04 V70 CV shaft fell out!!

mensaguy · Post by **mensaguy** » 01 Dec 2022, 17:23

My 04 v70 w/119k, 2.5 natural asp had both cv's replaced in august. Shortly afterwards, a vibration from the drivers side was noticed 55-65 mph. New tires installed and balanced, with no change.
A week ago, when exiting at hwy speed to the right exit ramp. a thump-thump-thumping sound came from from the front end ONLY when going at high speed and stopped all other times. It continued.

Today I'm at a light and put the car in neutral ( long light) When I shifted to drive, a clunking, than a whirring, and no movement at all. Had it towed to my garage. Found out the inner end of the D/S joint had completely moved out of the transmission socket, and traveled until the splines disengaged from the transmission female end, stripping the splines from the circlip to the end of the CVshaft.

What would cause the shaft to travel that far so as to completely disengage the splines from the tranny? I suppose a defective clip, but have been told bad motor mounts could be the culprit.

I used a part from a well known import parts house, who states they have had no problems with this brand of joint.

Post by **jonesg** » 01 Dec 2022, 17:28

control arm or balljoint would have to disconnect to allow enough movement.
Did you check the center hub bolt on the wheel?

mensaguy · Post by **mensaguy** » 01 Dec 2022, 17:31

Yes, ball joints and control arms are tight, center bolt is also tight. I dont see how it could work its way out that far so that the last 1/8" of splines would strip

Post by **chrism** » 02 Dec 2022, 06:27

It sounds as though the axle may have been installed without the end, and circlip, fully inserted into the trans. I assume it was an aftermarket axle?? Maybe with a substandard circlip that didn’t fit tight enough?

Post by **Blacklab467** » 02 Dec 2022, 07:32

I would suspect that the circle was faulty or not seated properly on initial installation in August causing subsequent failure. The CV worked itself out likely because:
- It was incorrectly manufactured such that the installed length was shorter than an OEM shaft
- the wrong part number was installed, perhaps a S80 or XC 70 shaft with a slightly different length than the one required
- poor metallurgy on the aftermarket shaft and circlip causing failure, ironically this may have saved your transmission splines as the shaft spline sounds like it took the brunt of the damage.

These cars do not like aftermarket parts! Nor can you rely on the quality of them, particularly with CV axles. GKN Loebro axles are original equipment on your car. Yes they are expensive but should be the only ones to consider when replacing these axles, alternatively you could find a good set of used ones at the auto wreckers.

I would suspect that the bore and female splines on your transmission are fine after this catastrophic failure, they are extremely hard but should be inspected prior to reinstalling a proper correct axle replacement.

Post by **BlackBart** » 02 Dec 2022, 07:45

Blacklab467 wrote: ↑02 Dec 2022, 07:32 - It was incorrectly manufactured such that the installed length was shorter than an OEM shaft

I was just about to ask this. Could it be it was the wrong one and too short?

Post by **abscate** » 02 Dec 2022, 11:24

Bad part and wrong part

As above , OE shafts only for lifetime more than 6 months

mensaguy · Post by **mensaguy** » 02 Dec 2022, 18:29

Guys, thanks for everything.
I took the defective one back to the parts place, and they replaced it with a new one. This one also had a funky snap ring-it would not fit into the hub of the transmission with the ring attached. I removed the ring, and it slid right up into it. BUT, can't install it permently without the ring.

So, took it back and got a refund, it sounded like trouble waiting to happen again.

THEN, I ordered a GKN like requested, which was Half the price of a Volvo OEM. It is due in a few days, and it just brings me back to my old motto " Just can't beat OEM parts!!"

Thanks again for all your help and input.

SteveToth

Post by **Blacklab467** » 02 Dec 2022, 19:35

So true! In some but not all cases you might be surprised at how inexpensive OEM parts are for these cars, particularly if you factor in the time it takes you to learn this lesson changing out aftermarket parts after a few months. I don't know you're experience with Volvos but I've been down this road myself on my own car with axles, front end parts, engine parts, etc. If your cars a keeper, spend the money on the correct parts and you will be rewarded, these Volvo's really don't like aftermarket parts.......and nor should they!

dikidera · Post by **dikidera** » 03 Dec 2022, 14:16

Imagine the amount of money Volvo can make if they just...sold the parts as cheap as the aftermarket ones.