2010 Volvo XC70 D5 AWD - The formerly scruffy barge

[Accelebrate]

guitarcarfanatic said:

Yes, I had to use my massive breaker bar wedged into the subframe to lever the first side down. A tip I have since seen is putting a G clamp around the control arm and then levering it down from below the control arm if that makes sense (bar through the g clamp below the arm, levering against the underside of the subframe and pulling the arm down). This is more akin to the big arm thing Volvo use in their garages.

I think if you pop the control arms out, the ball joints should be unscathed. It will be interesting to see if the one eased by the mobile mechanic survived re-assembly. The side of my car that was opened up a couple of years ago had given up sealing grease - I presume it was the being removed and then reassembled distorting the rubber a little.

I like the G clamp idea, I have some beefy vintage Record clamps that would happily take some abuse. There are a few Chinese copies of those big arm tools for not a lot of money, but I've often wondered if I'd have the height on axle stands to make use of them.

Demelitia said:

I always get a sense of vicarious satisfaction from this thread; the regular, consistent progress is great.

Moog is just used as a name for selling parts of all sorts of different qualities now. I’ve decided against fitting some moog parts I’ve grabbed from ECP as a last minute resort due to the general look of poor quality.

Febi stuff is good, as long as you get genuine stuff; I think they had a problem with counterfeit bits in the past.

Thanks for the info regarding Moog - I've seen some really mixed opinions on their products so that explains it. Although saying that, I had a bad time with some Blue Print/Febi hubs that arrived with quite a bit of play and fell to bits after a handful of miles. Aftermarket can be a minefield.

guitarcarfanatic said:

I remembered something else last night - when you get the front struts off, you can normally get the top nut undone with an impact gun (or if it spins, mole grips on the shaft to counter hold). For the new shock, you obviously won't want to do that. Normally an offset ring spanner works for struts, and you can counter hold using an allen key...but the mount is too recessed to work in this scenario.

My solution was using a box wrench from my "plumbing" DIY kit (18mm?) and then passing a allen bit on an extension through the middle of it. Most box wrenches have a hex pattern on the outside so I tightened the nut using a big adjustable spanner externally via the box wrench, whilst counter holding the spline with the allen key on extension and attached to a ratchet.

If you have pass through sockets, you won't have an issue - but if you need to figure something out, the box wrench is probably the cheapest solution.

Edited by guitarcarfanatic on Friday 17th February 10:56

Thank you. I'm in a dangerous (for my wallet) Amazon tool bargains group and picked up a Bahco S140T pass-through set for £30ish last year. Hopefully, it'll be useful for something that isn't droplinks, but I'll keep the box wrenches on standby.

F20CN16 said:

What Bilt Hamber product are you using their out of interest? Hydrate 80?

I have Hydrate 80, and if I've got time it's good. But it takes quite a while to dry before you can put something over the top and often needs a couple of coats. For a lot of this car I've used a wire brush and UC/UB or S50 in sills/box sections, I bought this set last year that works out as quite good value - https://a1detailing.co.uk/bilt-hamber-car-underbod...

Rust treatment is one of those jobs where you can always put more time/effort/steps into it and get better results, but if you're using the right products a little effort goes a lot further than getting bogged down and doing nothing.

[guitarcarfanatic]

Damn, that’s a cracking deal on that Bahco set! Jelly!

[Davie]

Awesome resource as per usual!

I'm now slowly starting to amass parts for mine following it's MOT in errrr.... November... where a few items were highlighted, unsurprisingly given it really has been totally neglected over the past couple of years. On the list are the rear bushes and rear shocks as they're getting a bit crusty and mine too feels a bit jelly like and vague at the back end, so an overhaul is well overdue I fear. The work done researching the shocks on both your part and Guitarfanatic has been a bit of a Godsend, away to order some bits now.

One things... rear diff oil... what did you use? Seems to be a bit conflicting information out there with regards to what grade should be used and it seems the same for the 6 speed manual gearbox.

Cheers

[Accelebrate]

Davie said:

One things... rear diff oil... what did you use? Seems to be a bit conflicting information out there with regards to what grade should be used and it seems the same for the 6 speed manual gearbox.

I think the confusion stems from the oil data in older copies of VIDA pre-dating Volvo switching to fully synthetic oils. So you’ll find some posts suggesting that the diff needs SAE 80W GL5, which is a mineral oil.

I fell into this trap and that’s what’s currently in mine, but it was noticeably thicker than the oil that came out which I suspect was a fully synth 75w90 GL5 - that’s what Volvo now use. I’ll probably refill it with this at some point, which is what I used in the gearbox…

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00421XHRG

[stevemcs]

guitarcarfanatic said:

I remembered something else last night - when you get the front struts off, you can normally get the top nut undone with an impact gun (or if it spins, mole grips on the shaft to counter hold). For the new shock, you obviously won't want to do that. Normally an offset ring spanner works for struts, and you can counter hold using an allen key...but the mount is too recessed to work in this scenario.

My solution was using a box wrench from my "plumbing" DIY kit (18mm?) and then passing a allen bit on an extension through the middle of it. Most box wrenches have a hex pattern on the outside so I tightened the nut using a big adjustable spanner externally via the box wrench, whilst counter holding the spline with the allen key on extension and attached to a ratchet.

