Volvo Owners Club Forum - View Single Post - Amazon:

142 Guy · Mar 19th, 2024, 15:46

So many possible issues.

Raise the front end of the car so that both front wheels are no longer in contact with the ground. Go to each wheel, grasp the tires at 03:00 and 09:00 o'clock and give them a back - forth shake. If you get unconstrained movement / rattling / clicking then you know you have a wear problem which requires further exploration. Repeat at 06:00 and 12:00 o'clock. This may also flag wheel bearing issues. Spin the wheels and listen for bearing rumble.

With the car back on the ground, reach through the open driver's side window and move the steering wheel back and forth. You will get movement; but, if you have somebody observe the steering shaft they can assess whether there is excessive movement in the steering shaft couplings. They can also listen for clunking in the steering box which is a sign that the pitman arm shaft is moving up and down. As Ron K notes, the proper procedure for setting the adjustment of the steering box pitman arm shaft is set out in the service manual.

The idler arm bushing on vintage Volvos has a bit of a reputation for failing which usually leads to 'slop'. Modern exact replacements are of not so good quality. You can find replacement brass bushings which are more durable. If you disconnect the two joints from the idler arm, it is relatively easy to assess the condition of the idler arm by grabbing it and moving it. It should move smoothly with no play.

Amazon's come with the absolute minimum amount of positive caster that is safe. I think the factory spec is 0 to +1.0 deg. Volvo uses very little caster in an attempt to reduce low speed steering effort; however, that small amount of caster also results in very little self centering in the steering at highway speeds (a tendency to wander). After you have remedied any wear issues in the front suspension / steering have the alignment checked. If you want stability at speed, setting the caster to +1.0 deg is the way to go. You can go higher which will make the car more stable; but, the steering at low speeds will become heavier. Modern cars with power steering run +3 to +7 deg caster. If you take the car to an alignment shop, make sure that they know that gross caster values are set by applying shims between the body and the cross member. The shims located at the upper wishbone are for adjusting camber and correcting differences between left and right caster. If you try to adjust caster with large amounts of shim differential on the upper wishbone you can damage the crossmember. Check the procedure in the service manual for setting caster and make sure the shop is aware of it - they will hate it because you need to raise the car off the crossmember, install the shims, button things up and check. Alignment jigs are not really set up to allow the car to be raised. You can also play with the toe in. Adding more positive toe in will improve straight line stability; but, reduce steering response.

Mar 19th, 2024, 15:46	#10
142 Guy Master Member Last Online: Yesterday 20:18 Join Date: Jul 2020 Location: Saskatchewan, Canada	So many possible issues. Raise the front end of the car so that both front wheels are no longer in contact with the ground. Go to each wheel, grasp the tires at 03:00 and 09:00 o'clock and give them a back - forth shake. If you get unconstrained movement / rattling / clicking then you know you have a wear problem which requires further exploration. Repeat at 06:00 and 12:00 o'clock. This may also flag wheel bearing issues. Spin the wheels and listen for bearing rumble. With the car back on the ground, reach through the open driver's side window and move the steering wheel back and forth. You will get movement; but, if you have somebody observe the steering shaft they can assess whether there is excessive movement in the steering shaft couplings. They can also listen for clunking in the steering box which is a sign that the pitman arm shaft is moving up and down. As Ron K notes, the proper procedure for setting the adjustment of the steering box pitman arm shaft is set out in the service manual. The idler arm bushing on vintage Volvos has a bit of a reputation for failing which usually leads to 'slop'. Modern exact replacements are of not so good quality. You can find replacement brass bushings which are more durable. If you disconnect the two joints from the idler arm, it is relatively easy to assess the condition of the idler arm by grabbing it and moving it. It should move smoothly with no play. Amazon's come with the absolute minimum amount of positive caster that is safe. I think the factory spec is 0 to +1.0 deg. Volvo uses very little caster in an attempt to reduce low speed steering effort; however, that small amount of caster also results in very little self centering in the steering at highway speeds (a tendency to wander). After you have remedied any wear issues in the front suspension / steering have the alignment checked. If you want stability at speed, setting the caster to +1.0 deg is the way to go. You can go higher which will make the car more stable; but, the steering at low speeds will become heavier. Modern cars with power steering run +3 to +7 deg caster. If you take the car to an alignment shop, make sure that they know that gross caster values are set by applying shims between the body and the cross member. The shims located at the upper wishbone are for adjusting camber and correcting differences between left and right caster. If you try to adjust caster with large amounts of shim differential on the upper wishbone you can damage the crossmember. Check the procedure in the service manual for setting caster and make sure the shop is aware of it - they will hate it because you need to raise the car off the crossmember, install the shims, button things up and check. Alignment jigs are not really set up to allow the car to be raised. You can also play with the toe in. Adding more positive toe in will improve straight line stability; but, reduce steering response. Last edited by 142 Guy; Mar 19th, 2024 at 15:50.