Hey all. Need some advice please.

My wife has a 2003 V70 station wagon. The front passenger strut is pretty well messed up. I'm trying to find the easiest/cheapest solution.

When I hit a bump, I get the loud rattling sound typical of a bad bushing. The steering has some wobble in it. Nothing terrible, but I can tell a suspension problem exists.

Under the hood, the stut seems to be sitcking up about a 1/4 or a 1/2 inch higher than the driver's side strut. I can push the top of the strut around in a circle with some significant hand pressure. (The driver's side strut is solid and I can't move it with my hand.)

Do I have to replace the struts or will a boot/bump stop be enough to fix this?

Is it possible it is the strut mount instead of the strut or bump stop?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

 

I would first check the sway bar end links.

 

I will certainly check the sway bar end links when I'm in there (as well as every other bushing in the vicinity). But I do know that the top strut is bad. I should not be able to move that strut around with my hand.

Looking at parts manuals, it seems that the bushing is in the mounting plate and comes seperately from the strut.

Does anyone know if I can just replace that busihg or do I have to buy the who mounting plate?

 

Mounting plate. I blieve they call it the spring seat.

 

If the top of the strut looks like this picture, you have a broken spring seat.


I have had this happen twice since I installed Bilstein HD struts, even with heavy duty IPD spring seats. Both times on the passenger side. The rattling sound you hear is probably the top of strut shaft hitting the underside of the hood. The strut and mount/bearing are probably fine but you will have to remove the strut assembly and disassemble it to replace the spring mount. It's not difficult, but if you aren't comfortable with using a spring compressor, you'll want a shop to do it.

 

That certainly looks like my problem. Thanks for the pic.

I haven't used a spring compressor before, but I'm looking forward to it (I'm pretty handy and have performed more difficult tasks). I will be careful. My guess is a compressed spring probably has enough power to take off my head.

 

From what I have heard, you are right. One guy said it got away from him and bounced clear over the house.

 

Thanks for the help everyone. It was the spring seat. The strut, the mount and the sway bar end links were all fine.

By the way, you forgot to warn me about the little nut on top of the spring seat. It has a cross shaped top. I can only assume the Volvo shop has a spanner wrench that will pull it off in seconds (and I bet it costs $50 for a wrench you'll use once). Took me a good long while with a can of PB Blaster and Vice grips.

Got it off though.

 

LOL, I didn't know about that. Your local parts store has a lot of special tools that they LOAN out for their customers.

 

I got the coil compressor from the store on a loaner. Parts shops don't usually have tools as specific as spanner wrenches for late model Volvos.

 

I forgot about that. A pipe wrench works well to remove and install it.