98 V70 XC Front axles need replacing

bugman0914 · Post by **bugman0914** » 12 Mar 2010, 04:58

Hello All,
Man am I glad to find this place. Already found great info.
I am in need of axle replacement on the front of my xc and was hoping someone could tell me if there are any oddities about changing them out that are specific to Volvo or the XC70's as this is my first rodeo with this project. If this has already been addressed in one of the 680 post I would aprreciate a link to it as I don't have time to search for it since I am sitting idle with a bay in the garage tied up with this vehicle!
No it's not a commercial garage, I am just a tinkerer, not a "REAL" mechanic LOL!
Thanks for the help!
Tony

nateairman · Post by **nateairman** » 12 Mar 2010, 11:30

I did a front axel on our 1998 V70 XC. It was very straight forward just a bit of a challenge getting some of the suspension loose so the axel stub can be pulled out of the wheel bearing. If you have the time and money I would probly do the wheel bearings at that time as well. The transmission end of the axel just snaps in place. Be ready to catch trans fluid when you pull the axel out. If you have a plug to put in the hole you will save yourself from a mess and fluid loss. Hope this helps!

Wrenchinjoe · Post by **Wrenchinjoe** » 12 Mar 2010, 12:16

My ’99 V70 went roughly like this, I think yours is at least similar.

Remove the bolt on the end of the cv axle. Detach the ball joint on the lower control arm. Push the control arm down and swing the strut/hub/brake assembly outward and pull it off the outer cv axle splines. The inner splines are held in place by a c-clip within the transmission. Use a pry bar or a couple of screwdrivers to snap the inner cv axle out of the transmission. Usually this is pretty straight forward.

Installation is reverse... insert the inner cv axle splines into the transmission until the c-clip snaps in place. (Be careful not to damage the transmission seals.) Grease the outer cv splines and swing the strut/hub/brake assembly back onto the outer cv axle. Re-attach the lower control arm ball joint. Replace the bolt on the end of the cv axle.

One additional step is the passenger side axle has a carrier bearing that is held in place by a couple of bolts. This is a pretty quick and dirty explanation, you can find lots more detail if you search a bit.

Lastly, lots of folks have had really good results with Raxles cv axles (http://www.raxles.com). Speak with Marty, I'm pretty sure he has them for the 1998. I got mine from Axles Unlimited (http://www.axlesunlimitedinc.com)for my '99 V70 and those guys were great to work with also.

Good luck,

WJ

Dougie · Post by **Dougie** » 14 Mar 2010, 05:03

I have been noticing some "bucking" while backing and having the steering at it limits, also some vibration at highway speeds. So have been thinking of replacing the axles, whow do I know if my CV joints are bad?