Hey, Ive got a 2000 V70R awd. The steering in this thing has been shaking for a while... not sure why. Things Ive replaced recently include: strut tower bearings (pass side), both rear nivomats, all tires and wheels (balanced twice this week), all rotors and pads, parking brake shoes, driveshaft and some bearing in it (about 3 years ago at Volvo). all tie rods are relatively new (past 3 years), front driver hub assy, a few others too. The bushings all look good in the front, except the a arm bushings, which I didnt think would cause this... mechanic says the stuts should be changed in front, could this be it? subframe bushings look fine, no cracks. Motor mounts look fine too... Im running outta options (and outta money) tracking this down... anyone got an idea? It seems just fine till about 55 area then the steering wheel starts shaking pretty bad, it increases with speed, if it goes away at all its generally when I take my foot of the gas and start coasting... At about 80 itll vibrate the entire car so bad itll shake the passenger seat (at least)... The alignment is bad too... pulls pretty heavy to the right... could that be it?

 

Not saying it isn't, but I don't believe the struts are it. Things that come to mind: bent axle, cv joint. Your comments about speed really sound like balance. Some places are better than others at it. As in how fast they run the machine and what they are content with letting go. You could try to find a shop that does on the car balancing. That rocks, IMO.
There are other threads on here about shuddering and shaking. Check em.
Could be alignment, depending on timing of rotation and moment of wheel location, but it's a long shot.
If he doesn't chime in, give tech a private message and he will look at this. But he is VERY HUGELY busy and doesn't have enough hours in the day sometimes.

 

Yes, Tech is great, he actually solved an issue I was having a few years back... (driveshaft I think) I was actually hoping on him seeing this one. Yes, someone else had mentioned bringing it to a Hunter GSP9700 balancer. That he was having the same issues with his 7xx... which are pretty much the same as x70s to my understanding.... and it was solved using this balancer. http://www.vcoa.org/700-900-faq/WheelBalance.html Theres one of these machines at a local shop... that sound worth a try? Sears and another local shop have tried balancing them 3 times this month to no avail... they say their balanced and the wheel still shakes.

 

I hate to say, yeah, do it. And then that's not it. But 3 times in a month I probably would take a chance. Plus you had someone else that it fixed, so give it a whirl.

 

Im hoping its something simple like that... either way, Im gonna wait for Techs two cents, here...

 

Have you checked the inner joints on the CV axles?
Have you tried removing the long driveshaft and driving it to see if it went away?
Those are the 2 things I would check first.

 

Is it possible you have a bent wheel? That won't show up on a balancer.

 

Have you tried swapping the front tires/wheels to the back?
It's simple, but may tell you something if there is a change.

Al. Wise

 

Tires have been rotated to no avail. CVs look good, boots are clean and untorn...
Edit: wheels and tires are pretty new, unlikely to have a bend..

 

The boots can look good but the axle may still be good. Jack up the front of the car and put it on jack stands. Then climb under there and grab and hold the joint by the inner boot on the axle. Then turn the outer part of the axle slightly back and forth. Listen for a clicking noise and if you feel play. If you do then most likely that is your vibration.

 

Got the front end up in the air today. Before even getting to the axles, I noticed this - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zV89WVsSwBE - and put it on youtube... could this be my issue.. The sway bar ends on one side are stiff and tight, whereas the passenger side seem like theyre about to fall off...

 

That being bad will only cause a clunk going over bumps. That would not cause a vibration.

 

So, when I mess with the axles, as you described before there should be NO sound? Cuz... it sounds... like a lot of stuff happening in there. If I jack up the front end, I can turn the wheels in either direction freely, but when going from one way to the other it makes a clank then sounds like gears and whatnot spinning inside. Ill post a video during the day and see if itll help.

 

Sounds good post that vid.

 

Brought it to Volvo in Palm Harbor... THey said the axles seemed fine, they told me to road force balance the wheels, align it, and replace the passenger tie rods. They did all this for about $400... to no avail. Now it seems as if the shake only starts closer to 55mph, lol... but its still there...

 

I wish you were closer so I could see the car up close.

 

So, here we are a year later, and the shake is still there... it seems to lessen when the car warms up. Which sorta says some kinda bushing to me... though I am likely incorrect. Pulled the driveshaft, drove... and the shake is still there... could it be the shocks?

 

Have you kicked the trans into neutral when it starts to shake?
Let the motor return to idle.
This could give you a direction to look.
If the vibration goes away, the problem may lie within the trans or motor. inner trans bearing, lost flywheel weight.
If it continues, a driveaxle, brake rotor, rim, tire.
Just my two cents.