V70 AWD transfer case and collar questions
 

Hi everyone

Sorry I know the topic has been discussed a lot , but I am new to the volvo world and would appreciate some guidance.

I am thinking to look at V70 AWD auto 2005 model , I presume that year is affected by the collar/ sleeve failure?

Whats the likelihood of the Angle gear getting damaged because of the sleeve failure?

Angle gear replacement , are there any good second hand ones perhaps from later cars? Or only option is reconditioned units?

Thanks in advance

If my reading comp is still intact I believe the collar is sacrificial...much like a shear pin.

I heard that the if the collar has failed for long time it can also damage the Angle gear

Both of the above are true. However, the collars tend not to fail unless it's had a hard life (spirited driving/towing/very high mileage).

When viewing the car, crawl underneath and see if you can spin the propshaft with your hand. If it spins, the collar is toast and the AWD will not work.

Much less common, but my 2004 V70R had total bearing failure inside the angle gear due to improper lubrication which seems to be a known fault with these. If the oil is even slightly lower than it should be, it is not picked up sufficiently by the bevel gear and the bearing on the output shaft eats itself to pieces.

Luckily none of the actual gears were damaged, so repairing it was a case of opening it up then installing new bearings and seals. (Total about £450 with genuine Volvo parts as a DIY job.)

2 trips to the Scottish Highlands (1200~ miles each), NC500 (1600 miles) and 9 months of daily driving later, it's still going strong.

450quid for bearings and seals , Damn those volvo guys are expensive , Found a place that refurbish the angle gear for 550 as an exchange.

I will try if i can spin the propshaft , if i cant i might put my phone on recording and drive on it and see if that prop spins.

Most of these cars have done some towing and are all high milers , hard to find low mileage examples

Typo, I meant to say £350.

Rolling the car may not necessarily be the best way to test, as the haldex clutch will likely be slightly engaged, and rotating the rear wheels will spin the propshaft.

What would be the best way to test?

Other than jacking all four wheels up or testing it on ice, trying to spin the prop by hand is really the only way.

The hand test will only reveal if the collar is completely stripped though, which may not be the case. I'd go with, if the car is 250K+ miles, assume the collar has seen better days.

These cars are FWD most of the time, then the AWD kicks in when slip is detected. Although some models (I know the R's do) will preemptively engage the Haldex clutch under acceleration/cornering.

However, it's unlikely that the car had ever been used in a situation where the AWD is needed so the collar has probably never been under any considerable amount of stress. Especially with the auto models being torque limited in 1st & 2nd gear.


Further to this, something I didn't consider when writing is, that if the front wheels are turning the propshaft will be driven by the angle gear too so this doesn't work at all as a test.

Thanks for your valuable input.

Does it mean that there is absolutely no power going to tear axle in normal driving conditions? Some cars can be like 70-30 or 60-40 power distribution?

Are the XC70 similar or they are permanent awd?

The V70 used the haldex , something similar to what they have in VW Passat 4motion , front wheel drive all the time unless loss of traction is detected then drive can be sent to the rear axle to restore stability , then its off again

Bump bump