The car is a 1998 XC70 with 129000 miles...the problem is that while driving last night some very, very light clicking noises came from the front passenger wheel/tire area which were soon followed by what felt like a flat tire. The steering wheel had some light back and forth resistance so I pulled over to change a flat. Except, no flat tire! I got under as best I could and saw that the lower c/v boot was torn...pulled the wheel off today and can see that the c/v boot is completely torn yet grease is clean...a fresh tear, I presume. My question is: could a c/v boot tearing be felt in the steering to such an extent and what would cause such a quick failure of the boot? All other major steering/suspension components are rock solid and all other c/v boots (upper and lower) appear to be in good shape with no cracking visible. If indeed this can be attributed to the c/v boot, is it wise to replace the entire shaft being that everything has to come off anyway. Thanks for the help!

 

I think the hobbling/wobbling is not related to the CV.
Check for a broken cord in the tire or a bum strut. Try to bounce the front end and see if the shocks are damping.
Ed

 

Thanks for the reply!
The tire looks good...no play at all in the strut tower assembly and dampening is good (a rebound stroke and the car settles normally, no bouncing etc.) I'm reluctant to drive it as is, so is there something I can check as it sits to zero in on the problem? No matter what it's getting a boot or the entire half shaft replaced...any other suggestions?
Thanks

 

Hi all,
Any other ideas about this? I'd hate to tear into it anymore than I "need" to... has anyone used a c/v boot that installs without removing the half shaft? Any input is greatly appreciated!

 

Stay away from the split boots. Did you spin the wheel and make sure it does not wobble?
The feel in the steering wheel is usually a bad tire or something like that.

 

Thanks Tech!
I have NOT spun the tire, just checked for cut marks/strange wear and found nothing, but will absolutely make doubly sure the tire is not to blame. After the steering wheel back/forth pulling that led to me pulling over was seen to not be a flat, I drove home gingerly approx. 4 miles and had no issues the rest of the way. Would that possibly still be the tire or ??? No matter what, I'll be replacing the boot but I'm thinking the entire half shaft should be replaced because I'm sure some water and grime has gotten into the c/v joint and FCP has a complete shaft w/ boots for $118...is that a wise move? Thank you very much for your assistance!

 

I would just replace the Axle.
But still check the tires good.

 

As far as the FCP axle goes, in your experience do they come pre-packed with adequate amounts of grease or should the boots be pulled and treated as if it came dry? Also, are there any threads that "step by step" better than others, and if so do you recommend one in particular? Again, much appreciation

 

They come ready to install.
There is 2 ways you can do it. You can remove the 2 bolts from the strut to hub assembly and pull the hub out towards you and work the axle out. Or you can remove the balljoint nut and pull the control arm down and slide the balljoint out of the control arm and work the axle out. You will also need to remove the sway bar link from the strut.

 

Sounds good!
Being that there is gease/grime/dirt on most everything, will a general degreasing harm the hub or should a careful wipe/wirebrushing be done to clean the bolts for takedown? Also, is there any special angle that the shaft has to be at for easier removal once the strut has been removed or any other considerations that should be adressed while it's apart? Just wanting to buy what might be needed while FCP has the 15% w/ free shipping. Thanks!

 

You can degrease it all.
Check your spring seats and see if they need replacing while you are half way there.

 

So, now that the car is on blocks I was able to spin the wheels and check for any play in the struts and steering components. Tires/wheels run true and everything is tight with the only play being some slight in/out with the half shaft. Why would the steering wobble and seem like a flat if all the components are rock soild? Could debris have gotten in the c/v joint while driving and then be expelled? Like I said before, once I stopped, checked for a flat and started again, the wobble/vibration was absent for the rest of the trip home (4 miles). There is what appears to be a weight on the driver side half shaft which is absent from the passenger side shaft. Could that lead to any of the afore mentioned symptoms of whatever the gremlin is? Thanks for the continued input!

 

Okay, after seeing/feeling that everything was pretty tight I decided to take a little drive to see if the problems were still there. The clicking from the front right area has not gone away...intermittent clicking in both left and right turns as well as on straight sections of road. Usually 5-10 clicks and then silence for a while with the clicks frequency associated with wheel speed. I know that I've been told that its a tire/wheel or strut problem, but is this not textbook c/v related symptoms? If replacing one side should both sides be done at the same time if the price is right?

 

Well if the CV joint is bad usually it only clicks when turning unless there is no grease at all in the joint.

There is no rocks stuck in the tire tread is there?
Has the tires been balanced lately?

 

Tech,
No rocks in the tires and the they were mounted/balanced less than 5000 miles ago. As far as the c/v thought, I wanted to add something that was shared with me on 'volvoxc' forums:
"Look at the front cv joint of your main propshaft (the one going to the rear). Mine did that last summer, thought it was the right outer cv joint but it turned out to be the front joint on the propshaft. It is right next to the catalytic converter and the joint gets baked. Pull the shaft, your mystery may vanish."
So, my new question is...can the driveshaft come off and the car be driven for extended periods of time in FWD or should it be more of a quick spin around the block to see if the clicking is indeed coming from the propshaft?

 

Well, with the propshaft off the noises and vibrations/wobbles are history...heck even the gear whine that has been there for over 70,000 miles has left. The joints on the shaft feel tight and don't grind/bind at all so I'm a little curious as to why that is at least part of the problem. Anyway, this AWD is staying FWD for the time being. Thanks for the help and please add anything if this propshaft issue rings any bells for anybody else. Thanks!

 

You can leave the propshaft off for ever from here. Alot of the AWD cars already have them missing.

 

I will be putting the propshaft back on after a rebuild...does anybody have a good shop they know of in the Northwest? My SixStates shop closed/moved last year so I'll have to ship it somewhere. Thanks again for all the help!

 

I never checked into it. Living in FLA people just remove them and that is all.

 

Well, I've been driving very little since removing the propshaft and the last few times out I've noticed that at around 30 mph right when the trans shifts from second to third there is a fairly minor series of vibrations in the entire car...a little feedback in the steering wheel but mostly just an inaudible, continuing vibration that lasts until higher speeds are attained. This is much more perceptible the first few minutes of driving through town with the trans doing more shifting and such...once at highway speeds there are no vibes and once the car has been driven a few miles there are no vibes at all at any speed or shifting pattern. Once the car sits for a few mins though, the entire routine sets off again. Any thoughts? Thanks!