suspension --Front Upper Spring Seat

[adrian22]

volvo 2005 xc70
do I need to compress the springs in order to replace the broken Front Upper Spring Seat?
Or I can just unscrew the 3 screws to remove metal cover on the top of the strut?

[Rattnalle]

You need to take the entire strut out and compress the spring before replacing any of those parts.

[oragex]

Use good quality spring compressors
You need to compress the spring until the spring seat comes loose. The spring is under tremendous force when compressed. You don't want to see your face or arm fly away

Don't buy anything else but Sachs or Volvo spring seat. All others will crack in 6 months

The second video only shows how powerful the spring is when it's compressed, The guy used some cheap compressor and the compressor plate slipped off the spring. Plus they compressed the spring inside the car, on Volvo the strut has to be removed from the car.

[IdahoBob]

Someone please explain how to remove the strut before compressing the spring. I've done 4 of these now, and had to compress the spring to get the strut off (and back on), all four times. I strongly agree that you need to use quality tools that have a firm grip on the spring and the seat (the one that's welded on as part of the shock). I now use 4 spring compressors (2 sets) when squeezing the spring down. The last time I did it with 2 (one set), one of them slipped off, the spring escaped faster than my brain could process the image of it coming loose. It shot across the garage, bounced off the garage door and took out the rear window on the tailgate. That would have really hurt if I'd been between the spring and the door. Also, if you're replacing the rubber on top, consider how soon you want to do this all over again...maybe replace the shocks now also, as long as you have the whole thing apart?

[Rattnalle]

You take three nuts off at the top and three bolts at the bottom and lift the thing out. I haven't had too much trouble doing this any of the four or five times I've done it.

[abscate]

Clarification

You remove the strut , spring, bearing assembly from the car, then compress and remove the spring. The three M8 nuts on top of the tower are the only thing you remove to remove the assembly from the car.

[Rattnalle]

Clarification

You remove the strut , spring, bearing assembly from the car, then compress and remove the spring. The three M8 nuts on top of the tower are the only thing you remove to remove the assembly from the car.

Plus a few bolts at the bottom. To remove it that is.

But I agree that nothing else at the top should be touched before the spring is compressed.

[oragex]

@ Idahobob as mentioned on Volvo cars, along with Japanese cars and perhaps other brands, the strut rod is fully extended and keeps the spring under pressure when these are not installed yet in the car. Two safety bolts screwed on the strut rod keep the spring compressed at all times. This is why we need first to transfer the spring pressure to the spring compressor, before removing the two upper safety bolts. If the two safety bolts are removed without a spring compressor, the spring will pop out will high force and wound the worker (or worse). Same happens if someone would remove the safety bolts while the strut is still installed on the car: the spring will blow like an airbag and will damage other parts around.

There are videos on Youtube with the strut removal and spring compression. I found the hardest part to be undoing the end link at the strut. This bolt is tight and a quality torx socket is needed to keep it from spinning.

@ adrian for the metal plate -the strut mount bearing - the good parts are from Lemforder and Ina