2004 XC70 Rear Spring it's the spring not the muffler

enotslim · Post by **enotslim** » 09 Jul 2019, 17:04

Immediately after replacing the rusted out "bearded" rear muffler on 2004 XC70 I heard a new hollow "thump" going over bumps. The muffler "looked OK to me" and no fix I tried silenced the thump. The sound was virtually identical after entirely removing the new muffler but began changing to eventually resemble the clang of a ringer in horse shoes. And I discovered the entirely broken left rear coil spring shown in the photo. The loose "horse shoe" is peeking out beneath the third coil from the bottom. The plastic cover is pinched between two members and cannot be removed with destroying it.

The car is not noticeably sagging (see photo). Is this a self-leveling strut. like a Nivomat? I can't tell by examining it. (Anonymizing the vehicle is required by the witness protection program.)

Is this a difficult repair/replacement? Seems like compressing the spring or jacking the lower strut fitting to relieve the tension should allow the old spring to be replaced fairly easily. I would do the other side at the same time.

Or does this require a different repair? Like a combined preassembled strut/spring replacement? I've seen these for the only for the front. Or is this a good opportunity to replace/upgrade with different struts/springs.

I assume it should not be driven even gently until repaired.

Thanks.

Post by **oragex** » 09 Jul 2019, 17:48

One thing is sure, that strut is also gone and perhaps same on the other side. To see if it's self leveling, just look above in the 1st pic for some wires and a connector on the strut. You'll need both side along with the springs.

MDK · Post by **MDK** » 09 Jul 2019, 19:07

Yes...smart people take pictures and post them. It maybe that (as Oragex pointed out) that the rear strut seat is rusted away. Perhaps when you take it apart you' ll find that only the strut is bad. I'd replace both rear struts. If the spring really is broken, ( without nivomat) then maybe a " quick strut" would be a better alternative. MDK

MDK · Post by **MDK** » 09 Jul 2019, 19:57

I found these on eBay motors...brand new 2004 xc70 rear quick strut assemblies. 206$ without nivomat. Might be your solution...might not.

Post by **MoVolvos** » 09 Jul 2019, 20:34

enotslim wrote: ↑09 Jul 2019, 17:04
The car is not noticeably sagging (see photo). Is this a self-leveling strut. like a Nivomat? I can't tell by examining it. (Anonymizing the vehicle is required by the witness protection program.)

Is this a difficult repair/replacement? Seems like compressing the spring or jacking the lower strut fitting to relieve the tension should allow the old spring to be replaced fairly easily. I would do the other side at the same time.

Thanks.

-

From your picture it is not a Nivomat and the spring is broken. The video in IPD's link shows a Nivomat. The photo from MDK should be the correct rear Strut Assembly and the cheapest to be found anywhere. (1A Auto, Am Parts & Amazon) The trick is to find a set with more than a 1 year warranty. I did not look up MDK's suggestion.

Now, you maybe able to just buy the Struts and Springs from MVS sponsors (some have lifetime warranty) and use the old upper Strut Mounts if they are in good shape.

https://www.ipdusa.com/products/16384/1 ... o-30760056
-
-

: Broken Spring.png (941.19 KiB) Viewed 2498 times

enotslim · Post by **enotslim** » 15 Jul 2019, 00:36

The spring is definitely broken - it's in three pieces. The piece that MoVolvos labelled as "Broken end" is free to rattle around the strut creating the horse shoe "ringer" sound. The piece labelled "End of spring" is rusted to the "Spring perch". Don't know if this perch is worth trying to save. The end of the spring at the bottom of the photo was previously connected to the "Broken end" that then connected to the portion of the "End of spring" that is hidden behind the strut.

I'm having some difficulty reconciling my car's spring/strut parts with the online videos describing replacement. They just don't look the same.

The car has ~120,000 miles. Not sure if the springs/struts are original or replacement.

Post by **MoVolvos** » 15 Jul 2019, 03:18

enotslim wrote: ↑15 Jul 2019, 00:36 The spring is definitely broken - it's in three pieces... Don't know if this perch is worth trying to save.

I'm having some difficulty reconciling my car's spring/strut parts with the online videos describing replacement. They just don't look the same.

The car has ~120,000 miles. Not sure if the springs/struts are original or replacement.

Just to clarify and hopefully we are seeing the same thing. I have the advantage of a 32" monitor. Too many hours on MVS and age

1) The Spring is in 2 pieces - See attached photo below.

2) The Spring Perch is part of the Strut so should replace that rusty Strut.

https://www.ipdusa.com/products/16384/1 ... o-30760056

IPD or maybe even Volvo calls the unit a Shock. Shocks are normally
installed on the outside not in the center of the Spring. When it is inside with a Strut Mount on top
and loaded it should be called a MacPherson Strut as that is the generic name for the design.

3) Can't replace one Strut so need 2 Struts.

4) Can't replace one spring so need 2 Springs.

5) Can only tell if the Strut Mounts are good or bad after removal and disassembly. Sometimes not obvious though

6) If one Strut Mount is bad you need both so 2 Strut Mounts

7) Suggestion: I think it's best with that amount of rust to just replace both sides with the Quick Struts unless you want OE then you need to piece together 2 Struts, 2 Springs and 2 Strut Mounts.
-
Broken Spring

: Broken Spring.png (982.15 KiB) Viewed 2448 times

-
Spring Perch Per IPD Strut

: Spring Perch.png (54.38 KiB) Viewed 2448 times

-
Strut Mount - Per MDK

: Strut Mount.png (235.27 KiB) Viewed 2448 times

enotslim · Post by **enotslim** » 16 Jul 2019, 02:05

The spring is in two pieces as described and diagrammed by MoVolvos, not three as I mistakenly said previously.

The broken spring will be under less tension than normal but will still require a spring compressor for disassembly, correct? And the compressor likely needs to be used on the broken spring as it exists in place before the strut and mounts are removed from the vehicle? Seems awkward. Will a floor jack be able to compress this spring in this position, after jack-standing the rear end?

I was surprised to find the strut mount partially hidden when accessed from above (by removing some gravity-retained panels in the rear cargo area) as in the photo here. Are the bolts that are blocked by the metal panels from above (labelled "Not accessible") intended to be removed from below? If not then how? Disassembling to liberate the bolts seems a bit extreme. Is there a description somewhere that is relevant to working on this system in a 2004 XC70? The steps I've found online do not correspond to what I see in this car.

Thanks.

enotslim · Post by **enotslim** » 16 Jul 2019, 05:54

Also, I haven't riven the car since I discovered the broken spring. It seemed fine except for the spring/strut noise and a slight vibration over bumps. Is gentle driving safe? Will gentle driving do more damage to any part of the vehicle? Gentle means no highway, no rough roads, low speed < 30 mph, etc.

Post by **abscate** » 16 Jul 2019, 11:20

enotslim wrote: ↑16 Jul 2019, 05:54 Also, I haven't riven the car since I discovered the broken spring. It seemed fine except for the spring/strut noise and a slight vibration over bumps. Is gentle driving safe? Will gentle driving do more damage to any part of the vehicle? Gentle means no highway, no rough roads, low speed < 30 mph, etc.

Ive driven broken spring cars for months exactly in this mode. In the back, it will be fine. Just do not let fat puppies like me get in your car.