2004 XC70 Rear Spring it's the spring not the muffler

[MoVolvos]

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I recommend you use the scissor jack again but this time tighten the strap also as you go. The strap method is used when both struts are extended with no broken spring. When you lifted the right side the spring was broken so it did not achieved a full extension. The angle of the current strap is at a much lessor angle on the right side due to this.

Jack up the right side to match the 16" extended jack as you may not have enough room to put the wheel on. Insert scissor jack and work this in conjunction with the strap doing both slowly so the scissor jack will not slip again.

[MoVolvos]

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I think I got your left and right side mixed up but I think you get the picture of getting both sides lifted to match and then using the scissor jack in conjunction with the strap. Use a piece of wood if possible to keep the scissor jack from slipping as the metal and paint does not give much traction or friction surface.

[enotslim]

Thanks for the combination approach. I guess the strap can preserve advances made by the jack.

So the strap is used to prevent the control arms from rising when they begin in about the right position but is not so good on its own at lowering them once the strut is removed and the arm has risen?

Volvo instructions say, "The shock absorbers are slightly compressed." This may be true but the control arms are "significantly" lowered. A more complete description might read, "Significant" control arm force is required to "slightly" compress the "extremely" strong springs. Not what I expected.

[abscate]

Well we kicked this cars butt today. That being said, it’s a two person job with a six foot pry bar to get that shock bolt on. There was no way straps were going to get the control arm down hard enough to slip the strut bushing onto the boss on the control arm. Moreover, the strut mount needed a lot of pressure to get it fully seated up into the frame, which we completed after we got all the bolts in.

With two of us dividing the labor of positioning and applying very downward force on the arm, it took 60 seconds once we found the magical method of pry bar and lumber

Picture to come.

[enotslim]

Abscate to the rescue. I'm a light weight at 162 lb. It took most of my mass applied to the very end of that 6 foot pry bar to lower the control arm enough to fit the strut. Any more and I would have been suspended in midair. Probably ~750 lb applied force given the fulcrum was about one foot from the end. After the strut was on the control arm, tightening the two upper bolts brought the spring seat above and everything else into place. Starting the upper bolts on the spring seat from below before using the pry bar was a good strategy. The rest was easy.

Leveling the jack stands did make this less impossible: "almost impossible".

To do this routinely I think it would be useful to notch the wood piece, or use something else, so it sits more stably on the suspension.

I wonder if the strap can retain the control arms in the right position but cannot align them once they have shifted. Seems like it would still be difficult to slip a strut back on.

Thank you again Steve for playing mobile mechanic yesterday. I really appreciate your willingness to help above and beyond.

[abscate]

Diverting 20 minutes from route home to save a nasty flatbed tow to the BOS dealer - priceless.

I missed all the I90 shenanigans home and made it all the way back to ALB in 2:45.

Best part was seeing a tailgater flash and honk at a left laner doing 75 mph, who let him pass, then popped on the Blue lights and stopped him for DLD...driving like a d*

[MoVolvos]

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Man, I was feeling for ya and also wished you were nearby. Would have love to get my hands dirty on that thing but it looks like all the sorta normal and reasonable methods including Volvo's just couldn't do it. So when all else fails next time get a larger pry bar, will remember that.

Are both sides about the same in terms of ride height? Seems like a tall wagon.

[enotslim]

Left rear with the new spring is ~1 inch higher than the right rear with old spring. Estimated using my fist as a guide. Need to actually measure but I'm out of action for awhile.

[MoVolvos]

Left rear with the new spring is ~1 inch higher than the right rear with old spring. Estimated using my fist as a guide. Need to actually measure but I'm out of action for awhile.

After all that I don't blame you for taking a break. Should settle more after you hit the road for a bit.

[enotslim]

Follow up: At 16:00 in the video below is another way to assemble the control arm and strut. Partially insert lug bolts and step on it. Other methods using pry bars and jacks are also described in the comments to this video. Seems too good to be true given that we needed a 6 foot pry bar but certainly worth a try and validates that the straps couldn't work as I was attempting to use them. Maybe I need to gain some weight before tackling the other side. Or wear a weight belt for this performance.

Might be easier using IPD's wheel stud conversion kit:
https://www.ipdusa.com/products/11774/1 ... ipd-125188