I have a 2000 (Phase 1) S40 and it knocked the upper strut bearings out prematurely. After lots of research and many people complaining about the update kit that Volvo issued I decided to consider swapping to the 2001-2004 front setup (Phase 2).
After even more research I got some confirmations that a Phase 2 unit could be installed in my Phase 1. So I shelled out the money for the swap and made it work. It fit well...for awhile
Now just 3000 miles later the upper mounts are shot! The shock can be moved by hand inside the mount, the rubber is soft, spongy and toasted!
My only conclusion is
A: The non-OEM upper mounts I bought from eEuroparts were crap
or
B: The Phase 2 units wont work inside the Phase 1 for these reasons.
The Ph1 and Ph2 both share the same upper mount, however the Ph2 car has a 1.5mm wider track. I got to looking at the upper spring perches and the Ph1 car has a flatter mount (it measures 3.5-degrees with a pillion angle tool on it), where the Phase 2 unit is offset and measures 7-degrees of angle.
My only assumption for the increased angle and offset upper perch on the Ph2 is to make up for its wider track. This increased angle effectively flattens out the upper mount inside the shock tower because the lower mounting point of the shock is more outboard than the one on the Ph1.
By running the Ph2 upper setup on my Ph1 and not increasing the track I've put more side load on the upper mount since it's mounted at an angle now.
Flatter Ph1 perch, note the bearing mount in relation to the spring perch:
Phase 2 unit is offset and angles to account for wider track, no?
Has anyone successfully converted their 2000 S40 front suspension setup to a Ph2 using stock parts? I've heard of some success with coilovers.
Will this 3.5-degree difference really knock out the upper rubber mounts or did my non-OEM upper mounts just end up being bunk?
I really hope I didn't waste $500 on a Ph2 front setup that wont work on my Ph1.
Thanks for any insight