98 V70 non-turbo shocks and struts

[98v70dad]

My car (122K miles) needs new shocks and struts. I've never done shocks and struts on any car but the couple of videos I checked out on youtube make it look pretty straightforward. I can borrow the spring compressor from a friend of mine.

I'm thinking OE quality Bilsteins or similar would be good. Do I need everything they sell in the strut kit at IPD or is some of that stuff more than you typically need? I'm pretty sure I would need the new strut mounts. My car rattles like an old truick going over bumps in the road.

Considering that this is a 16 year old car and will just be driving it to work I don't need anything too fancy (OE quality is a safe bet). The $600 price tag on the OE stuff is a bit high but I drive 40 miles to work each day so I'd like a decent ride, but I'm not out running slalom courses in the station wagon .... or should I ?????

[scot850]

There are plenty of threads on this subject. A couple are very recent.

I like Bilstein Touring, a little firmer than OE and more control, or if you like OE softer then go OE or Sachs/Boge.

Make sure you buy XC90 upper rubber spring mounts, and consider new bearing plates. As you are going that far, also check the control arms and sway bar links,

Neil,

[98v70dad]

There are plenty of threads on this subject. A couple are very recent.

I like Bilstein Touring, a little firmer than OE and more control, or if you like OE softer then go OE or Sachs/Boge.

Make sure you buy XC90 upper rubber spring mounts, and consider new bearing plates. As you are going that far, also check the control arms and sway bar links,

Neil,

Thanks for the info. My post is more about what parts I will need (ie, can't be re-used) than what shocks and struts to buy. I found plenty of posts and disagreements on what is a good shock/strut for the car (depends onm what ride you are looking for).

Maybe I didn't look hard enough. I'll look again later for posts outlining what usually needs to be replaced.

[oragex]

When removing the struts, the hardest part for me was the upper torsion bar end-link bolt. Be sure to get the exact torx key for it. This bolt is seized solid, some people choose to rather cut it and replace the end-link.

[Ozark Lee]

There really is no "right answer". It largely comes down to personal preference. I tend to drive, shall we say, spirited and I think I am the happiest with the Bilstein TCs. I have also bought OEM Sachs/Boge and Monroe versions for other cars. The OEM struts are not at all terrible in terms of handling and they are a tad bit smoother in the ride department but I found the Monroes to be too mushy for my tastes. With the Monroes the ride wasn't really any better than OEM but the handling was way off. I rarely drove that car since it was my son's daily driver but he found them to be a terrific upgrade from the completely shot struts and shocks that came off the car. The old struts really only kept the steering knuckle affixed to the car since they had no resistance whatsoever.

As far as stuff you should plan on changing along with it goes you will need new spring seats and in all likelihood new bump stops and bellows. The last bump stops I bought for the 98 S70 had the bellows, the bump stop, and the mounting washer all as one part. The strut bearings may or may not be bad and it is really tough to tell until you have the strut off. There is a huge price disparity between OEM and aftermarket strut bearings but there is also a huge disparity in quality. A junk yard OEM strut bearing will typically last longer than a new aftermarket version.

...Lee

[erikv11]

More on what to replace (or not): You will read recommendations here and there to replace this or that among the hardware bits, but I never replace any of it unless it is badly rusted and/or ruined. All of those fasteners can be reused several times.

[scot850]

I agree with both Eric and Lee. I reuse all the bolts and fittings unless they are damaged, bolts or nuts have threads damaged.

Like I said earlier to your question:

Replace:

1) Shocks
2) Top rubber spring mounts
3) Bellows/bump stops (optional based on condition)
4) Top bearing plates only if bad/noisy
5) Sway-bar links (If you can undo them without damage their boots are good and they are tight)
6) Check and replace if necessary the control arms (check inner bushes and outer ball-joint)
7) Check condition of the steering links for play.

At the end of repairs you may want to consider having an alignment done as some of the cars have adjustable mounts.

What you replace depends on how long you plan to keep the car and how often you want to do the job. If any part fails then parts of the job have to be repeated. You can do a pre-inspection to try to see if you can gauge the condition of parts before ordering, and only buy what your best guess is.

Neil.

[erikv11]

Control arm is a super easy job to do by itself, for the record there is really no labor savings to swap them now. So for sure check them out, good advice, but I wouldn't mess with them unless they are bad, especially since this car is just basic transportation to and from work.

And one other factor to consider: the strut bearing is much easier to replace than the spring seat. You do have to pull the strut tower to do it, but you don't have to compress the coil springs and/or disassemble the strut tower. So if they might be good (TONS of noise can come from bad spring seats) then you can consider re-using them, knowing that without too much effort you can get back in there later to swap in (after buying!) new ones.

[abscate]

40 miles commute to work,I would replace everything once it is apart.


You can use the V90 strut mount on the V70 and it will last forever. I think I put an exploded view of my old parts on my thread to show everything I replaced...I'll link.

I did all four corners plus delta links on the T5 last fall and it made the car like new.

Be careful with that compressor. If you do get stuck, be on good terms with an indie you can take you parts to her/him and get it assembled on that nice press they have.

Great pic here.... https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... ut#p309374


You need a strut nut tool to get the cross nut tight...which reminds me to set this up with Matt to add to the loaner tool program

[Ozark Lee]

You need a strut nut tool to get the cross nut tight...which reminds me to set this up with Matt to add to the loaner tool program

I have always been able to get them off with a couple of pipe wrenches. It isn't easy but it works. In the cases where the spring seat hasn't blown the cross nut is pretty easy to get to and I break it loose before I start to compress the spring. When the spring seat has come apart the spring needs to be compressed enough to get the pipe wrench on the nut since it is buried into the top of the seat.

...Lee