MVS Forums member deepsouth (Eric) shows us how to change the control arms on a 1998 V70 AWD:

“This last weekend I replaced the front right lower control arm on my 1998 V70 AWD. It’s the four-bolt control arm. I’ve replaced a handful of two-bolt control arms but found the four-bolt version to be a different animal. Here’s what I did…”

1998 V70 AWD Four Bolt Control Arm Replacement with Photos

1) Two days prior sprayed the ball joint pin and four frame thru-bolts with Deep Creep, PB Blaster, and hit with a wire brush.

2) The two front bolts on the control arm are blocked by the engine oil pan so you’ll have to pull the fender skirt, remove the two bolts from the front right motor mount and jack up the engine about three inches–this provides ample room for a breaker bar and extension.

3) The arm is under tension so I undid the ball joint pin and gently pried the joint downward–it popped off very easily. From there the four frame bolts were very easy to remove.

4) Now comes that hard part. Installed this arm is under tension so it’s not possible to put the ball joint in first and line up the thru-bolts. It simply won’t work. After much tinkering and a few choice words, I ended up removing the sway bar link and pulling the front axle out of the hub assembly. This allowed me to line up the four thru-bolt holds and attach the control arm to the frame. Once done, I then maneuvered the ball joint under the steering knuckle by having a friend step on the control arm in order to lower it (thus applying the necessary tension). Once done, reassemble the axle and sway bar link. Don’t forget to put the two bolts back into the front right motor mount.

All told, it took me about two and a half hours. A large chunk of time was spent trying to line up the frame thru-bolts. There’s probably an easier way to do but the tension the installed arm is under makes it difficult to line everything up. Photos Below.

Last Updated on August 19, 2022