XC90 2004 Control Arm / Tie Rod / Axle Seal

sermon · Post by **sermon** » 14 Oct 2010, 12:14

I took my girlfriends 2004 XC90 T6 with 75K to the dealer to get a fuel pump recall done: WOW below is the list of "other" problems they called her and told her she neede fixed. I need some advice on what i can do myself in our driveway with the tools i have. I am not a master mechanic by any means but have enough ability to most jobs with the right directions ( i am more of a American Chevy car guy with my 2004 Silverado and 1968 Chevelle) I just replaced the motor and transmission in the 68 Chevelle but its older with less electronics. The list below is the order in which the mechanic said needed to be done first. I have seen the great write-up about flushing the Trans fluid (seems straight forward enough) but how hard is it to fix the axle seal....and why would she need an new "axle" like listed for $1200. I have noticed a "clunk" noise coming from the front driver side near the wheel/axle. It only happens when you have been driving and then stop at a stoplight or sign. The noise comes right when you start to accelerate. I figured it might be the ball joints or tie rod ends. Both are listed. The lower control bushing on the driver side does need to be replaced after looking at it. The brake pads a brand new ( i just replaced them) but he says the rotors are low...this i can fix later. Does this list look too hard to tackle myself in a couple week-ends?
Any input or other information regarding these repairs would be great help since im new to fixing volvos.

The following items are recommendations to repair your noise issue. Listed in order of importance

Trans fluid is black due to damaged axle seal, grease leaking into the trans
Flush trans, replace axle and axle seal. 1200.00

New front brake pads, aftermarket, on old rotors. Rotors are below spec and pads not seating correct.
Replace front brake pads and rotors 650.00

Lower control arm bushings split and making noise
Replace lower control arms 850.00

Inner tie rod ends are loose and have excessive play, ball joints loose
Replace both inner and outer tie rods on both sides, and ball joints 1150.00

Alignment 129.95

Coolant svc, fluid ratio incorrect 150.00

Brake fluid svc 150.00

Post by **songzunhuang** » 23 Oct 2010, 17:44

Brake pads and rotors are definitely something you can do yourself for way cheaper that the listed price. I get all my stuff from ipdusa.com. They have great part and prices. Front rotors are about $100 each and a pad set is $60-90 depending on which material you go with. Still, all up that's about $290 in parts. You can do the change yourself in about 1-2 hours.

The other stuff I am not so sure about.

Post by **stone36** » 25 Oct 2010, 10:34

If you want to cut the bill in half (at least) on anything you can't do, use the links at the top of this page and buy OEM or aftermarket parts from FCP, IPD or one of the others, then bring the parts to a Big O or other national place that charges half for labor what the dealer does.

Rotors, trans fluid flush, control arm/bushing, coolant, brake fluid, should all be easy to handle and you can find all you need on this site. I did a trans flush and brake tutorial that is at the top of the XC90 forum. I think I posted on brake fluid flush as well. I bought a Motive bleeder and volvo brake fluid, Maybe $60 total and it worked great.

mgjonesin · Post by **mgjonesin** » 27 Oct 2010, 20:05

First of all if you have contamination of the trans fluid from the axle grease your trans is soon to be toast! Thats what happened to mine. I replaced the driverside axle (not to bad) and had a local mechanic flush the trans. However it was to late to save the trans. By the way I got Volvo to pay for the trans replacement even though it was out of warranty. They replaced the other axle (modified), the trans cooler, and lines with the trans. Volvo should recall those axles. My ball joints were involved in a recall. I changed the tie rod ends, no problem. Brakes and rotors, NAPA lifetime warranty (easy). I replaced the brake fluid. Just bleed refill, bleed refill...ect. Dont let the brake fluid get very low or you'll get an antiskid light. Coolant flush requires a vacume refill tool, I believe($100).

Good luck,

Jon

kimmerdan · Post by **kimmerdan** » 13 Nov 2010, 08:32

I have a 2003 T6 AWD. My first hint of trouble was the "Transmission Service Urgent" message (at 74,000 miles and no warranty). Before taking the car in, I Googled "xc90 transmission service urgent". It took about 15 seconds to find several blogs about the transmission problems with this model. We were looking at a new transmission, new front axles, and new radiator. The repair was approaching $10K at the dealership. We made a call to Volvo North America and mentioned that we felt that this should have been a recall item considering how many owners had blogged about the issues with this model. We also mentioned that we were surprised that it hadn't made it to the media. After mentioning the 'media", they were too happy to replace the transmission, axles, and radiator at no charge. Our service rep did tell us that there were still no guarantees that it won't happen again. So, we continue to hold our breath! We are close to 100K miles and everything seems fine (fingers crossed). Even with this issue (and others), I love my XC90. But I did learn a huge lesson about purchasing a model in the early years of production!

Read some of the blogs on the transmission problems. Be careful of how much work you do yourself! If this transmission problem is lurking in your vehicle, Volvo North America could use 3rd party service against you in determining whether they will cover the cost of a new transmission!