DIY: 1998 Volvo V70 Rear Shock Absorber (BilsteinTC) & Shock

[Outdoorguy1963]

Thanks for the directions. I changed the rear shocks to my 2002 V70 last night, 134,000 miles. It took less than 3 hours. I used a lot of PB Blaster. When the bolt started to stick, I sprayed it again and let it sit for a bit. No broken bolts. The off-set wrench was the perfect tool and made the job easy, I needed 19mm. I used a Torx Bit and the off-set wrench to get the main nut off. I got Volvo replacement shocks, support plates and bolts from the dealer. Shocks were $240 with tax, for 2, and support plates were $83 with tax, for 2. No more excess bounce or massive vibrations when I hit a small pot hole on the passenger side. That shock was blown. Thanks again.

[Freemandp]

Great write up!

One thing to add from my experience doing them today is an impact wrench gets them out quick. I was afraid to use it at first but when I spent a 1/2 hour going back and forth with a wrench and it broke the first bolt I gave up on that method. I sprayed pb blaster on them a week before then an hour before. I went back and forth with the impact wrench 5 times then zipped them all the way out with no problems on the rest of the bolts.

[Freemandp]

Prices. Tire rack bilstiens to $55 a piece. Idp mounts aftermarket $15

[ratfink1]

First, this is a great guide. Thanks for providing it.

I have a question...I when I was reinstalling the shocks, one of the upper mounting bolts wouldn't "take", i.e., it just spins in the hole and never gets tight. Any suggestions on how to resolve this?

Thanks again

[xHeart]

The bolt is not tightening into to nut that is welded to the body. it is most likely stripped or fallen off. i would use a flange type bolt M8 x 1.25 x 30, and a self-locking nut for this replacement.

[ratfink1]

Did that, it worked great, thanks for the info.

[cn90]

Some Tips/Tricks for 1998 S70 GLT

I just did the REAR shock absorber using Bilstein TC for my newly acquired 1998 S70 GLT with 150K.
The photos by "xHeart" show you how to remove the trim work for sedan.

This time I modified the techniques:

1. D/C the battery because you will open the door, going in and out for a few hours.
This may kill a good battery.


2. REAR wheel on wood ramp, no need to jack up the Rear.
* Notice the Loctite on the Lower Shock Mount Stud, this is why it is so difficult to remove the 18-mm nut without heat.
* I used propane torch ($12 @ hardware store) and aim at the nut itself.
* Do NOT aim flame at the bushing on the shock absorber.
* You need to heat the 18-mm nut at least 45 seconds to get it really hot to melt the Loctie inside.
* Then use a breaker bar to loosen it slowly, you will hear screeching noise.
* Re-heat the nut as necessary. Do NOT force too much, you may break the Stud ---> big headache!
* What I did: heat the nut 45 sec, turn the 18-mm nut a few times (60-degrees each time), then it got stiff; then re-heat the nut again. Be patient!

S70RearShock01.JPG (97.95 KiB) Viewed 2858 times

3. Lower Rear Seat Backs...In my case I got a surprise: some 12g shotgun shells left behind by the P.O.!
* Note: Torx #40, black trim ---> twist to remove, and 10-mm nut.
* Other trim retainers (gray color): pry them upward.
* Even with my experience with loosen 1 turn, tighten 1 turn etc. etc., I broke the same bolt again (toward the curb side)! I don't bother removing the broken stud any more (waste of time). Used a punch and hammer and sure enough the welded nut fell down below.
* With repeated loosening/tightening, there is simply too much torsional stress on these old bolts. So replace them.
* I already bought 4 stainless steel bolts/nuts from local hardware stores. One nut hammered out, the other 3 nuts stayed behind so I re-used these 3 nuts. But I used all 4 new SS bolts.

S70RearShock02.JPG (112.61 KiB) Viewed 2858 times

4. During install:
- Loosely attach the 18-mm nut first.
- Then from above: tighten the 12-mm bolts.
- For the broken nut, ask someone to hold the ratchet from above while you tighten the nut from below (use long extension!).
- I used antiseize in all nuts/bolts. All is well for the next 100K miles.

[philmech]

This is an old post, but I thought I would add my experience yesterday.

Of the four 8 mm bolts, I snapped one even though I used plenty of PB Blaster. The bolt was moving well as I was working one bolt in the shock mount and then the other. Unthread to the point of resistance, then screw back a 1/2 turn or so. More PB Blaster sprayed to the underside exposed thread for lubrication. When I went back to the bolt which failed, it was stuck and during attempt to tighten the bolt sheared.

This is actually an easy repair. Even though heat treated, I was able to drill out the remaining bolt and re-tap with M8-1.25 thread. Of course I had new bolts ready after reading this forum. I ordered my bolts from Fastenall, who carries grade 8.8 hardware.

Now for the real nightmare...... I tried the propane torch and breaker bar on lower shock mount bolt. I initially had success. Nut started to move, then got hard. I applied more heat, nut moved some more. Thinking the heat had done its job, I kept applying force on the 18mm nut, figuring it was a robust connection. WRONG... I sheared the bolt off! For those out there attempting this repair, the lower shock mount need much more cautionary advise than the upper shock mount bolts, because the remedy much more severe, any maybe beyond my skills.

For the other side lower shock mount, I used a open end wrench, impacted with a hand held sledge. This technique worked just fine and I wonder if I had done this on the first side I wouldn't be writing this note. My theory is short burst of impact is better than slow twisting on stuck threaded fasteners.

I was able to get the shock assembled with a new heat treated nut (M12-1.75), but with only a thread or so of engagement. It will need to be repaired, and unfortunately means replacing the entire passenger side delta link. If the lower shock mount were available as a piece part, I would consider having someone weld it in, but don't think it is available. Trying to machine a replacement part would probably cost more than obtaining a salvage yard link.

My wife gets to drive the XC-70, while figure out what to do with the V70. Just sharing my experience with those in the forum. Best wishes

[beigg]

I've had to drill out the lower stud and put in place a bolt, washers, and a nut. So far it holds up well. The fun part was pressing out the shock bushing and pushing in a bushing that wasnt conical shaped.

[FinchVolvoV70]

I just replaced mine with bog-standard Sachs units and Volvo mounts. I used tips ref back and forth rotation on the 4 bolts and had no issues. I must have been lucky. Thanks for the top-tips and instruction. Very Useful.