Knock knock, from the top of the struts

Post by **holler1** » 17 Jan 2009, 06:18

Lee,
Will do, I'll try that before anything else. Thanks. However, I'm beginning to think my spring seats/strut mounts may be failing again. The noise I hear is really loud and metallic and I've heard it from both sides. It makes me think something is grabbing and jerking loose to make the pop when the wheels turn. Maybe I didn't get the cross-shaped nuts tight enough when I put the new seats/mounts on last August. I remember it was hard to get them very tight with such a poorly designed way to hold onto the top of the threaded shaft on the struts.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 17 Jan 2009, 06:29

This little tool makes it so much easier. You can see how it's made...maybe you can fashion one like it: http://www.ipdusa.com/version.asp?strPa ... &V_ID=1724Conversely, I have used heavy duty snap ring pliers to hold and turn the X shaped not at the top as I torque the center bolt.

Post by **holler1** » 17 Jan 2009, 08:40

Thanks, MIJ. That does look easy to make from a couple of bolts and a flat piece of metal, maybe aluminum- easier to drill. I could grip the x-nut fairly well with a pair of channellocks, but the Bilstein struts have a small opening at the end for a hex (male) socket, and I couldn't get much torque on that. The OEM struts are much better with a square cross section to get a wrench on. So I'm not sure how much torque I got on it, but it wasn't much- at a guess maybe 20 or 30 ftlbs. I don't how important it is to get this torqued down correctly- anyone know if this is important?

As I understand it, the x-nut holds the spring seat against the spring; basically holds the spring assembly together. The top center nut seems to be there just to keep the whole thing from dropping down too far when the wheel drops into a rut, and the spring seat sits up in the strut mount bearing. However, the part that mystifies me is that the whole assembly has so much space between the top washer and the strut mount when the car is sitting with weight on the wheels. Mine stands up about 1/4 inch above the strut mount.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 17 Jan 2009, 09:48

Your assessment of the whole contraption is correct. Mine has 1/4 inch or so as well. You really do need to get the X piece tightened down..or else you'll get movement of the spring seat which will cause it to wear out quickly. I don't know the exact torques or if it's even measurable.

Post by **holler1** » 17 Jan 2009, 18:50

I decided to replace the sway bar end link I couldn't get loose when I replaced the struts in Aug. I got it off and the end of the sway bar is broken and rusted, apparently was barely holding on. Here's a picture.

: volvo v70 sway bar end.jpg (182.12 KiB) Viewed 1199 times

The broken section was concealed because whoever did this job put two large washers on either side of it before tightening up the end link. There were some small parts of the broken section between the washers. I had seen the washers earlier but didn't realize the bar was in such bad shape. I don't know when this was done but suspect it was after my wife sideswiped a guard rail a few years ago and we got it worked on at a body shop. I think it's possible this could have been causing the popping noise I've been hearing. I did a little more checking on the steering rack and it seems tight. I was hearing a small clunk when twisting the drive wheels but that seems to be from hitting the steering lock. I tried that with the key on and got no clunk, and the steering wheel moves with any motion of the drive wheel. I took a look at the strut mounts on both sides (without loosening them) and the spring seat to strut mount spacing looks OK at least from below.

In any case, I need to replace the sway bar. I looked at the IPD bar set and that is $448 for the AWD (front and back). Haven't found an OEM bar yet but I expect that will be a lot cheaper, about $170 if I looked at the right one (AWD is apparently a larger diameter than FWD). Or I might be able to find one from parting outs, eBay, Erievovo, etc. A couple of questions.
1. How dangerous is it to drive w/o endlink hooked up on one side?
2. How much better is the IPD than stock? I installed Bilstein touring struts so they should be compatible.

larryh · Post by **larryh** » 17 Jan 2009, 19:58

good work! that could be the problem for sure.
1. you can drive it while it's disconnected, but not permanently, you should fix it asap, it will have a lot of body roll so don't get sporty...be carefull. you'll need to deal with the loose end link... just take it all the way off.
2. Ipd sways are an improvement if you want a more sporty feel in the corners. but if you don't care about that, a stock one out of a wrecked car would be the way to go. these guys rock. call them with your credit card in hand and you'll have a sway bar on your porch in a couple days.
http://www.erievovo.com/
or
http://www.vandsautodismantlers.com/

Post by **holler1** » 17 Jan 2009, 20:10

Thanks, Larry. I did remove the end link on the bad side but left the one on the other side. I'll take a day or two to decide which sway bar to get. I thought I could drive it "gently" but thanks for the confirmation.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 17 Jan 2009, 23:25

If you're thinking of IPD sways, I would give them a call as well. I may be wrong, but I seem to remember that the front bar is the same for FWD and AWD...just the rear bar is different (thus the different part numbers for the different "kits). If you can get Lucky or Scott on the phone at IPD, I believe they will work with you and just allow you to buy the front bar if this is all you want to change out. Also, while you're at it, let me recommend that you buy the heavy duty end links from them. I have them on my car and they really make a difference.

Post by **holler1** » 18 Jan 2009, 05:22

MIJ,
Would you say that the HD sway bar makes more of a difference than the HD end links, or vice versa, or is it just that together they make a big difference? Kind of a picky question, but I'm wondering if the regular sway bar with the HD end links would be a good combination. The regular end links seem almost flimsy compared to the bar itself.

Since my rear shocks have never been changed, I'm thinking of changing them too and they are pretty expensive for the AWD. Of course that can wait; they are not causing any problems now.

I also have an ABS light on now; will do a separate post for that. Probably will get a rebuild.

If I go to IPD I will give them a call about just getting the front bar. Thanks for the tip.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 18 Jan 2009, 07:54

I agree that the original endlinks are very flimsy. Of course the beefier bar is nice and makes a big difference but more than that, the endlink makes a huge difference (just my opinion).

Knock knock, from the top of the struts

Re: Knock knock, from the top of the struts