V70 that STILL vibrates
 

Hi folks,

Basically my time for the past 5 years my life can be split into 3 main categories: school, work, and fixing the million goddang suspension and steering problems on my V70. I've replaced almost every suspension, steering and braking component in the past 30,000 miles:

• struts
• strut mounts
• control arms
• inner and outer tie rods
• sway bar links
• front hubs
• front calipers
• front and read rotors and pads
• parking break shoes
• balanced the wheels and tires multiple times

But the thing STILL vibrates, and it gets worse for the first second or two of hitting the brakes, and then goes away (somewhat). Sometimes it randomly gets worse cruising at highway speeds and goes away, seemingly at random.

When it's really bad, I can see the steering wheel rotate by just a tiny bit but very quickly. I can also feel it in the brake pedals. Also, in the summertime when I have my windows down and I go over a big bump, I can hear sounds of something that's loose and metal rattle or hit something else. Interestingly enough, the vibrations get much worse when it's above freezing. So I tried to tighten every nut and bolt I could find underneath the car: caliper bolts, control arm bearing bolts, control arm ball joint bolts, tie rod nuts, etc; you get the idea.

Given all of the things I've replaced so far, here's my list of ideas of what I think it could be:

• Axles or CV joints
• Power steering rack somehow (pump and rack make a ton of bad noises when I take a sharp turn)
• Loose or super worn subframe bushings.
• Transmission/engine mounts

I have no idea. If anyone does, that would be super.

Thank you!

I didn't see in your list if you have done an alignment? I'm going to assume that you did and that you used quality parts during replacement. If I had to guess, I would take a look at trans/engine mounts or the axles. I don't think you are that far from finding your issue. I had some weird vibrations issues that an alignment and tire balance solved, along with my warped rotors. Good luck - keep us posted.

This is a toughie. I don't fix things randomly, I'll just start with that. Your description tells us that the tires are shaking, and the question is why.
One easy answer is that your tires are out of round (all tires are), and no matter how much you balance them, that doesn't change. At some point the degree of runout is enough that it's bothersome. All tires run out some (they're rubber after all). A bent rim would also shake when it's balanced. I don't know that is the case here, but it's worth thinking about.

A second line of thinking would be that there is some slop somewhere in the steering that has not yet been corrected. I always think slop that doesn't have 1000 pounds smashing it is more interesting. So all that's left is the rack itself and the mounting points for the rack. You can test whether there is any motion in the rack, though. You could see that. It's still a tire that is shaking, and it's oscillating left and right (not up and down). The theory here is that a firm steering system would not allow that to oscillate.

To me those seem more likely. From your description, I really do not think it'll turn out to be an engine mount, or the axles, or the subframe bushings. The axles really just don't cause vibration, ever. You can run them until they spit the guts out, but they won't vibrate. The moment of inertia on the axles is tiny compared to a tire, and of course none of those other parts is rotating at all. The fact that the brakes makes it worse tells me that none of those things are really the issue.

The parts that you mention are typical for any car, not just Volvo. However, it sounds like you have been guided through the repair process by someone who started throwing parts at it.

I agree with the bent wheel. You would be surprised how many cars have this issue.

Have the wheels balanced and when they balance them, check for runout.

Hi folks,

Thanks for all of the information. Unfortunately just as I am able to bring life to my 240 (thread), my V70 seems to have bitten the dust. Just went to crank it over, and it started for just a split second and then quit. It turns over but won't start. My gut reaction was timing belt issue, but I took a peek and it looked okay (still had tension).

I will have to circle back around to this once I have the chance, I need to get the 240 road ready so that I have a vehicle to get around.