wobbly and clicking
 

hi guys me again .... this is my new problem. I was driving back fro the misquawmicut beach this morning and all of a sudden i noticed the front end started to wobble like a tire was about to fall off. so i slowed down to pull over and have a look and it got worse, i increased speed to about 50 it leveled out ... slowed down and it came back. the steering wheel was going left right left. i stopped, pulled the tires to check the tie rods because i just replaced both sides and everything looked fine. i backed up a few yards and pulled away, steering seemed normal until i went around a corner turning right and the wobbling came back and started hearing a clicking noise. im thinking its the cv joint drivers side. i replaced passenger side last year. driver side boot has been leaking and a torn boot for about 2 years. what do you think?

You have been driving around with a rip boot for 2 years? I think all the grease would be gone by now and just self destruct from friction and dirt.

Well, when you get home (hope you got there ok) pull the wheel and see what moves. Push, pull, twist, etc. with the wheel on.

i jacked it up and pulled both wheels on the highway and couldn't see anything out of place. i did make it home ok, something was looking over me. i'll take a closer look tomorrow if it's not too cold, and will post my findings. i should probably replace the axle anyway, like i said the cv boot has been ripped for at least 2 years and its been driven a lot. back and forth to and from fl at least 8 times. might be something else? the passenger side axle i got from fcp, new, not too hard to replace.

How many miles does the car have?

i bought the car 3 years ago with 78k speedo was broken then. it must have 200k or close to it.

i should check the computer and see what that says

That pretty much sums it up .......

Replace the axle and let us know if there's still a problem. You might want to consider replacing the axle seal on the transmission as long as you're going to pull the axle. That way you wouldn't have to worry about pulling the axle again later when the seal starts to go out and it's leaking fluid.
What might not be as apparent is the ball joint or the control arm bushing. Make sure to check it all out before you go back out on the road.

Bad CV joints make clicking noises, but don't produce wobbling and steering issues. Check ball and tie rod end joints.

i looked close this am, started fine, put into drive and a loud "clunk", would not move. drivers side axle was hanging down not connected to the wheel. i knew thats what was about to fail. its only the drivers side that provides traction, correct? not both front axles?

You can get car mileage here:
https://volvoforums.com/forum/volvo-...0-volvo-27012/

excellent, 134526k, now i know, thanks

is it only the drivers side axle that has power?

Huh? Naw man, both wheels.

Dude if that thing had come loose while you were going down the road it could have caused all kinds of damage flailing around under there, not to mention potentially causing you to wreck.

well if its both wheels that should turn the it looks like the tranny is gone because only the drivers side is turning. left side broke from the wheel but turns. passenger side is not turning. it seems i should should be able to limp around with one working axle, although i don't know much about the drivetrain in this car. good thing it happened when backing out of the driveway. lucky in some way i guess. need to start looking around for another 850, this one has been good to me as long as i've owned it going on 4 years.

Haha your transmission is fine. That's how a differential gear works - a tire with no traction (Or in your case a broken axle shaft) renders you immobile.

o ok. thats why I get stuck on ice and snow makes sense. so im going to order the axle from fcp. i purchased the right side from them last year.

I was always under the impression you should replace both at the same time? Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought if you put a new driveshaft on one side only, it just add undue stress to the older one?

os, i got the car back in the driveway and tried to start, no go. i checked everything i think. fuel pump runs, pressure regulator works. when i looked into the valve on the rail i pushed it a few times to relieve the pressure and it started right up and have no idea why, any one have a clue why relieving the pressure would let it start?