98V70 Ball Joints & Suspension

[sleddriver]

Decided it's time to discover & fix the sled's front end rattles. I've begun to notice excessive vibration while driving 70mph lately. Empty passenger seat shakes. So something is causing this...

What's the best way to test a ball joint? Mine are original, never been touched. They're not replaceable separately; the lower A-arm holding it must be replaced.

I've wondered if some of the front end rattles and creaks are due to the two bushings on each arm being worn out/loose. Not sure how to test these bushings to see if they're loose, without actually removing them.

Years ago I replaced the spring seats and associated HW on both sides. Also replaced both sway-bar end links. So what's left is:

1. Sway bar bushings: both loose, but not repairable. Unable to find replacements. Volvo wants me to buy a whole new sway bar just to get new bushings. IPD has a replacement sway bar...with replaceable bushings...maybe urethane. Not sure how this would affect the ride quality. A urethane upper torque mount though transmitted quite a bit of vibration to the firewall, so I went back to OEM.

2. Lower control arms: Mine uses two bolts per side. Indiv. bushings are replaceable but with 190,000 mi on her, I'm leaning on just replacing the arms to get new ball joints. Not sure which aftermarket LCA's to trust. Suggestions?

3. Inner/Outer steering rack tie-rods: The rack was replaced ~ 80,000mi. (leaked like a sieve). Not sure if new Inner/outers were installed or not. BTW, that rack is still on there and now it's leaking too....anyone here replaced a rack before? I've used PS fluid for years now, but manual says I can also use ATF. I wonder if that would help rack life?

4. ?? Am I missing something else that might rattle?

Sometimes when I stop or stop, then backup, I hear a 'clunk'. Not sure what that is. Caliper loose? Brake pads loose? Or is it the lower control arm bushings rocking back & forth?

Haven't noticed any weird tire wear problems. Car doesn't pull one way or the other when braking. Sometimes pulls to the left when driving on freeway...some freeways... but I figured it might be due to road crown.

Struts are OEM and original...I wonder if they tend to stiffen with age?

I'd like to sort all of this, then finish up with an alignment.

Any ideas?

 

[Astro14]

I would just replace the LCA with OE parts. I have not had good luck with aftermarket suspension components on Volvo. I recommend going through FCP Euro. With 190 on it, I am certain that the bushings are gone. I would recommend you look closely at the strut mounts too...clunks, squeaks, all have multiple causes. Strut mounts are common...

Swayback end links are easy to replace. If the sway bar bushings themselves are gone, I know some guys have fashioned new brackets and used poly bushings of the same ID...but I will tell you that the IPD swaybars are a nice upgrade in how the car corners, for that matter, so are Bilsteins...

 

[sleddriver]

I haven't used FCP since they sent me the wrong camshaft seals years ago that leaked after installation. Wow..that was frustrating.

I'll check the bolts/nuts on the strut mounts. Are you talking about down near the hub?

Swayback?? Sway-bar? Those were done a few years ago.

Just seems a waste to chuck an entire bar of steel and spend time having to remove it because the bushings are not replaceable....that's nuts.

Thanks for chiming in!

 

[Astro14]

Darn iPhone autocorrect...

The mounts at the top of the struts are what I was referring to. When I put Bilsteins and new LCAs on my '94 850 wagon - the difference was incredible. Smoother, better control, tighter in every way.

At your mileage, I would replace struts, LCAs, strut mounts and shocks. FCP might have a kit that will save you$$... They have one for the P2 cars.

Agree completely on the bushings...ridiculous...but I don't have time to play with making new, so just did IPD bars on the T5 in my sig. No ride degradation but much flatter cornering...and I would do front and rear...wait until a sale, they're pricey.

Here's the kit: http://www.fcpeuro.com/products/volvo-co...-oem-850kit10fr

Doing all the parts will make a big difference.

 

[sleddriver]

Pulled the trigger on some LCA's from Meyle's HD line. Awaiting delivery from Autohaus. They were on sale + shipped UPS ground free!

 

[sleddriver]

UPS dropped the LCA's off today. Meye HD versions. Box says made in Turkey. On both arms, I noticed that both ball joints are not only stiff, which I expect, but 'grabby', for lack of a better word, when moved to & fro. Feels like there's little grease inside.

No doubt the suspension will provide far more force than I, but it's a red flag to me. Rats...and I was looking forward to putting them on later today....

Have you ever noticed this on new ball joints?

