’re 97 is most likely exactly the same as my 98 AWD. The center driveshaft is connected in the front to the bevel gear, in the rear to a flange off the differential and in the center to a big center mount. Each end is 6 bolts I think, 2 in the center. Remove them all and the shaft comes right out. Nothing else needs to be done, drive in FWD forever if you want. I have put on at leat 50K miles on my AWD in FWD mode, no problems other than of course, not as good in snow and ice.
Dukespapa »
I wish I had read all of this BEFORE the bill for $1600 came due. I do believe it was the drive shaft as the noise stopped once replaced. However, the local foreign car ‘specialist’ gave no hint whatsoever that I could put off the repair and drive it as a FWD. He also insisted that there are no rebuilt driveshafts, nor offered me a core refund. In following up on other posts I now know that my $1200 part could have been had for under $500.
Should I be surprised to hear this guy say that I need rear brakes at a cost of over $400 ??? I still have 20% on the pads, but that’s irrelevant. He says, “Due to the poor materials that brake parts are made of these days the rotor, pads, etc are routinely replaced at the same time.” No thanks… The $75 oil change and $5 windshield washer fluid refill charge will be the last of my money that you EVER see.
omoreno07 »
Differential REAR carrier
2001 VOLVO XC70
parts #
9463313
9463315
I was pulling the rear driver side axle arm, that its connected to the differential gear box. And I saw that the bearings that holds the arm into the box where damage or broken, and one of the ball bearings came out. I’m guessing that was the problem on my car – its making a boooooom with an echo around 15-40 mph, following a big praacckkk broken noise. Then sound like loose metal till I get to a complete stop, and again all sounds cycle.
Can i just buy the bearings from the box by it self or the complete differential gear box? Would that fix the sounds?
Volvo V70 AWD – ‘Clanking’ noise when driving
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Last Updated on August 12, 2026
