2001 V70 T5 Replace Lower Contriol Arm Bushings

kcv70 · Post by **kcv70** » 06 Jan 2014, 13:21

My lower control arm bushings and front strut/spring assembly seats need to be replaced. Does this repair require the engine to be raised or lifted up? If so, it occured to me that if the engine is raised I might as well replace the engine torque mounts.

95SE · Post by **95SE** » 06 Jan 2014, 18:26

no it does not, a lift is very nice though for the control arm work in particular.

Post by **precopster** » 07 Jan 2014, 03:19

There are plenty of low profile spanners out there that allow access to the 2 17mm control arm bolts near the engine/transmission. Here's a photo of 2 different types I have.

I use a large pipe over them to loosen and tighten the control arm bolts.

Post by **xHeart** » 07 Jan 2014, 05:03

If these sem screws pass through the subframe to thread on to the LCA, then these are longer sem screws. It can be loosened but pulling them "straight" out, and putting them back on "straight" to align with the thread on LCA you would want to raise the engine a little, just enough, not more than an 1".

Preventive: I removed one bolt at front engine pad from below the subframe, and two bolts from the front/right motor mount these screw on to the subframe near the crank. Use a wooden block to support the oil pan when raising it.

kcv70 · Post by **kcv70** » 07 Jan 2014, 08:28

Thanks to everyone for the replies. The photos were helpful, too.

Post by **precopster** » 07 Jan 2014, 14:25

There's no need to pull the bolts out of the subframe so there's no need to lift the engine/trans assembly unless you're replacing them or they're severely corroded and require a thorough cleanup.

If you want to clean up the threads while they are poking out of the control arm side you could do so with a wire brush on a drill and then coat them with anti-seize.
If you absolutely have to replace the bolts then of course you'll need to raise the engine slightly but on both cars where I replaced control arms ('01 XC70 & '02 S60) the threads had a coating of oil on them from previous leaks.

kcv70 · Post by **kcv70** » 19 Feb 2014, 14:48

Followup. I had the lower control arm bushings and front strut/spring assembly seats replaced and the car drives like it did when it was new. I used Ipd strut/spring assembly seats and took the advice of my mechanic and replaced the entire control arms, not just the bushings.