LCA clearance at frame

mark99tj · Post by **mark99tj** » 17 Jan 2019, 09:26

I installed new lower control arms a few months ago. Last night I was under the car and noticed that I have a clearance issue with the front bracket of the control arm. I noticed wear on the control arm from the frame. It appears that the tolerance on the cast was not perfect and it is self clearancing. It is a bit hard to see in the photo below, but my question is-- should i leave this alone or should I remove the LCA and possibly grind away a bit of the frame and/or LCA so this is not happening? The picture does not show it well, but I believe that the marks are fresh as the aluminum is shiny indicating fresh wear. It is winter here and salt has been on the roads so if it was not fresh, I would have expected a small bit of oxidation on the aluminum.

To make it a bit easier to see, I did mark the area where the contact is showing.

Post by **oragex** » 17 Jan 2019, 16:59

At the rear wheels? What brand was it?

mark99tj · Post by **mark99tj** » 17 Jan 2019, 17:10

Front. Detroit Axle.

I bought the car and it failed inspection for the bushings being bad. I quickly bought a cheap set from amazon so I could get it on the road. Apparently I made a $100 mistake.

Georgeandkira · Post by **Georgeandkira** » 18 Jan 2019, 07:16

Do not grind the frame...even a little bit.

Your problem was caused by an incorrect dimension.

It could be an off-center bushing pin or collapsed bushing material.

Just do it again the right way. No biggie.

mark99tj · Post by **mark99tj** » 18 Jan 2019, 07:37

Just do what again? New LCA?

Post by **mrbrian200** » 18 Jan 2019, 10:53

Do you still have your original LCAs? The only way to address this on the cheap, and get away with it, is to press new bushes into your existing LCA. Either genuine Volvo or OEM which I think is Lemforder. I tried Febis for the rear bush on mine because I noticed a physical design difference in the rubber that peaked my interest. So far they're holding up good but it hasn't been enough time to conclude they're 'good' as the problem with aftermarket LCA bushes on these cars is a lack of longevity and/or improper mechanical characteristics of the rubber formulation resulting in poor vehicle handling.

Georgeandkira · Post by **Georgeandkira** » 18 Jan 2019, 11:06

By doing it again the right way I did mean using quality arms or quality bushings. Sorry for the confusion.

I had polys-both front and rear-pressed into a "jump set" of control arms I sourced at a salvage yard so I could do a bunch of front end jobs in one swoop.

Post by **mrbrian200** » 18 Jan 2019, 11:33

Poly bushes have their drawbacks also. The thing that holds me back is the need to take the LCA off the car every couple years to re-grease them. If you don't keep them lubed they eventually 'lock up' and restrict control arm movement destroying ride quality.

Post by **oragex** » 18 Jan 2019, 11:40

mark99tj wrote: 17 Jan 2019, 17:10 Front. Detroit Axle.

I bought the car and it failed inspection for the bushings being bad. I quickly bought a cheap set from amazon so I could get it on the road. Apparently I made a $100 mistake.

+1 @mrbrian

we all do mistakes, small consolation, $100 is not that expensive for a mistake

You can get parts at site such as Fcpeuro or Ipdusa. Lemforder would be a good choice, perhaps even IpdHD (not well tested long term), just select the right model of XC70, I think the CA on the XC are different that the ones on S60

Post by **xHeart** » 18 Jan 2019, 13:02

mark99tj wrote: 17 Jan 2019, 09:26 I installed new lower control arms a few months ago. Last night I was under the car and noticed that I have a clearance issue with the front bracket of the control arm. I noticed wear on the control arm from the frame. It appears that the tolerance on the cast was not perfect and it is self clearancing. It is a bit hard to see in the photo below, but my question is-- should i leave this alone or should I remove the LCA and possibly grind away a bit of the frame and/or LCA so this is not happening? The picture does not show it well, but I believe that the marks are fresh as the aluminum is shiny indicating fresh wear. It is winter here and salt has been on the roads so if it was not fresh, I would have expected a small bit of oxidation on the aluminum.

To make it a bit easier to see, I did mark the area where the contact is showing.

LCA.jpg

The angle of LCA suggest there is little to no upward push at the knuckle, i.e. the coil spring around the strut is at max. You want to measure and compare the distance from the fender to center axle bolt. Correct the problem. The wear at the LCA is a distraction.