Managed to hit the kerb in some black ice and bent the front wishbone which i have replaced. Unfortunately after putting it back together, the wheel does not sit central in the wheel arch. Everything looks ok underneath. Anyone got any ideas what else i could have damaged/bent.
Had the tracking done but still pulls to the left.

 

Hi is it possible that some strut top mount parts were mangled? Rubber ring? Spring isolator? Strut mount? Have you got any noises when your turn?

 

If the spring isolator or mount is bad, what noise is heard?


I have a loud metal rattle with smooth road minor imperfections. If hitting a manhole cover or other bump, there is an initial sharp clank before the rattle.


I have changed motor mounts and torsion bar links. The sound seems like it is behind the dashboard.

 

Have you taken a close look at the spring itself? It is possible that it broke near one end making it very hard to see. Mount hardware would most likely make noise when turning but I don't think the noises you describe line up.

 

One wonders if the frame on the sub frame on the car where the control arm (wishbone) securing bolts with bushes are bolted, has twisted with the curb impact.
To bend the rigid control arm, the force would be considerable so could have transferred beyond to the connecting area.
Did you find the replacement arm tricky to align and the bolts /bushes extra hard to fit on reassembly?

 

Here's what a broken S40 front spring looks like... Broken springs also tend to chew up the strut mount and bushing (which is nylon) so that would lead to clunks and alignment issues.

 

I had a rattle for about a year on the typical road with a clunk over sharp bumps. Changed the motor mounts and found the rubber cracked, but not terrible.


The top of the right strut was off center from the mount, so it was a clear indicator of the issue. Both strut mounts which were shot. A bit longer and I could have gotten the hood bumps when the strut broke loose.

 

The S40 strut mounts are a bit different from other Volvos (ie the 850/V70s or any other car I've worked on). The upper seat is eccentric (the strut's piston bolt is not in the center and has no preset spring orientation - ie no recess so you need to use an orientation mark (a 3/8" hole in the upper and lower seats) to align - otherwise the strut/spring will not line up with the correct caster angle. This will also put stress on the bushing which on the 2000s is a rather thin piece of nylon. You can upgrade the 2000s to the improved design used in the 2001-2004s but that will require changing the mounts and struts themselves (the new bushing design is about 1/2 taller so there's a different strut design). As you can see in my photo, a broken spring can tear up the bushing and the mount/spring seat center hole. Note the alignment hole and how the bolt hole is off center...