A couple more questions from a newbie

[jbrowncamera]

V70, 2004, 2.4 manual, petrol, 67K

I've now had it for 2 weeks - had to have a couple of wear and tear issues fixed (break disks, rear wheel bearing, link rods) after purchase but now all seems good but I have a couple of questions:

1. The handbrake has now twice frozen on, both times after driving in very wet / slushy conditions and then parking overnight / for a few days. Both times popped free after some encouragement but the first time it needed lots of encouragement (dragging down the drive). What can I do? Excuse my ignorance but could this be a symptom of the new rear wheel baring? Should I be worried?

2. There is a soft, fairly high pitched wheezing (best description I can think of) when accelerating hard as the revs pass through about 2-2.5K rpm. Most noticeable in higher gears - it doesn't accompany a drop in power or any other symptoms. It's a non-turbo engine, again, does anyone know what this is - is it normal, should I be worried?

Excuse my lack of knowledge ... I'm new to Volvos

Many thanks in advance for any help, John

[v70torslanda]

My favourite for your brake issue is that the handbrake shoes weren't refitted and/or adjusted correctly after your wheel bearing was replaced. I don't think overnight conditions would have any great effect. Did you know that the parking brake is separate from the wheel brake (disc brake)?

If the parking brake sticks on the opposite side to the bearing that was replaced then the two are unrelated.

The parking brake shoes are known to delaminate the linings and this can cause damage and failure. They are usually poorly maintained because of the way technicians are paid, the 'get the car in and out quick so's I can earn some bonus' culture encouraged by main dealers means that anything that 'is out of sight is out of mind' and the car usually makes it through its first MOT after which it's out of warranty and not seen by the dealer unless there's a problem no one else can sort.

The solution is to strip and inspect both sides. Be critical of the condition of the discs and pads and change them if you have a ANY doubts about them. PM me the reg and I'll give you a price for decent quality parts from Euro Car Parts.

[v70torslanda]

IMHO a slightly 'slack' parking brake which holds the car but has a fair amount of lever tavel is better than super keen with zero travel. If the shoes bind with the latter setup the brakes can overheat and be damaged in very short order.

Remember the parking brake is to hold the car when it is stationary, it plays no part in stopping the car - unless you are a total hooligan ;)

[Wobbly Dave]

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[thebadger]

Maybe try adjusting the handbrake at the lever first? (at the handle) Is it very low when you have the handbrake on?

The wheezing sounds like it may just be induction noise, but check the air filter & the hose going back for any cracks or breaks.

I had a slight squeal off my cam belt at high revs. The tensioner was out. May also be the aux belt tensioner...

Best way to check is to get your head in the engine bay while someone revs it.

Should show you what's happening & maybe generalise the issue to one area.

[jbrowncamera]

Thanks to everyone for their replies, handbrake has been behaving perfectly of late so I'm not quite sure what was going on there.

Out of interest, what is 'induction noise' - would it be specific to a certain range of rpm's?

I'll have a listen for leaky hoses.

[thebadger]

"Induction" is air into the engine, this is usually a loud sucking noise, this is via the airbox, or air filter if you use something other than the panel filter that is in there as standard.

The pipes in question will flow back from the airbox (big black thing on the right as you look at the engine) to the rear of the engine.

The induction noise "should" be prominent under any hard acceleration. This is typical in most cars, but more so with a larger or turbo engine.

If you get someone to push the accelerator while you have the hood open you should get to hear "induction" very much first hand. You may like it! ;)