Xc60 D5 droning/resonating noise at 12-1600rpm
 

Hi folks, I'm new to the forum and a recent owner of a 2010 XC60 D5 auto with 68k miles and full main dealer service history.
My only issue with the car is a droning / resonating noise at 12-1600 rpm which is not roadspeed related and occurs at the same rpm in each gear. It seems to disappear on acceleration or deceleration. I took it to my local Volvo main dealer for a recall and to assess the droning issue, they reported that the tyres were worn unevenly and castellated so I replaced with new all round resulting in no difference to the noise.
Any help with this issue will be very much appreciated,
thanks in advance,
Phil

I had a similar problem on my 2015 XC60. It was there for a couple of years and the dealer couldn’t hear or detect it, but it was there after driving for a period of time. I turned off the A/C and the noise stopped. If I stopped the engine it would take a long time for it to start again.
Eventually I managed to get one of the technicians to hear it and it was a noisy Air Conditioning Compressor. Replaced under warranty and all has been good since then. Fingers crossed.
I totally understand that the problem that you are experiencing may be nothing to do with the A/C, but at least it will eliminate it, if it makes no difference to the sound you are hearing.
Bob

Thanks for that, I am pretty sure that it occurs when a/c is on or off but I will give it a try.

I would remove the auxiliary belt and check all of the pulleys including the alternator clutch pulley which could be a prime candidate.
I would also drive around without the belt for a short while.
If the noise goes away, it's auxiliary pulley related.

You mentioned castellations on the tyres, this could be tyre choice, some think directional tyres are responsible of this, but I would have tracking checked along with inspection of bushes.

Thanks for all the suggestions, tracking was checked when tyres replaced last week.
I have been out in the car today and noticed that there is a very slight vibration felt when the droning occurs,I'm thinking that it is associated with the drive train somewhere, strange that it only happens within a certain rev range.

No, it is not strange, it identifies the type of problem source.

Not tyres, as this would be wheel speed related, not engine speed.

Within the rev range in question, you will find the natural frequency of the vibrating item, which then resonates.

A clue is the type of resonance - light or heavy. This is proportional to the mass of the item resonating.

E.g, for a light resonance, I would look for a loose metal cover below the fuel tanks, or if your car has a metal sump guard, check there.

For heavier resonance, exhaust touching somewhere or loose hanger bracket on the torsion bar, or engine mount with torn rubber. The top mount does the most work, so they go way before the bottom ones. Also check the drive shaft support bearing condition and attachment to the crossmember.

And then the A/C compressor. This is easy to check by turning it off.

Many thanks for all the suggestions and I think that I may have located the problem having checked the upper torque control mount, the rubber bush is not attached to the alloy casting. I have ordered a new one and hope that this solves the problem, watch this space!

I also posted an update on a similar problem. My drone / resonance occurs around 1500rpm. Not speed related but more pronounced under load, i.e. on incline, towing caravan, etc. Not sure if coincidental but noticed problem immediately after original Contis were replaced with all season tyres. Vehicle went into Volvo last week and they seem to think it's EGR valve. Vehicle is 2017 XC60 D5 AWD with 17.5K miles so very odd that EGR could be issue. No engine lights or fault code.

As a matter of interest, which tyres did you put on? Directional or not?