1996 Volvo 850 Turbo Wagon - 165,000 miles

Hi again all,

I am going to replace the front struts (they are shot). I will list what I am putting in the car below but to the questions I have first...

Strut Mount and Spring Seats Plus Hardware:

There is a kit on FCP that includes *** strut mounts and the OEM Heavy Duty spring seats used in the Volvo XC90 which are supposed to be a lot stronger than the original spring seats for my model. The cost is $161.99 which covers both sides.

Just the shock mounts at FCP, Genuine Volvo, are $144.00 EACH.

1. Has anyone used the *** Strut Mounts or could comment on their quality compared to Genuine Volvo?

This is supposedly a German company (although these days it doesn't mean much - outsourcing to who knows where) known for high quality bearings.

I don't want to put in inferior parts that will need replacing in a couple of years down the road or not ride as well as original parts. But if the quality is as good or better I have no problem saving money on it either. Any suggestions or comments?

2. Spring Seats - two choices. The HD Volvo XC90 seats by OEM or IDP's Heavy Duty Spring Seats ($40 each). I have read good things about the IDP seats and good things about the XC90's.

Any comments or suggestions on which of these is better and how much so?

If I went with the *** kit from FCP it would include the HD Volvo XC90 seats at a considerable savings over the cost of Genuine Volvo mounts and IDP spring seats.

3. Do you need to replace the Cross Shaped nuts on the top of the strut?

I plan on buying the tool to take these off so it shouldn't be damaged unless it is damaged from wear or strut/spring seat failure.

4. Do you need to replace the very top nut on the strut at this time also?

5. Do you need to replace the nut on the sway bar link when reassembling?

Thanks in advance to all who help,

Clark

Replacement Items For Front End:

1. Sachs Struts

2. Gen Volvo Strut Bellows

3. Gen Volvo Bump Stop

4. Gen Volvo Bump Stop Washer/Cap

5. -- -- ? Strut Mount

6. -- --? Spring Seat

7. OEM Strut Cap/Washer/Spacer

8. HARDWARE:
a) Strut Mount Lock Nuts x 6
b) Lower Strut Bolts and Nuts x 4
c) -- --? Sway Bar Nuts x 2
d) -- --? Cross Nuts for top of strut.
e) -- --? Top Nut on Strut

 

quite a few questions... Having done the 850 struts a few times, here's my thoughts over 200K miles of owning an 850T since new: People tend to lump the spring seat (the hard rubber piece) issues with replacing strut bearings (the metal part). I've not had any issues with the strut bearings - but would definitely recommend the OEM Volvo vs Febi - not sure about Sachs or ***. last time around I just replaced the seats with OEM Volvo and left the bearings in place and was fine - but I did replace them at 100K. The wing nut sits under the top nut so there's no issue reusing, particularly if you have a removal tool (I made one cutting slots in a 2 inch pipe fitting). Check if the new top nut comes packaged with the struts. Also some have a built in plasic thread lock but again assuming you torque to a correct spec, I don't see this backing off. Good call on the OEM Boge/Sach struts - I did Bilsteins after 100K and was not impressed, in fact the OEMs are probably firmer (I actually had to replace the Bilsteins when one of the lower seats rusted out so I went back to Boge). Bump stops do get brittle and can crack if hit hard, but unless you've been hitting speed bumps at 30+ I'd replace if they look bad. In terms of the bellows, the trick is to get them to stay in place (ie zip ties). FCP sells off brand bellows and bump stops so if you want to go tip top, you can save a few $$ there as those are not mechanically stressed items in my opinion. Regarding the nut on the sway bar end links - don't bother replacing the nut... the way end links wear out is at the ball joint not because the top nut became loose. I wound up replacing my end links with IPD heavy duty version when I installed the IPD sway bars (highly recommended) - so if you decide to refresh the end links, that's my recommended part.

 

Great information.... thank you, it helped.

I thought of using the *** shock mounts as *** produced some original equipment for Volvo at least by the year 2000 but I decided to just go with the higher price of the Genuine Volvo as suggested.

This is a very important part and in today's corporate environment you just don't know what you are getting even from reputable/former reputable companies in quality and craftsmanship.

Without at least some reviews by customers as to quality and durability I opted to go the higher priced part so I don't have to worry about replacing it again soon. That is not to say the *** brand are bad or inferior and who knows, they could actually even be better. It's just that I don't have enough information on anyone using them to make the decision to go with that brand at this time.

I also went with the HD Spring Mounts for the XC90 just to fill out the order in one place rather than going with the highly touted IDP brand. The quality of the XC90's, according to what I have read, seems at least to be near the IDP brand.

I also decided to not buy new cross nuts or the sway bar nuts and plan on reusing the old ones. Fingers crossed I don't damage any taking them off.

Thanks again for your help,

Clark

 

I'm getting ready to install new components myself in the front and I think i'm going with these from Rockauto. Not bad, $150- each side. More Information for GABRIEL G57040

 

not a bad price - EEUROPARTS.COM sells a full factory OEM preassembled kit for $350 a side. I'd be curious of the feel and durability after you install and have them on for a while.