Historically, this problem has frequently been related to a failed Nivomat. The rear shocks on this car are not thick like the older Nivomats were; they are approximately the size of a conventional shock. This leads me to wonder if the newer Nivomats have been redesigned to be more compact.

The other possibility is that the right half of the rear transverse leaf has fatigued. Does anyone have any experience with the symptom that I am having?

 

The rear shocks are not Nivomats; they are conventional, OE, without gas and bear the Volvo number 9140472. That begs the question of whether or not failed Nivomats may have been replaced with non-self leveling units to save money somewhere along the line.

A close inspection of the composite transverse spring reveals nothing remarkable. Replacement appears to be time-consuming and I would hate to go through the process on a trail-and-error basis, to say nothing of paying the price that Volvo is likely to want for the part.

 

I always thought the springs controled the height unless the car had a good load in the back?

 

True, unless the damaged shock is slightly overcoming the force of the spring and basically getting 'stuck' not allowing the piston to fully return with just th force of the spring pressure.

 

I would prefer that it were otherwise, but the root cause of this problem is probably the transverse spring. Both shocks stroke freely off the car and feel normal, damping wise.

Since Nivomats are also used on this model, the possibility of installing a pair to get the rear end back up had crossed my mind. At their price, it isn't an economical repair, though, unless I get lucky in a local wrecking yard.

 

I was surprised to discover that the composite spring is not very expensive: less than $200. This changes things considerably. I'm going to soak the subframe fasteners with a penetrant and see if they break lose normally. If so, I'll replace the spring.

The question du jour: does anyone know if the spring will come out without removing the CV shafts?
(I like to avoid excess disassembly to minimize the risk of something breaking.)

 

$200 NEW?? If so, would you consider sending it to a spring company for us to get tested? I'd potentially be willing to pay some (or most) of the shipping expense. I've been DYING to know what the effective springrate of that guy is, especially a new one would be soooo amazing.

 

Unfortunately, fifteen years of salt spray have taken their toll and the list of parts that have to be cut off, rather than disassembled, is growing out of control. As things stand, the cost of the composite spring is insignificant compared to everything that is going to be destroyed if I forge ahead. After a few unproductive days under this albatross, I find myself no longer giving a damn if the rear end sits low.

Lesson learned: this rear suspension design may have excellent handling characteristics (when it is new) but it is far less repairable than the traditional, clunky-handling live axles of yore. Buyer beware; if you like older Volvos, buy a 240. Extensive use of aluminum is a big, fat loser, especially in the salt-laden Northeast.