My daughter's 98 V70 XC has 123,000 miles on the odometer. We have owned it for 9 months and expected to spend some money on the car given their reputation.

Recently the car developed a noise very similar to road noise from a tire, a loud whirring or muffled roar. It starts at 35 mph and sounds as if it is coming from the front right wheel area or passenger's floor board.

On the interstate, the noise is loudest at 65 mph but at 70 mph starts to subside quickly. Slow down to 65 and it is very loud again.

I know that the usual suspects include the bevel gear and the drive shaft, and I am prepared to replace either should it be necessary. What I don't want to do is replace expensive parts unnecessarily.

I decided to take the car to the dealer and let them diagnose the noise. The mechanic said it is the front right hub bearing. That would be great if that's all it turns out to be, but I'm not so confident because turning the wheel has no effect on the noise at all. The only thing other than speed that affects the noise is incline. It seems to decrease while climbing steep grades on the highway.

If I remove the drive shaft that should tell me if the problem is in drive shaft, but will it completely clear the bevel gear?

I have already purchased a new hub kit from Tasca, but I would like to have a diagnosis I trust before I take things apart. I would hate to do it again right away in order to get to the bevel gear if the hub bearing turns out to NOT be the problem.

The Volvo mechanic said the front CV-joint on the drive shaft looks like it has lost some grease. Any way I can get some grease in that joint long enough to drive it and see if it affects the noise?

Suggestions for how to approach this would be appreciated.


AG