98 V70 All is not well in Volvo Land

Post by **98v70dad** » 01 Jul 2016, 20:06

Today I removed the drivers side CV axle I bought from axles unlimited to fix the leak that has been going on all week. I thought that the leak was a result of my less than perfect installation of the axle seal. So, I bought a new seal and removed the axle so I could replace the seal. While I had the axle out I decided to remove the paint on the sealing surface of the axles unlimited re-manufactured axle so I could look at it closely. What I found was that it had damage (pits and gouges) on the sealing surface on more than one location. One of the gouges is about 2mm long x 1mm wide.

I installed the new volvo seal (this time perfect) and put the axle back in because I had no choice. We'll see if it still leaks ..... I bet it does but maybe I'll get lucky and the damage location misses the seal location .

So, what do I do now? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

There are no good aftermarket axles, raxles had no stock and he told me he didn't expect to have any anytime soon and so far I am completely unimpressed with Axles Unlimited. When I called with my problem today they just said sorry...we can get you a new part by wednesday or thursday next week. This is my daily driver and it has to be back on the road by Tuesday. I reinstalled the axles unlimited part so I can be back on the road but I expect it will still leak and I'll still need to do something.

Post by **tryingbe** » 01 Jul 2016, 21:12

I just replace boots on the oem axles.

Post by **erikv11** » 01 Jul 2016, 21:51

98v70dad wrote: ... There are no good aftermarket axles ...

That's the bottom line. You will find people stubbornly arguing otherwise but, that's the bottom line.

It's lousy but, the only good solution is to come up with an OEM axle one way or another. If someone feels like trolling the junkyards and grabbing as many as possible, there is a market for them.

In your case you are already in with AU, waiting for another one from them might be your best short term solution.

Post by **Ozark Lee** » 01 Jul 2016, 22:30

Axles are a bear to get at a pick-n-pull. Usually they have the cars up on blocks and with both wheels off the ground you can't lock the axle in place to get the nut off. My battery impact has always been a bit too gutless to bust the nut free.

...Lee

Post by **scot850** » 01 Jul 2016, 23:05

I usually have to pull the axle/control arm/hub and pay for it all and then return with the hub/control arm after using my electric impact driver at home. Otherwise it is impossible to remove the axle itself for up to 98 year cars. The 99/00 are easier because they use a bolt rather than 36mm nut.

Neil

Post by **tryingbe** » 01 Jul 2016, 23:58

Ozark Lee wrote:you can't lock the axle in place to get the nut off.

I always stick a screw driver into the vented rotors, then jump on my breaker bar with the 36mm socket at the end.

Post by **BEJinFbk** » 02 Jul 2016, 00:21

If the brakes are still there, you can always lock things up that way.
In a running car, it's pretty easy to drop a 2 x 4 between the pedal
and the seat frame and just lock up all the wheels with the power
seat. Where there's a will...

Post by **MrAl** » 02 Jul 2016, 10:46

Hello there,

When you say there are no "good" aftermarket CV axles, do you mean that they are available but the quality is not that good? If so, how bad are they?

Post by **98v70dad** » 02 Jul 2016, 11:17

MrAl wrote:Hello there,

When you say there are no "good" aftermarket CV axles, do you mean that they are available but the quality is not that good? If so, how bad are they?

I'm no expert...just a DIY guy who has done some fairly challenging projects on this volvo. From what I've read - I've done extensive research on this - almost all aftermarket parts are made in China. I'm an engineer who maintained a fleet machinery for about 15 years - so I know a little about this. You can get a good part from china or you can get junk, sometimes from the same manufacturer. Their quality is sporadic, From what I've read, all or almost all aftermarket axles are made in China. Thats why they cost under $100. If I have to spend my whole afternoon installing a part I don't want to have to remove it the following weekend

I've read mostly good things about axles unlimited although there were some negative comments mixed in with the mostly positive ones. They rebuild axles from used parts. The one I got has a mark or gouge in the sealing surface. It was painted over so I didn't see until I took the part off and removed the paint on the seal surface to figure out why it was leaking. It had multiple marks on it. Apparently they didn't look it over very closely. So at least for that part it created work for me just like the Chinese junk. You've probably guessed Im not too happy about it.

Today I'm considering just buying the very expensive volvo part and sending the remanufactured one back. That's the cleanest an easiest thing to do but I'll pay through the nose for the convenience.

Post by **cn90** » 02 Jul 2016, 11:28

Someone told me you can still get the GKN CV Joint but only from Europe, UK etc.

Below is an example of GKN CV Joint from the UK, just make sure you buy the correct CV Joint (Turbo vs non-Turbo, check what you have in the car 1st):

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Volvo-V70-S80 ... 1782215839