Rear shocks

5rivers · Post by **5rivers** » 29 Nov 2021, 18:41

Greetings all,

I am trying to figure out what type of rear shocks my '98 V70 base model, fwd, 2.4L, has. Was going to order some new ones, but kept finding I needed to know if my car has the 'self leveling suspension' or not. Any idea how I would figure that out? With some weight in the back, the rear seems to be bottoming out when I hit a bump. The front struts could be replaced as well!! Appreciate any and all ideas, suggestions, etc.. Thanks!

Post by **abscate** » 29 Nov 2021, 19:08

Sent Sally an update this afternoon, 5 rivers

You won’t have self leveling suspension in your base car. It’s springs that determine the ride , not shocks. I think I have a decent set of used ones here in Albany too

Post by **FireFox31** » 29 Nov 2021, 22:39

The required suspension components are identified by the engine bay chassis plate (front left of engine), right column, line 5. This IPD article explains what each character means. When shopping for parts, you'll see these characters referenced in the descriptions after "for marking, see identification plate."

Also, original Volvo springs will have a splotch of colored paint near their base and rear shocks will have a colored band on their label. Parts websites may reference those colors to help you find exact replacements.

Lastly, rear self leveling shocks have ribs against their lower half. Other rear shocks shown at FCP don't have that (though they don't show all of them).

Post by **FireFox31** » 29 Nov 2021, 22:42

Related questions:

Do springs wear out even if they don't appear rusted?

If I'm replacing the shock/strut and spring, do I have to get the exact part numbers indicated by the chassis plate? For the front struts, will any strut hold any spring? I'll get Sachs or Bilstein TC shocks/struts and FCP claims each is compatible with all variations of Volvo shocks/struts. Does it matter which non-self-leveling spring I pair with them?

Can I install heavy duty shocks, part 3456335, on a 2000 V70 base NA auto FWD which had green/E springs? Does anyone have opinions on how they perform with and without a load in the trunk?

What do you think of Lesjofors springs at FCP? I am terrified of working with springs and only want to do this job once, so want the best part I can get.

Post by **abscate** » 30 Nov 2021, 02:49

Firefox , I tow 500 pound boats with three of my Volvos and am a big fan of the IPD blue HD springs. I have them on all my tow vehicles. They stiffen the ride, hold my BFA well, and give the car a nice “ stance” too.

Post by **abscate** » 30 Nov 2021, 04:46

Ps…rear springs on P80 FWD are easy, no spring compressor required. A bit of gorilla wrestling underneath but a tire iron and maybe a lumber stick and they pop into place ( shock lower bolt removed and shock popped off)

Are the rear shocks on Jane Bond ( the 20 00V70 ) decent enough for Kallys car? I’ll bounce test them today

Do springs wear out even if they don't appear rusted?

Yes, they do. Hard to check by measurement off car, but on car you can empty it out and check ride height.

Thread here

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forum ... t&start=10

Post by **foggydogg** » 30 Nov 2021, 07:39

There is a way to check springs for both installed height pressure as well as intended compressed height pressure (routine on a NASCAR racer ), but that is probably too fussy for street driven cars. As Steve mentioned, on non-Nivomat cars check ride height. For the total money involved in a complete suspension rebuild, new springs would be a small percentage of the budget.

Post by **FireFox31** » 30 Nov 2021, 11:56

Thanks for the tips. I'll add rear springs to my overhaul even though they have minimal rust. FCP doesn't seem to have heavy duty front springs. Does such a thing exist?

abscate wrote: ↑30 Nov 2021, 04:46 Are the rear shocks on Jane Bond ( the 20 00V70 ) decent enough for Kallys car? I’ll bounce test them today

The rear shocks on that are ok for their age but not amazing. The bottom bushings are rather cracked. My current one sags more, I think. The only spring suspension work I did in 18 years were new front spring seats, I believe, around 2014.

Is there more to the story of how my old wagon is called "Jane Bond"? Some sort of double agent life between its 275k mi body and 215k mi engine? Unexpected gadgets like a the manual transmission?

Post by **Eddystone** » 30 Nov 2021, 14:12

abscate wrote: ↑30 Nov 2021, 02:49 Firefox , I tow 500 pound boats with three of my Volvos and am a big fan of the IPD blue HD springs. I have them on all my tow vehicles. They stiffen the ride, hold my BFA well, and give the car a nice “ stance” too.

Is that Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) or Big Fat Arse (BFA)?

Post by **abscate** » 30 Nov 2021, 14:34

Eddystone wrote: ↑30 Nov 2021, 14:12
abscate wrote: ↑30 Nov 2021, 02:49 Firefox , I tow 500 pound boats with three of my Volvos and am a big fan of the IPD blue HD springs. I have them on all my tow vehicles. They stiffen the ride, hold my BFA well, and give the car a nice “ stance” too.
Is that Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) or Big Fat Arse (BFA)?

Yes.

Firefox

2000 v70
‘00 v70
00v70

00v7 0

But all cars are female like ships, so it’s Jane Bond