 

[artificialist]

Originally Posted By: sleddriver
UPS dropped the LCA's off today. Meye HD versions. Box says made in Turkey. On both arms, I noticed that both ball joints are not only stiff, which I expect, but 'grabby', for lack of a better word, when moved to & fro. Feels like there's little grease inside.

No doubt the suspension will provide far more force than I, but it's a red flag to me. Rats...and I was looking forward to putting them on later today....

Have you ever noticed this on new ball joints?

I often find that premium ball joints are just as you describe. However, after a few miles, they move much more smoothly

 

[Sawdusted]

Originally Posted By: sleddriver
UPS dropped the LCA's off today. Meye HD versions. Box says made in Turkey. On both arms, I noticed that both ball joints are not only stiff, which I expect, but 'grabby', for lack of a better word, when moved to & fro. Feels like there's little grease inside.

No doubt the suspension will provide far more force than I, but it's a red flag to me. Rats...and I was looking forward to putting them on later today....

Have you ever noticed this on new ball joints?


Yes the're supposed to be that way, especially premium joints. Nota red flag. If they're loose when new, you don't want them. You should also grease the joints after installing.

 

[sleddriver]

I'm going to do some research tomorrow.

 

[sleddriver]

Quote:
You should also grease the joints after installing.
Brand new should come pre-greased. Furthermore, no zerks to do so and it's not a good idea to mix grease. I don't have a clue what type of grease Meyle used.

From the date code, these have been sitting on a shelf about a year.

I'll be comparing these to OEM tomorrow.

 

[sleddriver]

Update: Dropped by the dealership today and moved the balljoint around on one of theirs. Initially felt stuck. Req'd considerable force to get it to move at all, but when it did it was as smooth as glass. Very stiff....but smooth. I could also hear gentle pops as grease was being moved around inside. That's the way a quality joint feels to me. It's a high-touch thing.

In contrast, the Meyle HD BJ is like two rough pieces of metal in a ball & socket joint being ground together...mostly dry. Shame too as the Meyle LCA looks well made. Too bad they used such a rough BJ on it.

Oh yea...the local dealer quoted me $188/ea. The Meyle's were $64/ea. So these are going back to Autohausz as too rough and I'll be comparing $$ for OEM or Lemforder's only.

Too bad to as this weekend had a clear deck for doing the work.

BTW, while on a road trip last weekend, I noticed a moderate vibration through the seat around 70mph. So something is going on in the rear. Thrown weight? Belt separation? Suspension bushing? I think I'll check the rear since the front end work will be on hold awhile.

 

[sleddriver]

Update:
Ordered a set of Lemforder LCA's and today they arrived, packed in a HD poly bag. These BJ's were very stiff but smoothly moved once enough pressure was put on them.

Photo's below:

Despite "Germany" being everywhere on the Meyle box, there was a sticker on the side that indicated the parts were made in Turkey. That would explain why they were 37% less than the Lemforders...and had rough, dry BJ's.

These are the Lemforders, which plainly state they ARE made in Germany:

LCA's are straight-forward and easy to change. Upon removing the original OEM's that are now 14 yrs. old, I noticed that the rubber seal was torn on each BJ, but they had not rusted and were still tight. Further, the rubber bushings appeared to be fine. The 'clunking' I heard turned out to be a loose swing arm bolt on the passenger side. Didn't have anything to do with worn out bushings.

I also noticed that the rubber on the outer tie-rod ends on both sides had rotted and cracked, but they were still tight. No play nor noise was noticed when I pushed & pulled with hands at 3 & 6 o'clock.

I did jack up each swing arm before tightening the bolts so they would be 'at ease' in the static position.

My test drive was very silent. No clunking, noise, etc. I also noticed the steering effort to a full lock was lessened. My car had the original higher-effort steering before it was fixed in '99.

I also noticed that the pass. side outer CV joint boot had a small tear and had flung a bit of grease about. I recently replaced the wheel bearing on that side a few years back.

I also noticed that both 'bumpers' inside the springs had deteriorated quite a bit, the pass. side was missing, and that the bellows were no longer attached up top, leaving the strut shaft exposed. Fixing that would mean removing the struts, compressing the springs, and removing the spring seats, etc. to get at them. Might as well replace the struts as they are now 14 yrs old with 190+ k mi. on them.

With this done, I can go to DT and see about any mileage adjustment on the rear Michellin that has developed a 'flat' in it.

One thing at a time....