themadracoon;122012 wroteI hate rattles, vibrations, squeaks, chirps etc in cars. I'm ultra sensitive to them (which reminds me, I should replace my muffler hanger!). BUT for some reason I don't mind them at all in my Volvo!
240s do seem to have some common age related noises. Squeeky brake pedal. Rattle from unsecured muffler. Knock from steering column moving up or down fractionally when alighting from car. And maybe many more.
But I will suggest / enquire if the sound is temperature related. I mean weather, not engine (although some sounds/vibrations only happen before or after an engine warms).
I point this out only in case you see a pattern: it might help you decide WHEN to have a mechanic inspect the car.
Also a chirp implies (to me) a rotational source. Could it be the speedo cable? The sound might just seem to come from towards the glovebox. My speedo cable is chirpy (actually no. More like a frog call) on colder mornings for the first few km of driving, then the sound disappears.
Good luck!
Dear Madracoon,
I hope this finds you well and that things are all going smoothly for you, at Swift Redemption. I confess I had to look up the name when I realised it was
not in fact some location in Scottland as I'd first presumed.
Many thanks for your sharing and suggestions. You're the second other person who's confessed to also being hyper sensitive to noises etc which naturally makes me feel marginally less insane.
As for your inquiry about the weather, only last night did I mentally replay what was going on that day and recalled it was the first day I'd had the car, when the weather was summer like. Since then it has been cooler and the sound had vanished. Therefore the idea of getting the car examined
only when the chirping is occurring which might well be as you suggested, when the outdoor temp rises significantly, is most sensible indeed and of course may well be heat caused. Maybe the canary loves summer? Oh and on that note, my singer is avian rather than amphibian; that said, I'm a great fan of Kermit so no bias here.
If it
is the speedy cable, are there visible signs when such a part needs replacing?
How curious that Volvo noises don't irritate you. Perhaps, positive prejudice?