850 Engine top mount

[ajm]

Having searched and not found an answer...

The engine-side top "stabiliser arm" bush on my 850 (1993 2l GLT Auto) has cracks through the three rubber "spokes" and should presumably be replaced. I see mention of a polyurethane replacement (europarts, etc) that's supposedly easier to fit but also noticably harsher than the genuine part.

As I'm somewhat overwhelmed with the smoothness of the car (I've only had it a fortnight, moved up from a 1.4 340!) I don't really want to spoil that.

Exactly how difficult is it to replace this bush at on the driveway at home? The Haynes manual doesn't really say a thing about it; other than a vague mention that a new bolt and nut will be required. It looks reasonably easy (don't they always!), but I did find a post where someone was giving up on the job which has made me think twice!

Any tales of your exeperiences would be very much appreciated...

AJ

Well AJ, I had a go at this on an 850 I had about 4 months ago.

The job itself would be straight forward if you had a press of some sort and could take the whole bracket off the car. The problem with that is trying to use a torque wrench on the car end of the bracket which is a real pain !

The old bush can be cut out quite easily.

A new bush from Volvo is about £8, when I got mine the guy said that volvo have made them a bit bigger than they used to because they often fail, I spent all week end trying to fit it and in the end I sanded the new bush down bit by bit until it fitted, this was out of pure desperation ! and I had to use the car on Monday morning.

The engine rocked back and forth the same as it did before and I put it down as a bad experience and then sold the car !

If I were you I would "entrust this work to your volvo dealer" unless you have the right gear to do it yourself. It probably wouldn't cost much, with the right tools they should be able to do it in less than an hour.

I know this seems a bit negative but I hope it helps you out !

I fitted the polyurethane bush about three months ago and am about to book the car in to the Volvo dealer to have the correct volvo part fitted, there is a significant increase in noise and vibration, too much for me!
Fitting the Volvo bush isn't really a DIY job as it needs a special press and volvo will only charge an hours labour (£50!).

I have recently replaced my top mount .I made a jacking assembly out of old bits of pipe and a piece of stud bar. The new replacement was a volvo one at about £9, they also sell the whole bracket at £46 +vat!!( Newer one did seem beefier than the old one). The hardest part of the job was the clip on the plug on the camshaft position sensor plug.The plate was then removed,Cut out the old bush with a hacksaw. and pressed in the new with plenty of fairy liquid and swarfegar. the whole job took about 45 mins. The new bush is a tight fit in the housing , even though it has a tapered lead into it.Do not try and drift it in with a hammer as you will probally damage the bracket.Also check that you have the new bush in the correct position!!
hope this is of some help.
Regards Trevor Simpson.
850 2.5 10 v/v.

[ajm]

Thank you all very much for relating your experiences; I'll certainly not dive into it this Saturday, anyhow!

From what you've all said, I'll look at replacing it when I'm next "home" and have access to better facilities, or even get the local non-franchised specialists to do it when the car's in for it's MOT.

I didn't realise the entire assembly was also available; I suppose this would work out at not far off the same price as getting a main dealer to do the job? I'd be left with the other problem mentioned of getting a torque wrench onto the nut on the bulkhead end though.

I only wish I'd discovered these forums sooner - I can see they could have saved me a lot of grief on a few occasions with the 340 in bits!

Thanks again,

AJ

This job IS a DIY job at least when you're done. :)

There was a fair amount of swearing getting the new bushing in when i tried it first. I also made a tool out of a rod with nut that was supposed to press the buhing in. I found that the setup was likely to capsize. I resorted to removing my vice from my workbench and used that to press the new bushing in. Got the job done in 5 minutes!

/Pete

When I changed mine I used a 'quick-clamp' (one of those trigger type clamps). Did the entire job in about an hour and a half and yes, there was lots of swearing. I think I even invented a few new words!

Adam.
'94 850 T5

There is another option, buy a car which has mounts which don't wear out every ten minutes !!!!!!!! LOL!

sorry, i couldn't resist it.

I loved my volvo really ! :)

[ajm]

Does this mean that the bush can be changed with the bracket still on the car? I had initially envisaged using a G-Cramp plus some kind of spreader pad of wood or metal to push the bush in. Is this a foolish idea, doomed to failure?

As to changing the car (I realise you're joking, btw!) - if this bush failing regularly is the only niggle I have to live with, I'll be delighted! I've never enjoyed a car so much as this one and I've driven plenty of other comparable makes and models. The superb feeling of solidity that it gives from every aspect is completely unmatched even by recent Audis that I've driven, and I love the thoughtful design that has gone into the car (particularly the interior.) Far too many manufacturers (in all areas) fail to design with the end user's REAL practical needs in mind, and just chuck stuff together so that it looks "arty".

I'm not saying there's _nothing_ I would change, or do differently (the illumination of the ignition switch would probably be the first!) but there's an astonishingly good "continuity" throughout the entire car which I really like.

I've seen so much bad (i.e. thoughtless) design on very much newer and equally expensive cars that the 850 (despite being over ten years old) is bliss to me!

Cheers,

AJ