2004 S60 CV Half Shaft & Suspension

mickjenkins · Post by **mickjenkins** » 08 Jan 2015, 16:59

Hi,

I love my Volvo but in all honestly it is the bumpiest riding car i have ever own. Does anyone else have this feeling about the P2 models. I believe now i have at least one bad half shaft due to the fact that when i turn the wheel all the way to the right i get a clicking noise. Also when i drive at very low speeds it sounds like a little knocking in the front wheel. Can a cv joint cause other issues other than the clicking when turning and if i dont get it fixed right away will it hurt my transmission. I have had many cv joints go out on cars and i never crossed my mind that it could hurt the transmission.

How can i tell when i need new struts? Could this be the reason i have a bumpy ride? I also probably need a new tire rod on the drivers side too, there a little play in the wheel but this could also be attributed to a ball joint.

Please give some input as to how to make my poor car not so bumpy.

Thank you,
mick

Post by **vtl** » 08 Jan 2015, 18:59

Rebuild the whole front suspension and steering: front strut assemblies, control arms, ball joints, sway bar end links, tie rods, rear shocks and CV axles if they went out. It will cost you some $$, but you'll enjoy comfort again.

Wife's V70 assembled in 2001 has every bit of suspension replaced recently, plus inner/outer tie rods wait for a warmer weather. The car drives beautifully.

Post by **oragex** » 08 Jan 2015, 20:00

Unfortunately, the original struts/shocks don't last long. They don't leak, but they became harsh over street bumps. What's more, in colder weather it's even worse especially on the first miles. Last winter, my suspension was so stiff it felt like the car had no coil springs.

Besides lowering the tire pressure and using smaller wheel diameter - such as 15" or 16", there's not much you can do but to replace the struts/shocks. The cheaper ones that still have enough quality are the Meyle - check out on Ebay. Then Monroes and Sachs (the OEM part) which are a bit more expensive.

Once the shocks are replaced, check out the front control arm, the bushings are busted at 100k miles or even sooner. They also play a bit in the way the suspension absorbs street bumps. Not many options here, the bushings on this particular vehicle are under much stress and most aftermarket parts simply won't last.

The knocking noise while turning in a parking lot is most usually the cv joint. It won't hurt the transmission as far as I know unless it splits in two

Post by **vtl** » 08 Jan 2015, 20:05

A lot of people complained about Meyle's (non-HD) quality in one of recent FCP's blog post, including me. Stay away from Meyle.

mickjenkins · Post by **mickjenkins** » 08 Jan 2015, 22:36

Awesome, thank you for the reply. Its good to know that im not hurting my car and that this can be rectified with cv joints, and suspension components. I appreciate this forum's contributors so much.