01 S40 upper strut mount question
 

Need some help please. Trying to do some long distance diag work. I received a call from the widow of one of my old friends (ironically a professional foreign car mechanic most of his life), She complained of having to replace the front upper strut mounts on her 01 S40 2 times so far. The car has only 35k on it and she drives it like, well, a grandmother! She bought the Volvo expecting that it would be the last car she ever had to buy and is now thinking about getting rid of it. (needs the sway bar bushings etc as well) Are these mounts problematic? I researched and it looks like there might be a redesigned assembly available now which is a hint that they might be. Thanks, Bob

The upper strut mounts do tend to be a weak spot in these cars but that does sound excessive. Mine in my '02 S40 were just starting to go at 70K miles.
Stan

Hi there. Yes, 2 upper seat changes in 35K is WAY too often. My seats lasted until 100K on my 2000 S40. Check to see if the seats are volvo part or aftermarket, and check to see HOW the seat is going bad (is it bent? discollored on one side or the other? missing a rubber insert where the seat touches the spring itself? you sure the new mounts were mounted correctly?). Is the alignment of the shock/strut correct? If the install of the shock/strut is not correct, the seat could be wearing out due to the bad angle. Also, reach in there (when the car is on a lift or jacked up) and shake the shock/strut (side to side, etc) assembly while you look at it. Any noises? Assembly seem to be tight? Something is clearly very wrong there, for the seats to wear so fast. Is the alignment of your car essentailly ok? It would take a very bad alignment over a period of time to cause your problem, but it is possible. Try the above DIY stuff and post back with some additional information.

Guys, thanks for the replies. Unfortunately, the car is 200 miles away from where I live now so a physical inspection will have to wait until my next visit. Had I been local, I would have assessed the problem before I let her take it in. The most recent repairs were performed by a shop where the old man used to work (by guys he worked with) so hopefully it's right this time!
Again, thanks and Happy Holidays!

How does one diagnose upper strut mount problems?

I have been having a rattle and squeak from, what sounds like, behind the dash on the passenger side. After looking all over I finally squirted a bit of silicone lube into the top of the strut tower. The squeak went away but the rattle is still present. Can the upper strut mounts cause a metal-to-metal rattle sound?

BTW, I replaced both sway bar bushings when both sides failed so they are not the problem in this case.