07 XC70 axle took a leak

Post by **erikv11** » 25 Nov 2023, 17:47

Doing control arms this week(end?), the green wagon came to us with the factory original arms so just over 180k. Pics of those at the end of this post.

Not all pics are rotated 90˚ clockwise as compared to how I took them.

Why was the passenger axle full of water??? I've never run into that; probably 6-8 oz came out. Is the CV grease ok? The axle bolt threads were greasy on this side.

: whaaaa?; IMG_3941.jpeg (747.54 KiB) Viewed 433 times

Here's how the job sits right now, taking a break:

: one side disassembled; IMG_3944.jpeg (730.5 KiB) Viewed 433 times

Car had no clear symptoms yet of failed control arm bushings but FYI this is what they looked like when I started the job ...

: passenger's side bushings 1; IMG_3936.jpeg (618.35 KiB) Viewed 433 times

: passenger's side bushings 2; IMG_3937.jpeg (451.45 KiB) Viewed 433 times

: driver's side bushings 1; IMG_3938.jpeg (547.67 KiB) Viewed 433 times

: driver's side bushings 2; IMG_3939.jpeg (436.51 KiB) Viewed 433 times

Post by **br0dy519** » 25 Nov 2023, 19:18

oh god.. Abscate is gonna have a heyday with this one.. *grabs popcorn*

Post by **jonesg** » 26 Nov 2023, 01:19

melted snow in the boot.

Post by **Blacklab467** » 26 Nov 2023, 07:27

Keep your old control arms, don't throw them out. Get some Volvo bushings and re-bush them and then you have a spare set for later. What brand of control arms are you installing? I've noticed some casting variations with the aftermarket brands I've seen, a couple of them appear to be cast iron or mild steel painted to look like aluminum.

Post by **erikv11** » 26 Nov 2023, 10:31

Yes, water got in, I just wonder how. Can't see any breaches in the CV boot. Car has not seen snow since last spring - why is snow more likely to blame than rain or puddle etc?

Anyone: would you regrease or replace the axle just because you saw all that water? At this point I'm thinking re-install and watch for noise, as always. Maybe time for an XC90 axle purchase/install.

The new arms are Lemforder (viewtopic.php?p=636853), they are not magnetic at all and the casting seems okay to my naive eye. But I hear you I'll hang onto the old arms for now, although if they go bad then I'm probably more likely to replace under warranty, we'll see!

Post by **Krons** » 26 Nov 2023, 10:58

Those bushings are crispy! Should ride much better afterwards.

I’d probably throw a boot kit on it and re-grease it. When I found a torn driver side boot on my S60 during an oil change I bought a cheap aftermarket CV shaft to keep it going until I got time to re-boot/grease the old one. 10,000+ miles and I’ve yet to do that…maybe get to it this winter!

Post by **BlackBart** » 26 Nov 2023, 12:42

Yeah, can you verify they have good grease in them now? If so I’d put them back on for now. Maybe the water was a fluke / freak leak from when you drove through a stream??

Post by **abscate** » 26 Nov 2023, 13:57

br0dy519 wrote: ↑25 Nov 2023, 19:18 oh god.. Abscate is gonna have a heyday with this one.. *grabs popcorn*

It’s a P2, obviously

Post by **erikv11** » 26 Nov 2023, 14:39

Ok appreciate the comments I will go ahead and button it up as is.

Post by **scot850** » 26 Nov 2023, 17:00

Can't think how water got into the boot. Did you buy the car new? Has the axle maybe been replaced with a junkyard one that may have had the end bolt removed and sat for a long time, possibly frozen when installed?

If the boot is good the only way for water to get in is through the bolt hole. Yikes.........!

Neil.