2005 S40, 215,000 miles. Vibration came on rather suddenly three weeks ago. Always only while accelerating, and greater the load (like climbing a grade) worse the vibration. At first, was bad only between 50 to 70 MPH - not bad at all either side of that. Now, really bad beginning about 20 MPH even just slight acceleration and no grade.

My independent Volvo mechanic said not the CV joint itself but the shaft. Previous discussions here indicate half-shaft/CV joint.

Should I be able to tell if this is the problem and on which side by simply jacking up either side an move the wheel around/feel what's happening? Or, will the condition not show up that way, so much?

Thanks,
Mark

 

vibrations that vary by speed means you have a rotational issue - ie wheels, hubs, axles, brakes. Usually the discerning factor is whether there's a noise. The axle has two joints - the CV joint is the one that can slide and pivot as the wheel hub turns but its possible the other joint can be bad leading to a balancing issue. Are the axle boots in good shape or is there any leaking grease?

 

As far as I can tell, the boots look good - another problem is that the whole passenger side of the engine has been soaked with oil for more than a year due to a leaking camshaft seal I've been needing to replace - so it's pretty messy down there. But like I said, pretty sure the boots are okay. Can the other joint you mentioned (Not the CV) be replaced separately, or does/should the entire shaft/CV assembly be all replaced together?