Strut Instalation Problem

astratman · Post by **astratman** » 12 Jul 2011, 14:25

I have a 2000 Volvo S80 that I am replacing the front struts on. But due to the cost of the KYB struts, I opted to replace mine with Monroe Sensa-Trac Part No. 71485. The problem that I have run into is that the newly assembled strut cartridge, when mounted into the shock tower, is about 3 inches too long to bolt the top of the hub to the bottom of the strut. Even when the lower control arm is pushed down to where it is bottomed out on the sub frame the strut still needs to be an additional inch or two shorter. I attempted to use spring compressors to compress the strut, but due to the clearance in the shock tower, I can only get about 1/2 inch off the total length of the strut. I have verified part numbers with both Monroe and Advance Auto that that is the correct part number. Please help with any advise you have. Thanks! Andrea

astratman · Post by **astratman** » 13 Jul 2011, 14:53

Problem Solved!!! After hours of messing with it, the strut installation issue has been solved. The problem is that when I rebuilt the front suspension, I made a stupid mistake while installing the lower control arms. Take it from me...it is possible to install the right control arm on the left side of the car and visa-versa! They install backwards just fine and even look correct once it is bolted on but believe me, the strut installation will not happen if this is done. I even had a foreign auto mechanic look at it and he was with me in thinking that the strut was not the proper one for the car. It wasn't until I saw an exploded view of the suspension that I noticed a label stating left and right with different part numbers.