Over the last 18 months I have replaced the following: Front strut cartridges, ball joints, strut bearings, and related parts as well as rear shocks (done about three or four months into ownership). More recently the cone bushings on the front control arms as well as the stabilizer links and their bushings. About a week or two ago I replaced the steering rack (I didn't much like the way the left front heel was trying to leave the vehicle by it's frantic left-right gyrations at 65+ mph). Had the new tires put on at Costco last week (great sale on Bridgestones- saved $80!) and then the front end aligned (all that was needed was toe-in adjustment). I have had the opportunity to drive the car on one of our twistier roads over the weekend and must say that the thing is handling like it should now. I am glad I am older (wiser [and wise enough to know, a bit slower] {and too poor to pay for the consequences}) because this thing sticks in corners now like a race car. For a station wagon (estate) it handles way too good! At speeds that would have had most passengers wetting themselves (I was alone) I didn't even hear a single squeal from the tires. I can say that, based on my experience, if your Volvo of the same era/design is handling poorly with symptoms that may include: - chattering of wheels when anti-lock brakes are brought into play - vibration in wheel that increases with speed - knocking sounds from front on rough or dirt roads - body lean in corners - dead spots in steering when apexing a corner (a slight wheel movement in one small area does nothing to correct direction) - Front end pitching down when braking - Car does not sit level from front to back or left to right - Has around 110,000 or more miles without the above-mentioned work having been done It is time to look into the replacement of some parts. I am glad these cars are so relatively easy to work on. After replacing the entire firnt differential on my '74 Ford pickup truck (alone in the gravel of my driveway) it was certainly a pleasureable experience to do the work on the 960. Hope you are reading this, Rob. G! A VW!? Ughhh..... BTDT (had 3 back when), and never again! __ __ Randy & \ \/ /alerie's \__/olvo '93 960 Estate
Hey Randy G., great to hear all that work paid off. My experience is running parallel to yours except that I've a 240. I replaced my rear shocks a month after I got the car, and I'm getting ready to do the strut cartridges, ball joints, and tie-rod ends, then a front end alignment. I'm a fairly conservative driver, but the other day I was running a little late so I got on it a bit. Just my luck there were two police cars just off the road, facing opposite directions so they could talk. After I blew by them, I let off a bit and they just sat there, so I just kept going. I had to smile as I imagined their conversation. Cop-1 "WHAT THE....??, Did you see that? Cop-2 "What? What was it? Cop-1 "Looked like a Volvo station wagon, can you believe it? Cop-2 "Yeah well, let him go, probably shaking like a leaf just cause he went a little faster than he's supposed to. You can get away with a little bit here and there, driving these wagons. By the way, that Meguiars wax worked great,came out real good.
If you have the same suspension I do, then be sure to check (and most likely replace) the cone bushings where the rear control arm goes through the front control arm. They will be really easy to change. Most likely, the stabilizer links should be done. While it is all apart, might as well do the rubbers where the sway bar mounts to the frame. There are inner and outer tie rod ends. The outers are easy to do, the inners are a bit tougher. If the inners go they can cause added stress on the steering rack and will accelerate the wear on that part. For the strut cart ridges I got the least expensive (softest) gas struts. If you like performance but what to keep your fillings in place, it is a good way to go. For a more comfortable ride, stick with the standard (non-gas) cartridges. Cool! Yes, that stuff goes on easy and works great! There use to be some stuff called "Wesley's Liquid Polishing Compound." It was a liquid that removes ALL oxidation, dirt, stains, etc., and left behond a smooth paint ready to wax. I had used it on a white car that LITERALLY looked like a piece of chalk. Afterwards you could see yourself in the paint! I haven't seen this stuff in a long time. My cousin use to own a Honda Repair shop. I watched him one day changing the struts on an older Honda car. These were made as part of the suspension so to change them with the stock part the entire strut was replaced. Kong made an adaptor kit that used a cartridge like ours. To replace it he would grind off the top retaining edge of the cartridge using the bench grinder with a 55 gallon trash can located beneath it. When the retainer was ground off the entire internal spring, valves, and oil would BOOM, jump into the trash can with great force. It was fun to watch! __ __ Randy & \ \/ /alerie's \__/olvo '93 960 Estate
For sure I read your post (I read almost everything here)... it's about suspension! I'm thinking after the A/C system, and buying a whole lot of new stuff for the house, that the suspension on the 960 is going to be one of next years big ticket items. As far as Vee Dubs go - it's out of necessity right now... I drive long distances and need the diesel engine (that and the owners are just as fanatical, possibly more, then Volvo owners)... Next year i'll be making more money (a lot more money...) so I might see if I can get a new S40, or a used S60 (I can just see this being a bad, costly idea tho) a used S90 or 850... Either that or buy the new Golf... it's a very tempting car - things breaking hasn't disuaded me from drivng a VW... yet, getting there - the new Volvo's seem to have just as many problems, and i'm too afraid of having to be in the garage working every weekend to buy an older Volvo if I have to drive high, high Kms. My main considerations are driving comfort, sound system (factory systems only if I can help it, or an aftermarket that looks great - I haven't seen one yet...), low engine noise at speed, low wind noise, good high speed handling, fantastic high speed braking.... as you may be able tell, I drive on the highway a lot - right now the 99.5 VW I commute with fits all these roles, the Volvo lags in wind noise, braking, and fuel economy... Beats it in comfort, and the sound system sounds better - i'd say about equal in handling (you just feel it all more in the Volvo).
Yes, I believe the suspension is essentially the same. I will follow your suggestion and check/replace the bushings,links, and sway bar rubber. Appreciate the heads up on that, thanks! I'm probably going to go with KYB cartridges, that I can get through a friend of mine, instead of the BOGE. I seem to remember long ago,(pre orbital buffer days) when you would sometimes compound first then wax, man, what a chore. Now, with these formulas, it's so much easier. Hey, that sounds neat. Cool shortcut! On my last 240, we went to change out that big bushing on each side of the rear differential(where the support arms connect to) and one side just would not budge, so we used a torch to burn it out. Not terribly spectacular to watch, but was kind of fun and got the job done. Take care.
Wouldn't get away with it in the UK - the Traffic Police use V70T5 wagons and S40T4 cars around here... Andy R
I've flown by a stopped radar car while doing a bit over 100kph in an 80.... Nothin' - Volvo's are invisible to police here I think.
You know, there is something to it though. I once drove a friends MGB-GT for a few months(fun to drive, but not exactly a rocket), and I got stopped more than all the years driving a Volvo. Maybe stopping a Volvo is just too routine, you know....seat belt on, all equipment operating properly,good rubber,all paperwork in order, safe driver's license,etc.... Just the other day I was at a light and a BMW convertible rolled to a stop just past me in the next lane. There were two very attractive women in it and they immediately started going at it, kissing each other, hell, they were practically sucking each others face off. Now, being a captive audience, I had no choice but to sit there and watch this, but taking a quick look around I noticed that pretty much every other guy was watching too! There was one old lady shaking her head alittle,doing the old...tsk,tsk, well, I NEVER!...routine, probably coming back from a bridge game or something. I guess my point is that ahh... I think the cops would probably rather stop a car like that or maybe a guy racing around in a HO Mustang or something, just for the sake of some kind of action.
I figure that the cops must assume it's a generally safe older driver who feels that a little over the speed limit is perfectly safe for the conditions (usually is)
Yes, there's that too, in fact it's probably more along those lines than what I said. Most fellow volvo owners I've observed, drive very sensibly and are usually considerate of others, going so far as to actually use their directional signals, which is kinda rare where I live (except for that old lady again, who usually has it on for miles).
