98 V70XC Can't get alignment right

jmana · Post by **jmana** » 08 Apr 2014, 13:34

I've had 5 Volvo wagons and the last 2 have had alignment issues that have not been able to be corrected at the alignment shop. This is the best alignment shop around, and it shows on the printout for both cars that they are aligned, but you get them out on the road and both pull slightly to the right, and when I brake the steering wheel jerks to the left, and the front end veers to the right. I don't know if there is something that this alignment shop is doing wrong, that makes it look like it's lined up when it's sitting there on the lift, but when out on the road it's obviously not? I am going to go back to the shop to have them look at it again, but before I do it would be nice to know as much as possible as to what's causing it.

Post by **rmmagow** » 08 Apr 2014, 13:52

No good answer, but my shop will take the car out and drive it around to see the issue. Probably best to have the mechanic feel for him/herself what you are feeling. The only alignment problem I ever had was due to toe not being correct. I get little bit of torque steer now but I think that is because I have the propshaft out of my 98 AWD.

SpeedyPete · Post by **SpeedyPete** » 08 Apr 2014, 14:00

Have them take a very close look at the strut mounts and especially the spring seats. My car also had similar issues and I ended up replacing the struts and spring seats. Problem Solved. Good Luck!

jmana · Post by **jmana** » 08 Apr 2014, 14:26

Well this car had $1,600 worth of front suspension work done 30,000 miles ago, including the struts and mounts. Could the mounts go out that quickly? I guess I'll have to take a look.

Post by **scot850** » 08 Apr 2014, 14:39

The answer is the strut mounts can go out that quickly if you don't use OE or possibly IPD HD strut top rubber mounts. Many aftermarket parts can fall apart after as little as a few months. As advised, really check them closely, and also check you don't have a broken spring coil.

Neil.

Post by **JRL** » 08 Apr 2014, 15:47

Darting during braking usually has nothing to do with alignment
Have someone COMPLETELY check every single front end part that can do this, spring seats, control arms and ALL tie rods

SpeedyPete · Post by **SpeedyPete** » 08 Apr 2014, 16:06

You know the more I think about this I have to say check everything! There is no pressure on the suspension while it is on the rack but get it on the road and it sucks? It could be control arms, tie rod ends or any other component. My bet is you have 1 or more worn out parts. Good Luck with this.

bguzz · Post by **bguzz** » 08 Apr 2014, 16:40

The fact that it's all wheel drive adds some complexity to the equation...but based on your description, I would tend to guess you have a brake issue since it is triggered by that. It may be a dragging brake that is causing it to pull and when you hit the brake, the worn pad (from dragging) doesn't travel as far as the other side, hence why it jerks the other direction. See if one side of pads is worn more than the other. Could indicate a caliper that won't release all the way.

jmana · Post by **jmana** » 08 Apr 2014, 17:52

Well you were right about the strut mount. I looked and the passenger side is shot. Funny thing is it has Volvo imprinted right on it. Amazing that a Volvo part only lasted 30k miles. The passenger side control arm bushing were really bad when I bought the car too (I just replaced it), so maybe the bad control arm caused the mount to fail. The control arm only had 30k miles on it too BTW. But I can't find any manufacturer markings on it, so it could be generic.

Steve Ivins · Post by **Steve Ivins** » 10 Apr 2014, 04:10

I'm a mechanic and I always replace all components on each axle together. Brake calipers can be seized on one side as well. There are no shortcuts with safety. Cheers Steve