'98 V70 5spd -- Internal Clutch Slave Cylinder Replacement

[polskamafia mjl]

Pilot bushing is not used in FWD Volvo transmission, even though there is one listed.

+1

[E Showell]

So the clutch slave cylinder replacement is underway. A mechanic is doing it, not me. Just for kicks after the failure I emailed customer service at ZF (Sachs parent) and asked whether failure at 60K miles was considered a normal service life. The response was no. When I asked what might cause such a premature failure, without seeing the part, the response was contaminated hydraulic fluid. Well, I got the part back and the plastic collar that surrounds the bushing that fits over the input shaft was cracked in half. Looks like low quality plastic used in a high stress environment. I snapped a couple cell phone pictures and asked Steve to post. We'll see if he can manage it.

I also saw the bell housing out of the car and it appears to have the circular bracket into which an external slave cylinder could be fitted so, if I had been doing the work myself, I could have investigated converting back to an external slave. Oh well, I'll know for next time. . .

Edit - pictures added by mod.

[abscate]

Bump for added pictures...

[E Showell]

Well, the mechanic who did the job was not my regular guy (long story, won't go into it here). When I got the car back, I noticed a steering wheel shake on the highway between 63-67 mph. Was wondering what might cause that. My regular mechanic checked ball joints and tie rod ends. All was OK. I thought it might be a wheel balance issue so I was swapping out my studded snow tires for all season radials hoping the worst of the winter weather was behind me.

When removing the passenger side snow tire I noticed that it was put on with only four of the five lug nuts. I'm figuring in the engineering process that five was not a random number and that using the correct and complete number of lug nuts falls into the "strongly recommended" category. Hoping the extra lug nut will solve my high speed steering shake. Also hoping rotor wasn't deformed. Last time for visiting that mechanic.

[cuhfs]

Hi. Please PM me that mechanics name (since I am local) so I too stay away. Thanks.

[abscate]

No problem to post the name in the Mechanic database with the facts, if you so choose

[E Showell]

Amazing what using the proper number of lug nuts can do for driveability . . .

[Ozark Lee]

When removing the passenger side snow tire I noticed that it was put on with only four of the five lug nuts. I'm figuring in the engineering process that five was not a random number and that using the correct and complete number of lug nuts falls into the "strongly recommended" category.

Several years ago my wife called me and said the '94 was shaking horribly so I took the Platinum to her office and tried to drive the '94 home. She was right, it was shaking horribly - like it had square wheels - and I stuck to the back roads. I made it about half way home before the left front wheel completely came unbolted. I think someone had tried to steal the wheels in the driveway but they must have been scared off at some point. Fortunately the wheel just cocked over and hung on the pin. I was able to swipe a lug from the other three wheels and drive it on home. I was glad it was me and not my wife driving a the time. It was actually a real relief since I was conjuring up all kinds of transmission problems in my mind as I was limping it along.

...Lee

[E Showell]

OK. Time for a generous slice of humble pie with a side of crow. Sure, I had some raised eyebrows about some details of the clutch job -- nail in the battery clamp and missing lug nut, but my buddy whose mechanic I was using had a parts car on his lot, noticed my rear tires were worn down to the wear bars and swapped out a very good set of used tires from the parts car to my car without charging me for them. That was a true kindness. Big karma points for that.

[E Showell]

Except now I realize that the P0133 code was being set by the complete absence of the hard vacuum line running from the top of the back of the air cleaner box down to the bottom corner of that same box. If I hadn't been playing with a headlight, I probably wouldn't have noticed the absence of the line. Predictably, the originally soft rubber vacuum elbow under the air cleaner box crumbled, but the mechanic never replaced the line and never advised me it was missing. Less than $2.00 of soft rubber vacuum line from Advance Auto and the code is gone.