I'm helping some one with their V70 Cross Country and we have replaced the passenger side hub carrier 3 times (with parts from Auto Zone) and there is always play/wobble after. The drivers side is ok but this is always the same. What are we doing wrong? The manual says there is no adjustment. Also there is always bearing noise after we install a new carrier.

 

Did you torque the axle nut correctly? The wheel bearings are sealed components, the only way to damage them is to over/under torque the axle nut.

Only other possibility would be crappy wheel bearings.

Also, rotate your tires. The wobble could be the tire but is most likely not the bearing.

 

I have not run into this before but instead of an axle nut there is just a small bolt that threads into the end of the axle, no nut. The bearing is a regular ball/roller bearing with no taper so nothing you do affects how loose or stiff the rolling resistance is.
I am beginning to think this may be the issue. I have never been that confident of parts from Auto Zone, O'Rileys etc.

 

This may be your answer...

 

I think you are right. Fourth try finally got one that doesn't wobble.

 

lol sorry rspi, I can't help but laugh at your comment!!

 

This makes no sense. The hub is a sealed assembly. It bolts to your strut and cannot move. The only way it can move is if the bearing assembly is bad.

Yes you CAN cause a crush affect by over tightening them.

I TOO went through two wheel bearings on the passenger front. Third time was the charm and both the previous bearings were lost due to me using an impact to tighten them. These were Raybestos brand bearings. The XC and the 850 use the same bearing as far as I can tell.

I find it hard to believe you got bad bearings over and over. I fully admit that my loss was due to user error, you might want to do the same instead of the Autozone finger pointing. Seriously, we make fun of them all the time. Sure they have good and bad parts but to always push the blame on them when something does not work right is not ok.

 

I actually have not had many bad experiences with Auto Zone. I don't know what caused the problem because I was not always there but it did seem strange to go through so many bearings. The center bolt was something new to me but there are a lot of things like that.

 

I got a *** bearing from eBay for $95 (it is suppose to be OEM).

I wasn't trying to pick on AutoZone, I buy a lot of stuff from them, for cars other than Volvo's. In general they specialize in lower priced after market parts, which usually result in parts that don't last long or fail out of the box. Not only them, Advanced, O'Railey's, and sometimes even NAPA (whom has a habit of selling old, old parts).

 

I usually do alright with NAPA but I did go through a few starters for my Mercedes. For my Volvo and my Mercedes I usually prefer to go to someone who specializes in those cars.

 

I try my best to purchase from Volvo parts suppliers. Bottom line is, when they stop selling parts, they stop supplying them. The dealer stops supplying parts before they do and if we plan to drive these cars for another 10 years, we will need parts, and parts that will last.