I have some mild knocking sounds wherever I hit speed bumps and irregular road surfaces.....for a while I tot they were coming out from the rear thus indicating perhaps the rear spring mounts (which I will check still).

Now the sounds seems to be coming from the front but sound softer than the front spring mounts knocks (I replaced both front ones a year back).....could the engine mounts be next? :-(

What are the signs of failed engine mounts?

TIA!

You can just go look at the torque arm bushing (upper engine mount) and if it's torn, it needs to be replaced.

-Phil Punxsutawney

The top mount is replaced with IPD's poly bush last year and the firewall bushing is fine, thanks!

Do you have the IPD stabilizer bars, too? Reason I ask is that I do, with their poly bushings, and my Volvo dealer replaced end links, a strut and some other components (fortunately under warranty) before discovering the aftermarket bars and declaring that the poly bushings needed replacement. So I took the car back to the installer who just lubricated the bushings and they are usually OK for another 6 months between applications of lubricant. From comments on other non-Volvo boards about poly bushings it seems that they quite often need lubrication to quiet them down.

I also think there are some reports of harshness, noise, vibration etc associated with the IPD torque arm bushing (try the "archives" above). That's why I went with the Volvo OEM bushing.

FWIW (possibly zip!)

-Phil Punxsutawney

Thanks Phil, I'm running with stock anti-sway bars at this moment.

When my engine mounts were bad, I would hear/feel a knock at the beginning of a hard accel.

Well the thing is that I don't hear any knocks on hard accel or braking....idling is quiet too.