So, first, I need to tell that my car was just turned away from the only mechanic that is a “volvo mechanic” in the region because he said it grumbled and shook too much and it was too much of a liability.
There is only one thing I am concerned about, because it has been grumbling and shaking since I bought it five years ago and it hasn’t gotten worse (so why worry!)
This car is a 1991 Volvo 740 sedan with 250,000 miles, a 4-cylinder gas engine and rear-wheel drive.
I have a siren sound coming from the front end, but only sometimes.
When I first start moving forward, I hear a “whooooooooOOOOOOOOOOOPPPPP!!!” (sounds like a siren) for about 50-75 feet while I am going about 25-30 MPH. It only happens when I first start rolling forward when I first turn the car on from sitting for a while (3 or more hours). If I come to a stop, I don’t hear it. If I park and run in somewhere and come back soon, I don’t hear it.
I have been hearing a small “whoosh whoosh whoosh” sound coming from the front end that gets faster the faster I am traveling, and I don’t know if that is related.
Thoughts? Advice? Any help would be appreciated, especially since the only qualified mechanic here won’t touch it…
first, get a preapproved loan from your bank, then head to the nearest Volvo dealership. They should be able to fix the problem, and the preapproved loan should help pay for the repairs.
In all honesty, if the mechanic won’t touch it, it’s time to get rid of the heap and move on. Besides, what it’d cost to fix the thing you could probably buy a decent used domestic vehicle.
It sounds to me like the belt may be coming apart. Evidently this particular vehicle gets little to no maintenance, so no one would know until it failed. Especially if the mechanic in question won’t look at it.
If it’s grumbling and shaking while sitting it’s probably from an engine with very uneven compression, perhaps compounded by a nroken motor mount and an exhaust leak.
If it’s shaking while driving it may be that some or all of the joints in the chassis are shot. As well as the struts and bushings. And it could easily be on the verge of losing a wheel or a ball joint or tie rod end.
The Wheeeooooo and the whoosh whoosh in time with the wheels are scary. It’s very possible that you have a wheel bearing ready to disintegrate.
Honestly, I would not consider this a safe vehicle until it’s at least checked out on a rack by a chassis shop. You don’t need a Volvo specialist.
If the grumbling and shaking engine “gives up the ghost” it’ll ruin your day, but if a ball joint or wheel bearing “gives up the ghost” it could easily cause a crash and ruin the rest of your life.
To be fair though, this is a 20 year old Volvo, so the cost to keep it in good working order will be high, so if the OP doesn’t have a very high budget, then they’ll likely skip out on things