new to the site,

looking to replace the struts on my 2003 s40 has i have a lot of shaking in the front passenger wheel.

1) can this be done with the correct tools without going to repair shop ?!

2) how long would i normally take to complete, anyway i can get list of the parts needed, i have a friend who can do it but i want to make sure we have all the parts ?!

thank you for your words of advice...

 

Other than a spring compressor you dont need spec tool for the job.If its your first time doing this probably will keep you bz all day but its usually shouldnt take more than 4hours for all 4.You know you should replace both side now regardless of the condition of the other.I would replace all 4 at this point.
While chances are that the shock would need to be replaced at this miles you should consider other probabilities for your problem.What kinda shaking are we talking about here?Maybe its more like wobling on acceleration or it only happens at above certain speed (60mph).Does it rattle trought out the car does it shake the steering wheel?
Your problem could be worn lower arm bushing,unballanced wheel,incorrect toe settings,worn pass side axle.

 

I agree whole-heartedly that further inspection of the root cause of the problem is a most certainly a wise choice. I just ended up replacing all four corners of my '01 S40 as well. Something to think about if it does indeed turn out being a strut issue: Consider replacing the springs and front strut bearings. The main reason I had to replace mine was a broken front spring and the rear springs had been replaced just before I purchased the car. From what I can gather the gen1 S40s were notorious for this. It just seems to me that if you like your car, wanna keep it a while longer and is of higher milage you may want to consider the springs at the same time. It's always a shame to go through that work and then then have to do it all over again due to a part failure that you could've addressed the first time around. On top of all that you'd have to pay for another alignment should that occur.

 

It shakes and I can hear it and feel it only in the front passenger side. It also feels like a slight wobble at high speeds causing me to want to slow down, I can see from the top of the struts that struts screw is a little off, it's not centered like the other one is...it's getting worse...

Replace all 4 huh, didn't think about that...

 

It certainly could be the strut or the strut mount/strut bearing assembly. By the way you described the top view of the strut; maybe the bearing is shot and has allowed the strut to shift within the mount. Maybe if you could take a pic of the questionable area (strut tower) and one of the other side that you feel is normal so we all could check 'em out and give you better opinions and suggestions. That being said, there are certainly other things that could cause the same symptoms as mentioned in previous posts. I say let’s have a look at your pics and then we'll go from there. Looking forward to hearing back from you.

 

Thnx, I'll get pics tomorrow morning...

 

When removing the strut mount from the strut/spring assembly, you may have difficulty removing the nut from the shaft. I recommend using an impact gun, air or electric will do. Otherwise since you are replacing the struts, you can drill through the nut along the threads and split it off.

Check your tie-rod ends, ball joints and control arms. These can also cause shaking.
Stan

 

On my 2001 a worn pax side strut mount caused a knocking sound over bumps. Sounded like it was behind the glove box. I replaced the strut along with the mount and bearing. It was fairly quick and painless to replace with a proper spring compressor and impact gun. Even the electric impacts work well to remove the top strut nut. An alignment is recommended once you verify it's fixed.

Shaking might be a symptom of bad wheel balance, bad tires, or a worn out half shaft. Might want to investigate some more before replacing the strut and mount/bearing. Also, worn out motor mounts (4 of them) can cause shaking. You will also feel it when sitting still in gear at idle.

 

Weird cause now the bolt is centered, but it was of center just 2 days ago

 

How many miles does your car have?

 

If the nut and the actual strut shaft are indeed shifting around it seems to me that there has to be an issue with either the strut mount, strut bearing or maybe even the top of the spring is broken (happened on mine). I'm not saying for sure that this is causing all your drivability issues but it certainly is a place to start. I would jack up that corner of the car, remove the wheel and do a closer inspection of that strut assembly. Try moving it around, look at the underside of the strut mount/bearing and see if anything looks outta whack. Nothing should move around. Maybe have someone turn the wheel lock to lock while you're closely watching the top of the strut, the mount (both from the engine compartment and underneath too), and the spring as well. Let us know how you make out, and we'll go from there.

 

Over180,000

 

Just wanna say you guys are freaking awesome ! Where have you been my entire Volvo life...lol thank you for all the posts and comments...I plan in ferrying under the hood in about a week or so trying to order the parts via myswedishparts.com unless you guys have a better suggestion..

 

Definately check out www.ipdusa.com and www.fcpgroton.com. Both great sites for us Volvo lovers. Let us know how things work out for ya and if you have any questions, let us know!