S60 Suspension: clonking

[ken]

How dificult is it to replace drop link bushes on a 2002 s60?, i have a intermitent knocking noise fom the front of the car & sometimes from the rear, so i assume that the bushes require attension, am i right.

[John_C]

Ken, I have moved your post into the S60 area of the forum, you are more likely to get an answer here.

Cheers,
John

[V70RMW]

You have to replace the drop links themselves, the bushes aren't separate. Very easy to do.

The noise you describe needn't be the links, but they are so easy to do I replaced the front on my V70 before finding out it was the top mount.

[ken]

I am a bit confused as I have been told by some people that the bushes on the drop links(arms) on my 2002 S60 SE T, are not replaceable whereas others have told me they can be "dug" out and replaced with new bushes, can anyone give me a diffinitive answere please, if they are replaceable where can I get the bushes as Volvo have told me I need to buy the complete link ?. Thanks,Ken

[Symes]

Hi Ken,

Drop links - are the vertical link between the anti roll bar and the suspension strut.

Lower control arms - also known as 'lower wishbones' are the horizontal(ish) aluminium parts connecting the bottom of the wheel hub carrier to the front subframe.

The drop links have ball joints at each end and are a complete replacement item, very easy to fit and OEM versions can be had on Ebay for £20/pair.

The lower control arms do have bushes which can be purchased in original form and 'uprated' "powerflex" types - or complete arms. They are fairly simple to fit, but they do have some 'gotchas' like CV joints parting with driveshafts, and prepare to replace the bottom ball joints on the hub carrier whilst you're at it. Control arms cost £80ea OEM and more for genuine, but there are reports that dealers have been shifting them at about 1/2 the OEM cost... so they're worth a try!

And of course Rufe will I'm sure be happy to quote a price for the genuine parts if you give him full details of your car.

If the noise is occasional, you might be suffering from a failure of the top strut mounts or simply lower spring movement in the strut 'pan'.

[ken]

Originally Posted by Symes

Hi Ken,

Drop links - are the vertical link between the anti roll bar and the suspension strut.

Lower control arms - also known as 'lower wishbones' are the horizontal(ish) aluminium parts connecting the bottom of the wheel hub carrier to the front subframe.

The drop links have ball joints at each end and are a complete replacement item, very easy to fit and OEM versions can be had on Ebay for £20/pair.

The lower control arms do have bushes which can be purchased in original form and 'uprated' "powerflex" types - or complete arms. They are fairly simple to fit, but they do have some 'gotchas' like CV joints parting with driveshafts, and prepare to replace the bottom ball joints on the hub carrier whilst you're at it. Control arms cost £80ea OEM and more for genuine, but there are reports that dealers have been shifting them at about 1/2 the OEM cost... so they're worth a try!

And of course Rufe will I'm sure be happy to quote a price for the genuine parts if you give him full details of your car.

If the noise is occasional, you might be suffering from a failure of the top strut mounts or simply lower spring movement in the strut 'pan'.

Hi SYMES, thanks for the info, it seems as though the noise does come from the struts, is there any chance you could go into some detail as how to remedy the problem whether it is the pan or top strut mounts. Sorry to be a pain but I would like to repair it myself if possible as I am retired and bored.
Ken.

[Symes]

Ken,

If you're sure the noise is coming from the struts, then don't ignore that it might be them that are worn too - can't remember if it was this site or another where the strut itself had significant play evident once removed from the vehicle.

The top mount can be difficult to diagnose, as far as I know the lower mount breaks up, but of course you can't see that until you drop the strut, the lower spring/pan mounting is easier to see though - the 'pan' is shaped to hold the spring and it's possible that the 'tail' of the spring moves out of place, only to relocate with a clonk - I think later models might have had a rubber 'seat' to overcome this.

As you'll find, front end (and rear end) clonks, rattles and taps are a 'feature' of these cars and can take a huge amount of investigation before they're sorted!

[ken]

Originally Posted by Symes

Ken,

If you're sure the noise is coming from the struts, then don't ignore that it might be them that are worn too - can't remember if it was this site or another where the strut itself had significant play evident once removed from the vehicle.

The top mount can be difficult to diagnose, as far as I know the lower mount breaks up, but of course you can't see that until you drop the strut, the lower spring/pan mounting is easier to see though - the 'pan' is shaped to hold the spring and it's possible that the 'tail' of the spring moves out of place, only to relocate with a clonk - I think later models might have had a rubber 'seat' to overcome this.

As you'll find, front end (and rear end) clonks, rattles and taps are a 'feature' of these cars and can take a huge amount of investigation before they're sorted!

Hi,
Thanks for the advice, I will try the offside front strut first as it seems noiser than the others and go from there, I will also go to Volvo and find out if the rubber seat is applicable to my car as it is late 2002 on a 52 plate.
Thanks,
Ken

[prm36]

Ive got the same clonk from front and rear nearside, but mines an 05 with only 40k on the clock, it doesn't rattle or clonk on rough ground, its more when i go round a corner or a sharp bend, i get a clonk.

[ken]

Originally Posted by prm36

Ive got the same clonk from front and rear nearside, but mines an 05 with only 40k on the clock, it doesn't rattle or clonk on rough ground, its more when i go round a corner or a sharp bend, i get a clonk.

Good luck trying to trace it, volvos are a pain with their clonks and rattles.