need help! is this engine noise normal on a 850 T5?
 

Hey guys, I'm from Brazil and we don't have a really strong Volvo community around. I'm searching for a 850 in good conditions around here (which is kinda hard, maintenance isn't cheap for imports here, so most of them are kinda roughed up). I've stumbled across an immaculate blue 850 T5 automatic sedan with 100k miles - however, the car is about 1200km away from where I live and I didn't want to waste my time going there for nothing.

I've asked the seller for a video with the engine idling. I can hear kinda of a tapping noise (valve clearance adjustment needed, maybe?), but since I don't have any experience with inline 5's, I really don't know if the sound produced by that engine is actually normal. By the way, the car is 100% stock.

Could you guys please check the video out? I know is kinda hard to make assumptions based on the audio, but it would help me a lot having an expert's opinion :)
(p.s.: sorry for any english errors - not my native tongue)

you can hear it on the link below: (I've posted it on imgur, since I can't upload it directly here)

https://imgur.com/a/fEiMfs9

Thanks!

From memory there's something to do with the fuel rail or fuel pressure regulator that can make a clicking sound which can be mistaken for valve clatter. This is apparently quite normal so if this is the case then you should be ok.

Its normal that a video will pick up on higher pitch noises more than the human ear so it will sound "worse" than normal. Sometimes its down to the device you are listening to it on too. A mobile will again accentuate the high tones rather than low. Maybe listen to it through a decent speaker or radio if possible, it might not sound so bad.

The noise at the end of the clip as the camera pivots around sounds like there is a moped or something driving off in the background, so I wouldn't worry about that.

My old S70 T5 sounded similar - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDRVZv0DjW4 (The loud whirring noise is the engine fan)

I'd just changed the timing belt and thought I'd mucked that up, but luckily it turned out to be a sticky tappet. I used some Wynns Hydraulic Valve Treatment and the noise went away within 50 miles of driving. It ran very smoothly after that.

https://www.diyworkshop.co.uk/wp-con.../145548690.jpg

I'm not saying that your car has the same issue, but if it has been standing for a while it is possible.

My 850 engine is almost silent when idling, however when I recorded a video on my phone it sounded like a bag of spanners

I can't hear the sound on the clip for some reason, but be aware that the injectors can make a distinct ticking noise, which is normal, and may be amplified on the recording.

Just to note - that coolant reservoir looks pretty mucky, if it were mine I'd be cleaning it out and doing a coolant flush. Also it has a grey cap, these are known to cause problems, it's cheaply and easily changed for a green one, that is more reliable.

As above, the injectors tend to get pretty noisy and make a ticking noise but this isn't a problem.
You can't adjust the valve clearances as the engine has "self adjusting" hydraulic tappets. If one of these is sticky it will make a loud ticking noise - but it doesn't sound like that in your video.
Cam and tappet face wear is very very rarely an issue on these engines

Regards
John

Exactly this ^^^^^

There are so many variables with a recording the only real test is standing by the car and listening.

Sounds similar to the sticky/empty tappet sound I had on my T5 once I got it going after 5 odd years standing.
An oil change and similar stuff that Rolling Thunder used sorted the problem out for me in the end.

If you buy the car hopefully it will be an easy cheap fix for you :music-smiley-005:

It doesn't sound broken.

It sounds like my T5 after I had rebuilt it and the oil had still yet to reach the tappets fully.

If it's been sitting a while it might just need a good run.

The only other thing to watch is that the o-ring seals on the sump can fail and cause the top end to be starved of oil. It's not a major job to fix.

Sounds pretty normal to me