Driveshaft/CV noise

[cambo357]

I have found some great info in these forums, so a major thanks for all the help.

'95 960 Sedan Auto 260K miles
Around a year ago the driveline started making a bit of a tick/click sort of sound. at times it would get louder while making turns. at first I thought it was the CSB, but it seemed fine, no broken rubber, spun no prob. so, maybe the center u joint. I had it replaced (no press to DIY). when I reinstalled the shaft, pretty much went away, only thing was a very slight vibration/hum. now in the last two weeks, the same clacking sort of noise has popped up again. another inspection shows the CSB to be no different, and the front and center u joints are both good, no grinding/slop. my next idea is the CV joint at the diff flange.

1. am I on the right track thinking this, or am I just whack?
2. if this is the next move, repack with grease, or replace?
3. how difficult is this to tackle? I found something about it a year or so ago, but cant seem to track it down now.

Thanks again for any help.

-Cam

[billofdurham]

Welcome to Matthew's Volvo Site.

The CV joints do fail but before replacing or repacking it check for play. Unbolt the shaft from the CV joint to check. If there is play in the joint it must be replaced. If there is no play it can be repacked.

Attached is the VADIS instruction.

960 prop shaft CV joint.pdf

(3.4 MiB) Downloaded 384 times

Bill.

[cambo357]

fantastic, thank you. I noticed that the CSB looked to be a bit "saggy". the rubber is intact, but it does look like the shaft sits a bit off center/downward. when all bolted up, there is about 3/8" of deflection when I try to move the shaft. reading how temperamental the drive line is on these, I figured that was worth addressing. for now I have put a couple of washers between the cross member and the CSB housing, in effect lifting it up. it took a few tries to get the right spacing, but finally with just a single washer on each side, it seems much better. some vibration between 27 and 35mph, lessening up to 40mhp. very little noise now. the worst is a definite metallic ting or two when backing out of the garage and off the small curb. no doubt the vehicle age and how the rear end sags a bit is helping cause that.

I would love to replace the CSB, and tried to once before. but for the life of me I could not get the shaft to come apart at the splines. yes, I did even remove the small allen set screw. leaving the front bolted to the trans and putting rod through the center u joint, I used my feet/legs to try and push it apart. still no go.

if the noise gets worse in the next couple of days, I will drop the rear of the shaft and check on the CV joint for play.

sadly, this will likely be about the last bit of repairs for this vehicle. there are a few other good bits needing repair, and my girlfriend is onto the newer car stage. but not to worry, as we do have our eye on another Volvo.