96 850R - replaced front struts, now car feels like it is skating

DougM · Post by **DougM** » 17 Nov 2016, 09:12

So my front struts on my 1996 Volvo 850R wagon were shot. For convenience and cost reasons, I replaced them with Gabriel pre-assembled struts. I have now discovered that I should have replaced the sway bar end links while I was doing the strut work. But before I do that, I have a question.

With the new struts in, when taking a turn under acceleration, it feels like the car just wants to "skate" away (or drift). It is a little unnerving depending where it happens.

Any thoughts?

Post by **kahl** » 17 Nov 2016, 11:59

Did you have the cars alignment done? Links are quick and easy to replace. Hopefully new links will clean up some your drift issue.
I have only one experience with the quick struts and was not impressed. Car was a fellow members 2001 V70XC. Car sat about an inch higher and steering felt as if were floating. We rebuilt his old strut assemblies and sent the quick struts back for a refund.

JeffHicks · Post by **JeffHicks** » 17 Nov 2016, 17:07

I've replaced a lot of struts (with quick-struts) in a lot of vehicles over the years. Nothing but good experiences - including my own vehicles.

I'm not sure what you mean by "skate away," but it sounds like something is definitely amiss.

Don't want to be rude, but are you sure you got the sway bar links reconnected? As kahl said, alignment is necessary.

beigg · Post by **beigg** » 17 Nov 2016, 17:36

Camber is likely out of spec and if the rear suspension was not addressed during the fronts replacement, that 'sag' and inability to resist squatting will only make the 'rake' n 'skate' more pronounced.

Post by **polskamafia mjl** » 17 Nov 2016, 18:48

Struts shouldn't affect alignment what-so-ever as long as the replacement struts weren't damaged or anything.

Definitely get the alignment done but I suspect it won't be much different from where it was prior to replacing the struts.

I would double check that the three nuts at the top of the struts are torqued correctly and that the 2 bolts through the hub are tight as well. If that's all good you may have to pull the struts back out to inspect them.

I'm not familiar with Gabriel but it's possible quality is a concern here.

beigg · Post by **beigg** » 18 Nov 2016, 05:48

polskamafia mjl wrote:Struts shouldn't affect alignment what-so-ever as long as the replacement struts weren't damaged or anything.

Definitely get the alignment done but I suspect it won't be much different from where it was prior to replacing the struts.

That is not an accurate statement.

polskamafia mjl wrote: I would double check that the three nuts at the top of the struts are torqued correctly and that the 2 bolts through the hub are tight as well. If that's all good you may have to pull the struts back out to inspect them.

The two lower strut to knuckle bolts allow for camber correction. Not as vast as a true control arm camber adjustment, still enough to cause the rake and skate feel.

Post by **850 LPT** » 18 Nov 2016, 06:44

I would also check the control arms. I had a similar situation once with my old 850 which was driving fine going straight. But all kinds of things happenend when I turned into a curve and the car felt unstable (floaty). I didn't think of control arms, but it ended up a bad bushing on the driver side.

Post by **erikv11** » 18 Nov 2016, 07:33

beigg wrote:
polskamafia mjl wrote:Struts shouldn't affect alignment what-so-ever as long as the replacement struts weren't damaged or anything.

Definitely get the alignment done but I suspect it won't be much different from where it was prior to replacing the struts.
That is not an accurate statement.

polskamafia mjl wrote: I would double check that the three nuts at the top of the struts are torqued correctly and that the 2 bolts through the hub are tight as well. If that's all good you may have to pull the struts back out to inspect them.
The two lower strut to knuckle bolts allow for camber correction. Not as vast as a true control arm camber adjustment, still enough to cause the rake and skate feel.

I think you are splitting hairs on the camber - the adjustment amount is tiny, so tiny that Volvo says "there is no camber adjustment on these cars." Unless maybe the Gabriel strut has a gigantic eccentric holes or something. For all intents and purposes, a strut job will have no affect on alignment. All that said, when I invest in a strut job I usually have the alignment checked at that time, to be sure it is OK. OP, if you want to check/address this possibility, loosen the two strut-to-steering knuckle bolts, pull the wheel out from the bottom, hold it there then tighten them. And/or get the alignment checked, just checking it is free at most places you can decide what to do from there.

There have been several posts on this site about the Gabriel quick-struts, the reviews are mixed. Some people love them, some not at all.

DougM · Post by **DougM** » 18 Nov 2016, 09:03

Thanks everyone. I'm going to put the car up on my dad's lift this weekend. First will be to replace the end links that I should have done in the first place. And I will look into the other suggestions too. Worst case, it is headed to the garage on Monday for state inspection and I can have the mechanic look at it too.

JeffHicks · Post by **JeffHicks** » 19 Nov 2016, 09:45

polskamafia mjl wrote:Struts shouldn't affect alignment what-so-ever as long as the replacement struts weren't damaged or anything.

On some cars this is true (Ford Focus), but not this Volvo. I installed quick-struts on my '99 V70 and thought I had the alignment spot-on, and it even felt good driving it, but it was off.