95 850 front end woes

[farmmedic]

while driving in Vermont last weekend, i discovered that front tires on my girlfriends 850 had pretty much no tread left on them except the outer edge.
figured this out trying to get up an icy hill, when i started going backwards!!!
once i got onto dry ground, i found that the drivers side front inner had been worn down to threads.
the passenger's side isn't much better.
While driving out there i did notice a new "wobble" in the steering wheel.
after finding the bad (terrible) driver's side tire i thought i had at least identified the wobble
the previous owners had told us that they had been fighting a front end alignment issue for a while but that they had gotten it solved.
now i wonder
anyway, i switched the front and rear driver's side tires for the return trip to Ohio.
this helped the wobble some bit it's still there some.
i couldn't say if it's only on acceleration but i don't really think so

tie rods?

and to make matters weirder, tonight coming back from dinner, my girlfriend says " the car feels like i'm driving in 6" of mud."
the rim i swapped to the front has a leak at the bead and will only hold 20# of air.
as soon as i put the 44# it needs it hisses out and then stabilizes.
we (I) thought it was maybe just the air being low so i filled the tire (and it drained out pretty quick {30 seconds}) and took over driving.
it feels like when i had a leak in my VW Passat's power steering boot.
except there is no gushing leak in this one.
i checked the steering fluid and it looks fine.
there is no obvious juice on the inside of the front tires or the steering mechanism

so i am facing at least 2 issues here
any thoughts?
Heinlien knew his way in the world when he said There's No Such Things As A Free Lunch
glad we didn't pay for this car
we sure are paying now

[MoVolvos]

Air hissing out and will only hold 20 lbs of air - Nail or screw most likely screw. As you inflate with more air the tire expands so the greater the leak as the air lessens the rubber collapse around the screw to seal it enough to be a very slow leak. Since you did not mention the area of the hiss try also the Shraeder Valve which is the push pin in the rubber valve stem that is on rim that you put air into. It could be dirty or worn although that is not likely the case but worth checking.

Just bring the car to an Alignment shop or tire store like Tire America and ask if your car is OK for an Alignment. They should "Shake it Down" to check for wore or bad parts as they can not and should not Align a car with bad suspension components. If everything is OK then you need to get tires then an Alignment and all is well. Suspension should not and is not a mysterious part of the car that can not be easily taken care of.

[rspi]

First off is sounds like you need to get tires. If you didn't have to pay for the car, hopefully you have $200 - $300 for some new tires. After that, do as BKM said and stop by an alignment place like Firestone and ask for a front end alignment. They will tell you of any bad parts in the suspension. If you do NOT turn wrenches, I guess you'll have to let them fix it. IMO, the front suspension is the weak part of these cars.

Most common items in the front end that need work/repair/service, however you want to put it:
- Control Arms: You can jack the car and grab the tire at 3 and 9 O'clock and try to move in and out. If it moves at all, it needs replaced. At the wheel location of the control arms are the ball joints. I have seen them very loose as well.
- Tie Rod Ends: Look for torn rubber end links and any movement when you try to wiggle the wheel when jacked.
- Sway Bar End Links: Grab the end links and try to wiggle. If they wiggle or click they need replaced. They will also have torn boots.
- Spring Seats: Open the hood and bounce the car up and down while watching the top of the strut. If the nut and cap goes up and down in the strut tower away from the body frame they are worn out. Some people try to twist the parts on top of the strut by hand. If it twist, it's worn out.
- Strut Mounts: If your strut tower nut and cap is not centered in the body frame hole, they are likely broken.
- Axels: They cause vibration while driving and often have torn boots with no grease left in them. They will also wiggle when pulled on.
- Sway Bar Bushings: Boots torn and they click when you try to move them.
- Struts: They get bouncy, leak and get stuck down sometime.

There may also be bent parts. Again, the suspension place will tell you what's bad and in need of replacement.

Hope this helps.

[donc]

RSPI, what an awesome concise write-up on the front end symptoms and related parts. I replaced both the spring seats which were totally shredded with blue box Volvo and strut mounts with Moog units. Everything else was reused. I continue to have a gap between the top of the strut mount and the bottom of the strut mount cap like before. I went to a mechanic who told me some cars just HAVE that gap. Does everybody have this gap in the struts? Seems like heavy bouncing could cause the toothed surfaces in both parts to grind and fail over time.

[rmmagow]

I put in new spring mounts and bushings and have the space too on a 98 V70. I was told not to worry that it is normal. Car rides fine with no squeaks and rattles now.

[rspi]

Yes I have those gaps. It's normal, about 1/4". As long as you can't turn the top or it doesn't bounce up and down you're fine.