What got me wanting to refresh the front suspension was in the last two winters every time when temperature got below -10C I could hear a clunk sound coming from the front driver side of the suspension when going over big bumps. Visually, I could not tell the issue, but I narrowed it down to either the strut or the control arm bushing. In the end, I decided to change both given the car’s mileage and that I am planning to keep the car for another 200K+ KM.
I have logged more than 8K KM, since the job, and can report everything handles like original and no more clunk noise. Also, I can say both original struts were gone (even though there was no sign of fluid leak) when it was removed from the car.
My goal, for the project, was to restore the front suspension to factory spec using either Volvo or OE parts. I will list the parts I used later in this write up. My work was done in my home garage with the car supported by jack stands that was no higher than 15 inches from the ground. I took my time to do the job and didn’t want to rush and triple inspected all the steps along the way… I did all the work myself and used gravity to help me along where possible to make the work easier. There was no drama and happy to do it again.
Parts changed: Struts (Sachs), Control Arms (Volvo), Springs(Volvo), strut bearings/mounts(Volvo), front stabilizer links (OE), new bolts/nuts(Volvo). If budget is a concern, I would say the spring, strut mount, and control arm may be re-used, if still functional.
Tools used: sockets, wrenches, torque wrench, crow bar, spring compressor (2 sets),large C-clamp, hammer, torx bits, Allen keys, etc
Steps to disassemble front suspension:
1] With tire still on the car, loosen tire lug bolts and drive shaft bolt. Lift the car up and remove the tire.
2] Apply WD-40 to all bolts and nuts to be replaced to help with removal.
3] Remove brake caliper, rotor, and brake backing plate. Rest the brake caliber assembly on a stand.
4] Remove strut/swaybar link nuts (x2) and link.
5] Remove drive shaft bolt that hold driveshaft, once bolt is half way out, slowly tap the bolt with hammer to loosen/push in driveshaft from hub. It won’t separate from the hub at this point because the control arm is keeping it in place.
6] Loosen and remove the pinch bolt that holds the lower ball joint on the control arm to the steering knuckle. Many people online tried to use crow bar to separate the control arm from the steering knuckle at this point. The issue for home DIYers is there is not enough room to push the control arm all the way down before hitting the ground. The acute angle in which the control arm ball joint is mounted to the steering knuckle makes disassembly a little tricky for home DIYers, but Volvo did this for a reason…. I found that by removing the control arm it made separating lower ball joint from hub assembly stress free. It may sound more work, but it was actually easier than I thought.
7] Remove steering rack ball joint nut. Loosen nut halfway and then use hammer to tap on the nut to loosen it from the steering knuckle/hub. Once loose, remove the nut. I did not use ball joint remover tool as I was concerned about damaging ball joint boot.
8] Remove the bolt that holds the strut to the steering knuckle. Once the bolt is removed, take the same bolt and re-insert into the other end and place a small Allen key between the bolt and the steering knuckle bracket, as you tighten the bolt against the Allen key it will open the steering knuckle bracket holding the strut. If done right, you will notice the steering knuckle will just come off from the strut, due to the weight. If not, lightly push the steering knuckle downwards.
9] Remove control arm bolts (x3). For the rear two bolts, secure nuts with a wrench and use bolt socket to loosen it. I loosened all three bolts and proceeded to remove the two rear bolts first then the single bolt in the front. Once the bolts are off, I then pulled lower control arm away from the chassis and had it hang off the strut/steering knuckle. At this point the strut assembly is still attached to the car. Proceed to push the drive shaft all the way out of the hub assembly. At this point, the entire assembly is held by the three bolts in the engine bay securing the strut assembly.
10] With control arm still attached to the steering knuckle, take a hammer and hit the control arm to separate it from the steering knuckle. It should easily come off.
11] With the strut assembly still attached to the car, loosen the three bolts from the top in the engine bay. This will release the strut assembly, so be careful, best to hold the strut assembly with one hand.
12] Before removing the spring from the strut assembly, pay special attention to how the strut bearing, and the strut is aligned before removing the strut nut. Also, note the orientation of the spring (three spring color code) in relation to the assembly as the factory spring can only go back one way.
13] To install the parts, follow the steps above in reverse order and torque appropriately.
Things to pay attention to:
1] I cleaned all the parts that I planned to re-use with brake cleaner and wire brush to ensure clean contact during re-assembly.
2] I didn’t realize how tall the stock spring was and I had to use two sets of spring compressors to compress roughly 12 inches of spring travel so the spring will fit into the strut assembly. Not fun. This may not be a problem if you are using performance springs which are shorter.
3] The factory spring can only mount one way, if you get it wrong it won’t seat properly and you have to do it again. Pay attention to the three dotted colour markers on the spring and its relation to the strut.
4] I tightened all the bolts/nuts while the car was still on jack. I then re-tightened all the bolts and nuts after driving the car around the block (this was probably not required, but I wanted to make sure all was tight).
5] The mechanic who re-aligned the car afterwards said the car was close to center.
Below, is the torque spec I saved from fellow forum contributor which came handy, and all the Volvo/OE part numbers I used.
1. Driveshaft to wheel hub - two stages
a. stage 1 - 25 ft lbs
a. stage 2 - additional 90 degrees turn
2. Lower Ball Joint to Steering Knuckle - 75 ft lbs
3. Outer tie rod end to knuckle - 60 ft lbs
4. Steering Knuckle to Strut clamp - 80 ft lbs
5. Disc Brake Shield to Knuckle - 7 ft lbs
6. Brake Rotor to Knuckle Torx Bolt - 25 ft lbs
7. Brake Caliper Brackets to Steering Knuckle - 150 ft lbs
8. Lower Control Arm (3 bolts)
a. Single bolt (towards front of car) - 2 stages
i. stage 1 - 103 ft lbs
ii. stage 2 additional 45 degree turn
b. Two rear bolts - 130 ft lbs
9. Strut Mount to Strut Tower (body) 3 bolts - 22 ft lbs
10. Front Stabilizer bar Link to Strut - 45 ft lbs
Parts:
Description: Volvo/OE P/N: Quantity:
Front stabilizer bar link 31658608 2
Upper strut mount reinforcement 31317210 2
Lower spring spacer 31317211 2
Front right strut 31429127/Sachs 313749 1
Front left strut 31429128/Sachs 313748 1
strut mount 31340606 2
Strut bearing 31681161 2
Spring 31262307 2
right control arm 31317664 1
left control arm 31317663 1
Lower control arm bolt 987605 6
Lock nut 985932 4
- Lower control arm and steering knuckle removed
- Removing LCA ball joint from steering knuckle
- Pay attention to the three circled areas. Notice how the strut is not meant to be in the center of the spring
- Using existing bolt with Allen key to free strut from steering knuckle
