98 V70 AWD rear driveshaft and sway bar

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 31 Aug 2008, 22:43

Ok, it's a job that I would never want to undertake. Here's the gist of it: Off with the tires, disconnect the ABS system, , remove propeller shaft and torque tube, then the viscous coupling, drain the fuel (fuel rail schrader valve), remove the fuel lines, remove the tail pipe and muffler, adjust out the emergency brake and then take the brakes apart and rear hubs off, support and remove the fuel tank w/ holding table under it, lower the fuel tank with rear suspension, and finally remove the final drive from rear axle member (which means pulling the drive shafts out by releasing the circlips). There are many steps in between what I just typed that I skipped. I just typed the larger headings in VADIS. If you need the instructions, email me (email in my profile) and I'll send you a pdf file with all of the instructions w/ pictures.

Post by **holler1** » 01 Sep 2008, 07:15

MIJ,
You do an amazing amount and quality of work for this forum! Thanks again. I agree, I don't want to take on the removal job you described.

Here's another photo of the left side of the rear diff. There is grease/oil thrown from the axle onto the body of the car. Based on this, I would say the left axle is at least one source of the leak. I'll back the car on ramps today and look at the diff from the underside to get a better look. Did your research indicate whether the drive axles can be removed w/o taking apart the entire underside of the car? I.e. do the circlips have to be released from the inside of the diff, or can the axles be removed independently?

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 01 Sep 2008, 07:57

It could just be the rear axles seal (is it just on that side?) as I don't see the CV boot gone bad (no grease out of them- or is it just at an angle that it's hard to see?) and you'll still have to adjust the e-brake and basically take the brakes apart (e-brake shoes will be the main thing to contend with- not the rotor and caliper, although these will have to come off too) to get them out. VADIS describes taking the axles out by way of using 2 pry bars (90degrees from each other) into the differential to pry the axles out. I assume (like the fronts) that enough force will collapse the circlips enough to release the drive shafts. Certainly, these can be done with the Final Drive still in the car and individually although I'm not sure how much room you'll have in there for leverage.

Btw, I'll keep an eye out for you for a used rear swaybar. These are different than the non-AWD swaybars and therefore not seen as often on different sites where people sell their used stuff.

Post by **holler1** » 01 Sep 2008, 15:31

I'm pretty sure the seal on the driver's side axle is the only leak. The right side is rusty but no oil or grease, same for front of the differential. Also, the diff has oil up to the filler plug. Here are some photos. The first is the right side drive axle.

The second is the front where the driveshaft from the front attaches. The dark stuff is solid- seems to be undercoating tar.

The third shows the drivers side shaft and the filler plug.

I took off the plug and oil flowed out; the rear of the car is up on ramps so it leans forward quite a bit. I don't think the driveshaft boot is leaking, it appears to be coming from the seal, but I don't think it has leaked a lot. I read your post about removing the axle. Is it fair to assume that the seal can be replaced while the axle is removed?
Finally, I scraped the rust off the sway bar and it is actually pretty solid below 1/16 inch or so; not as bad as I thought.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 01 Sep 2008, 16:24

I'm assuming here but when you pull the axles out of the front there is a seal behind them and it's not hard to take them out. Transmission to axle seal from what I recall them being called. I would assume the rear is the same. Man, I just can't get over how much rust is back there.

Rust or no rust the swaybar back there looked disconnected (from the rust). If it is connected on both sides back there then it must have been the angle of the picture.

Btw, the seal in question (2 of them) would be #5 of the diagram I shared on page 1 of this thread. The accompanying part number is included.

Post by **holler1** » 01 Sep 2008, 17:44

There was a piece of rust hanging down from the sway bar in the first picture that may have been a little confusing. The bar is connected at both ends and actually looks worst in the middle. The rubber parts look pretty good. Yes, there is a lot of rust on the bar, the control arms, the diff, and the mufflers/tailpipes. I found a small hole in one of the mufflers and have an inspection scheduled for tomorrow. I will have to get it replaced and probably should replace the exhaust system behind the cat converter.

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 01 Sep 2008, 18:08

If your appointment is w/ a Volvo dealer you'll be in for sticker shock. Avoid the dealer and let a good independent muffler shop do the work for considerable savings.

Post by **holler1** » 02 Sep 2008, 18:41

My appointment was with a local garage for a state safety inspection. I didn't go since I have the rest of Sept to get it done. I've been using the garage for 20 years or so for stuff I don't like doing (like exhaust work or anything difficult

). I've done enough exhaust work on old cars that I learned to hate it. The garage doesn't work on Volvos a lot so we usually compare notes on how the work should be done. The state inspections are not very tough in WV but they do check for exhaust leaks. I called the garage manager and asked him to give me an estimate to replace the exhaust system back of the cat. The only online place I could find for the V70 AWD exhaust was at thevolvosite.com. It's a dual inline muffler system (kind of wrapped around the rear diff) with one tailpipe and the cost at thevolvosite was $362 for the muffler set and ~$130 for the long exhaust pipe. I'm hoping the garage has a lower cost supplier. I thought I would try one or two of the muffler shops too for an estimate- I think we have Meineke and maybe one other. I'm hoping to get away for $500 or less but that will be hard with the parts cost so high. The system comes in two parts and doesn't look hard to put in but it may require a weld at the front-haven't checked for that.

db130 · Post by **db130** » 03 Sep 2008, 13:09

Now is the time for the upgrade to the '00 V70R dual exhaust muffler, they are almost the same price!

http://forums.swedespeed.com/zerothread?id=6539

Post by **holler1** » 03 Sep 2008, 18:38

MIJ,
Regarding the rear driveaxle, what would you guess needs to be done to get the driveaxle out of the wheel side? I understand the need to remove rotor and e brake shoes to get them out of the way, and of course the axle nut. However, I'm wondering if the shock and/or spring needs to be taken loose to allow the wheel housing to move outboard so that end of the axle can be released. Unlike the front it won't swing sideway (as far as I know). I ordered an axle seal and also a wheel bearing just in case. I suppose it's possible the axle is leaking around the metal parts at the inboard end, but the rubber boot sure looks good. The oil or grease outside is black while the oil in the diff is clear and slightly orange in color, but I guess the dust outside would make it black.

Turns out my muffler isn't leaking exhaust yet, just has a small rust spot and break in the skin. My mechanic said it will pass inspection, so that means it doesn't have to get replaced in the next couple of weeks. The dual system looks interesting and that is a great thread on it. I found the stock muffler on myswedishparts.com for $290 or so and on thevolvosite for $360 (I'm guessing that is dealer price). I haven't been able to find the dual system made for the 2000 AWD R model yet. I couldn't find anything on myvolvoparts.com, it appears to be a "dummy" site.