Sachs strut from 2000 V70 XC too tall for my 850

Post by **JimBee** » 23 Aug 2018, 12:04

Well, I thought I had a nice find. The struts, springs and top assembly from a 2000 V70 XC look just like those in my 850. And they actually bolt up. And the ride is what I'm looking for. But the front end is way too high with them installed. I can feel the cv joints chafing at an angle. So they need to come out. I have the receipt. I can return them to the pnp.

The whole assembly from struts to mounts and bearing (which are Volvo brand) appear to have plenty of life left in them. The spring seats still look almost new.

If anybody in the Twin Cities, Minnesota area might be interested in them, pm me. $50.00 for the set will cover the $43.00 I paid for them plus a little gas money. It's a 40 mile round trip from my place to the pnp.

I can sit on them for another week then will need to return them.

Post by **scot850** » 23 Aug 2018, 18:49

That seems weird Jim. I wonder if someone fitted V70XC struts to the car. I know some of the new struts sits high initially but settle with use.

Are there any Volvo part number labels still on the parts?

Neil.

Post by **JimBee** » 23 Aug 2018, 20:12

Neil: The Sachs label is still prominent and clear. I didn't look closely for part numbers. I'll check tomorrow if I don't get rained out.

I'm pretty sure it's an XC that I pulled them from. The pnp site doesn't designate the model beyond v, s, etc., and the year, so I can't get that detail remotely. I didn't know before going to the yard that I would find Sachs struts that looked like they would fit my 850. So I grabbed them without further checking.

Now, looking them up on the FCP site, sure enough, the strut for the 850 fits 2000 V70's, including the R AWD, but NOT the XC. Live and learn.

But is it the strut itself that stands taller, or is it a stronger spring on the XC? If it's the spring, I have an extra set of springs from the 850 that I could swap with the Sachs strut. I kind of hate to give them up (with the better than decent topside hardware) if I could somehow make them work.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/volvo- ... 58#fitment

Post by **erikv11** » 23 Aug 2018, 22:03

The P80 front ride height is strictly determined by two things:
(1) the spring stiffness
(2) the location of the spring perch on the strut, how far it is placed from the strut to knuckle fastener holes.

Nothing else comes into play, for example the stiffness of the strut is irrelevant. All that matters is where that perch sites and how compressible that spring is under the weight of the car.

So you could measure the distance from the spring perch to the strut to knuckle top hole, and compare it with the distance on your old struts. If it's the same then the issue is the springs, if the new ones measure longer (seems likely from the thread) then they are XC strut assemblies.

Post by **misha** » 24 Aug 2018, 04:12

S,V70 & 850 assemblies are the same.
XC and AWD(850) are different...those cars sits higher.
Title of the topic is wrong.

Post by **erikv11** » 24 Aug 2018, 07:47

BTW for $50, I would keep them just for the complete set of "Volvo branded top side hardware." Maybe you can sell the struts for $20 bucks each in the for sale forum, but if not you still have a great deal on the hardware.

I searched for pics on a whim and actually found this (http://store.voluparts.com/98-00-volvo- ... nt-struts/), makes it clear as a bell:

: early-v70-xc70-strut-comparison; early-v70-xc70-strut-comparison.jpg (34.16 KiB) Viewed 2057 times

Post by **JimBee** » 24 Aug 2018, 08:40

Erik: thanks for the pic. Clearly shows the perch height differences. Good suggestion on the hardware.

Post by **scot850** » 24 Aug 2018, 15:38

V70XC have a taller tire to the standard FWD/R/AWD cars. The regular cars ran a 195/60/15 tire and the XC ran a 195/65/15 tire if I recall, and hence the higher seat height to accommodate and lift the car. The rears in the AWD/R had different mount points on the rear hubs to the XC again to raise the rear of the XC.

Neil.

Post by **JimBee** » 24 Aug 2018, 16:19

The perch height difference in Erik's pics is pretty distinctive. When I pull the XC struts I'll place them next to the correctly spec'd units they replaced, just to put a tape measure on the difference. I'm wondering if the XC springs are the same as other P80's, and it's just the strut perch that's pushing up the height—or if the XC springs are actually stiffer.

Though I don't relish disassembling 4 strut-spring assemblies and putting 2 back together, might it still be possible to use the XC struts with the 850 springs if the 850 springs are softer? Thoughts?

Post by **scot850** » 24 Aug 2018, 17:37

Spring lengths are usually the same, it is just the stiffness that will make a difference to how the car rides. The higher spring perch will always be higher.

If you can see a part number on the strut then we might be able to confirm what you have.

Neil.