Well what should a 95 850GLT wagon ride like? It sounds loose and rattle-y when I hit our Syracuse pot holes. I've put new Billstein Touring shocks on the rear with new mounts, still seems loose and vibrates more than the old shocks. Besides shocks (starting with the rear) and a fresh wheel balance, what might I want to check/replace to help this old girl ride smoother? Dave

 

Have the entire suspension and steering system checked. Could be bad bushings, ball joints, axles, etc. it's amazing how one little thing can upset the whole car.

 

Is it the ride quality or just noisy?

 

RSPI- well on smooth roads it rides really nice, steers straight, corners nice and tight. I love the way it drives (on the nice roads). But when I hit the rough spots (not really pot holes I guess, just the pocks where the top layer of asphalt has come loose) it sounds harder than it should be. Our other car is a 2002 Buick Rendezvous, newer of course and 100k fewer miles, but doesnt sound as loose over the rough spots. 850's really a pretty nice car I think, just have a bunch of little (minor) issues the straighten out and minimal $ to spend Dave

 

mine's the same, it's been like this for a while.


I strongly believe that changing my front struts are going to help x10. I just ordered new koni STR.T. Almost everything else on my car is good.

Things to check, tie-rods, baljoints, tierod links and most importantly front top plates, they wear out often on volvos and cause all kinds of rattles, sometimes vibrations and supposidly can make good struts feel like crap.

First thing is to make sure your tires are straight and balanced so you'll know you fixed the problem when you find it. Don't be confused with interior rattle and exterior crap suspension, these interiors rattle like stupid on bad roads. Really makes me want to gut the rear end.
GL
-Matt

 

its not the interior tail gate panel making all the noise is it?

Mine makes a ton of noise when the road if rough....but the car handles great. Sounds like the whole rear end is falling apart...lol

At 1st I thought it was the floor panels in the back, so I put 3m tape under them (where the panels meet metal) and then locked the front panel down. but that didnt take most of the noise away.

I read how to use rubber grommets to keep the panel from rattling and making all the noise, I just havent had the time to work on it yet.

Come to think of it, I think my '91 740 wagon had the same issue.

 

FCP sells a kit to quiet the rear panel on the hatch.

The 850 is not known for its supple ride. When I changed my struts (all four) the ride actually got even firmer (Meyle struts as I recall). Now that I've read some on here mentioning how worn springs can cause excessive negative camber in the rear, I'm wondering if these same worn springs can contribute to the rough ride.

After all, the struts can only do so much if the springs are worn and compressing excessively due to metal fatigue.

 

I've recently done front control arms, sway bar links, and new rear shocks. This much has made a considerable difference. In the next month or two, I'm installing new front struts and a strut brace. Right now...I'm pretty happy with the way the car handles, but I'm really hoping for big improvements after this.