Hey guys! so I've been hearing a clunking form underneath my 850 everytime i went on any kind of bump or just some bumpy road. i took a look underneath and my sway link bar was shot. i just replaced it thinking that it was the problem, but it still clunks.
also i just recently noticed that it does this whenever I turn left or right. Maybe the other sway link bar? that one looked pretty bad as well.
Idk guys. anyone else encountered this problem?

 

My bet is that the spring seat broke. Open the hood and bounce the fender while observing the large castellated washer on the top of the strut. It will move a bit - but it shouldn't move much.

If it is bad I recommend that you replace the seat with an OEM XC90 spring seat. It fits fine and it is much tougher than the 850 version.

...Lee

 

so if it moves a bit it needs to get replaced?
becuase when i turn the car, i can feel it clunk underneath the floorboard by my left foot. (eventhough that sounds kinda weird)
hmmm..im gonna take a look. thanks alot

 

I also can feel (but not hear) clunking under my left foot on my 95 850 when I'm turning and going very slow. I assume it's the left rear subframe bushing. I have a new bushing but today when I lowered the subframe and looked at I decided to just put it back together, at least for now until I figure out how I'm going to get the old one out.

 

You should have noticed this is a 2-year-old thread. But anyways...

If you can feel it with your foot when you turn the steering wheel it is more than likely a bad sway bar link.

 

OK I'm new and I didn't notice the thread was 2 years old.

Definitely not the sway bar link I've replaced those and rechecked them and the clunking lives on. It feels like it's RIGHT underneath my left foot. But you did give me an idea, I should check the sway bar bushing.

Thanks for checking in on some old threads!

 

Hey Red Chicken. Did you ever figure out your clunking problem? I have the same problem on my 2000 S40 and I have checked the sway bar links. They seem fine (although I am going to replace them because they are old and they are cheap and easy to do). So my problem may be the sway bar bushings too. What did you find out? Did you do that repair? Is it a PITA?

 

Hi Counselor828 - No I've been procrastinating on checking the sway bar bushings. I'm still pretty convinced it's the subframe bushing but I've been too busy working on my other 4 (!) Vv 850's to deal with it. We call the car with the clunk the 'Battle Wagon' and the clunks go well with the wrinkled door and fender and rattle-trap tailgate, so since I don't think it's anything dangerous I'm letting it slide. I do plan to get to it someday however...

As an aside I did have a broken sway bar on another 850, I replaced it when I replaced the steering rack. Have to lower the subframe to do the sway bar links and/or the steering rack. Not the most fun but just a fact of life.