Volvo S60 (2000 - 2009) - 02 2.4 Rough idling - difficult cold starting

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Tue 30 Dec 2008 09:44
02 2.4 Rough idling - difficult cold starting - Yannis
Hi, I have an S60 D5 which has now done 115K miles. About 4 months ago it developed a very rough, noisy idle, with high vibration. Engine performance on A road and motorway speeds is excellent, pulls well, smooth running, 46mpg, etc. I have had the belt and belt tensioner changed but the rough idling is still there. Two garages have had the car on ramps and checked all pulleys, etc and can find nothing wrong. One garage said that they thought the air con compressor is on its way out (very expensive), but another mechanic said they did not believe it had anything to do with the air conditioning as the problem is still there even if the air con is disabled. Interestingly, I can make the rough idling go away by spraying the belt with belt dressing, but it comes back after about 5 mins. I have stayed clear of Volvo main dealers as I know from bitter experience that they charge like raging rhinos and can't really afford a 2nd mortgage right now! To make matters worse the car is very reluctant to start on cold mornings. Any help, advice, thoughts gratefully received. Cheers.
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Wed 31 Dec 2008 13:49
02 2.4 Rough idling - difficult cold starting - TheOilBurner
Take a look at the Volvo owner's club website. Lots on there with these kinds of problems.

Two things come to mind:

On this age of D5 injector problems are common. This would cause your poor idling and starting problems. Budget about £300 an injector, there's five in all. However, usually only one or two will need replacing. That's main dealer prices. Some claim that the injectors can be repaired or replaced more cheaply that that, I couldn't comment because I haven't had that problem.

Rough idle can also be caused by a worn out top engine mount. There is a new improved design that costs about £40 to buy from Volvo, plus fitting. It's easy to fit, so I did mine myself. Only took about 20 minutes to do. There's details plus torque settings available from said website above.

Hope that helps!
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Wed 31 Dec 2008 14:45
02 2.4 Rough idling - difficult cold starting - Yannis
Many thanks for your suggestions & advice OllBurner. I just hope it's not the injectors! Temperature outside is minus 4 today so am not too keen to go and lift the bonnet yet! Am keeping fingers crossed that she'll keep going until it's DIY weather again!
All the best for the Festive Season.
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Sat 27 Nov 2010 14:35
02 2.4 Rough idling - difficult cold starting - fred bear

On my S60, the fault rough idling was down to the alternator pulley. This contains a one way clutch that had seized. It was causing lots of vibration on the belt. I had it replaced and its been fine since. I might have done it myself, but you need a special tool to remove it.

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