2004 V70 driver side axle question: the Big Round Rubber Cushion

Post by **cn90** » 03 Jun 2019, 10:16

2004 V70 with 110K miles.

Did the right side axle yesterday, went OK.
Getting ready to do the left (driver's side for USA) side axle.

The INNER CV Joint is the problem, as xHeart (first photo is from xHeart) pointed out in another post, the staked part (raised about 1mm) makes it difficult to remove the Tripod from the Inner Cup.

I can always from the OUTER side, i.e., once the Outer CV Joint is off, I can slide the INNER boot inward.

The problem is: the Big Round Rubber Cushion: how do you remove this thingy?

Looking at GKN replacement axle sold by eeuroparts etc., the Big Round Rubber Cushion is not even fitted any longer.
Does this part do anything important? Can I simply get rid of it?

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Post by **cn90** » 03 Jun 2019, 10:26

This is what I mean by brand-new GKN Axles, the rubber cushion is probably a "useless part", I don't see it fitted in brand-new replacement axles...

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Post by **cn90** » 03 Jun 2019, 10:35

Found the info in P80 Volvo 850 forum...
"Vibration Damper" LOL...

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XC70Rider · Post by **XC70Rider** » 05 Jun 2019, 12:52

I removed that rubber damper by placing the shaft vertically in the vice with the outer end facing down. Using 2 rubber mallets on both sides I banged it off. Sorry I didn't catch this thread last weekend.

I didn't even bother to fully disassemble either tripod. Just the CV joints.

My passenger side inner tripod was diluted with less then half as much grease as the drivers side tripod. The grease was escaping from the large clamp on the carrier. Waited any longer and the tripod would of been eaten away.

Post by **cn90** » 06 Jun 2019, 06:57

I tried your technique of rubber mallet but it was so tight and did not come off. I got the Vibration Damper off using an Angle Grinder.

No need for the Vibration Damper. Car runs fine at highway speed. This is over-engineering.

FYI, grease is a combo of soap + oil. Over time, the soap portion wears off, leaving the oil alone.

New boots and grease solved axle ping issue, which is due to axle going back and forth along the axle axis. With liquid oil (not grease), the axle makes noise when you reverse direction such as R to D.

Post by **jimmy57** » 06 Jun 2019, 07:11

I have never been able to detect any difference when a CV axle is replaced and that damper is not on new part.

Post by **cn90** » 26 Oct 2019, 14:43

Yeah,

I don't know how one can remove this rubber cushion using Volvo procedure as posted above. It is so tightly bonded to the axle shaft!!!

Since I had the OUTER CV out using the CV Removal Tool, and since I did NOT want to grind off the little dimples that hold the INNER CV Joint in place, I removed the Big Round Rubber Cushion using an Angle Grinder.
This way I can slide the new INNER CV Boot to replace it.

The Big Round Rubber Cushio is just a combo of steel and rubber vulcanized together, probably a useless piece of rubber.
You can live without this thing, car runs fine, absolutely no vibration whatsoever.

Some photos from 2004 V70 2.5T with 110K miles (preventive maintenance):

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