If you have pass through sockets, you won't have an issue - but if you need to figure something out, the box wrench is probably the cheapest solution.

Edited by guitarcarfanatic on Friday 17th February 10:56

I’ve got a 1/2” ratchet with a removable centre that’s been swapped for 1/2” steel with a 8mm hole down the centre.

[Accelebrate]

The weather isn't making driveway spannering too appealing at the moment, but I briefly braved it to fit the rear anti-roll bar bushes that I purchased with the rear shocks.

Febi bushes were only £3.50 each on Autodoc, they aren't currently knocking but it seemed rude to not swap them for that price.




With the rear suspension in full droop on both sides the bar is easily detached by removing four bolts. Well, in theory easily, the ends of the bolts are exposed to the elements but not easily reached to wire brush before removal, they dragged a load of crud through the threads and required a worrying amount of force to undo. I was expecting to be drilling some of them out, but with a bit of backwards and forwards ratchet action they eventually came out intact.



The bushes also didn't want to detach from their brackets and required quite a bit of mallet persuasion.



The old bushes were in a sorry-looking state. They're a slightly unusual construction, they must be rubber bonded around something metallic as you can bend them into a shape and they'll stay there. I've not encountered an ARB bush like that before. I suspect they were stuck so firmly in the brackets as the metal innards have become exposed with time and swelled with rust. They were original 2010 FoMoCo branded parts.



The Febis seem like a decent copy, and had the same part-metal construction...



Reinstalled with plenty of silicone grease. I ran the bolts through a die and a tap through each thread so they went in a lot easier than they came out. The powercoating has failed in various places on the ARB and surface rust is creeping along it. It would benefit from being removed, stripped and painted, but I didn't have the inclination this time.



I ended up ordering a couple of Febi lower control arms for when I replace the front shocks. I know the bushes have perished a little on the existing arms and I may or may not need to replace the ball joints. Will mean that I don't need to be gentle when separating the existing arms from the hub. I think I'm still leaning towards reusing the front springs. I'm not convinced by any of the aftermarket options, and I don't want to stomach the cost of new springs from a dealership.

[LunarOne]

What is this? A cracked driveshaft?

[Accelebrate]

LunarOne said:

What is this? A cracked driveshaft?

Surface rust, cracking the powercoat on a driveshaft

[Cwgt93]

This was a great read and really nice to see. I've never been diagnosed with OCD, but neither have I ever been in a position to be!

I'm often toying with the idea of getting something slightly rough around the edges and enjoy not having to check my car for dings/scratches after someone has parked next to me in their battered 4x4. That's after I've already annoyed the wife driving around a car park for 5 minutes trying to find the 'right' space

It's sad really, but a new door ding would play on my mind for days. I think it would be quite nice to not worry as much, whether my brain would let me or not is a different matter.

I have tried it in the past with an S60 D5 which was a little neglected cosmetically, and ended up spending a few thousand on it getting it looking all lovely again

This thread certainly gives me fresh hope that you can indeed find a 'balance'. I quite enjoy tinkering and having the satisfaction of a job well done, too.

I stumbled across your thread after seeing a XC70 in the classifieds and wanting to find out a little more about them via Google. They seem well rounded and practical cars, especially with child number 2 inbound.

I currently own a Saab 9-5 Hirsch saloon. It's had thousands out of my wallet and is well pampered. I just feel maybe it's the time to get a more rough and ready estate, which daughter number 1 can accidentally (but inevitably) bump her bike into.

After looking at these I'm really warming to the idea of this style of vehicle.

Slightly off topic, but I'd be interested to learn if anyone knows how these compare to say a Subaru Outback/Forester...Or anything else similar that comes to mind.

Keep up the good work!

Edited by Cwgt93 on Wednesday 8th March 07:32

[Accelebrate]

Cwgt93 said:

This was a great read and really nice to see. I've never been diagnosed with OCD, but neither have I ever been in a position to be!

I'm often toying with the idea of getting something slightly rough around the edges and enjoy not having to check my car for dings/scratches after someone has parked next to me in their battered 4x4. That's after I've already annoyed the wife driving around a car park for 5 minutes trying to find the 'right' space

It's sad really, but a new door ding would play on my mind for days. I think it would be quite nice to not worry as much, whether my brain would let me or not is a different matter.

For me, I think for a while I just mimicked the behaviour of my father who has always been extremely particular about keeping cars immaculate. I can't blame him for that, it was only later in his career and life that he was able to buy nicer newer cars and I can understand why he cherishes them. It's an attitude he applies to his house and all possessions.

It's admirable in many ways, but I also remember my childhood being punctuated by small amounts of damage being a big deal that would irritate him and steal his attention until resolved. We all have our flaws, and that's a pretty minor one, but I'm keen to live a life where a new door dent on a family car isn't worthy of anything more than a passing glance.

This was played out yesterday when my wife misjudged the approach to our driveway and found our boundary wall with the rear arch trim...



I think I earned some good-husband points by not being annoyed. These things happen, particularly when you're being kept awake most of the night by a baby.

Amusingly, keen thread readers might remember that the car came with almost identical damage on that wheel arch. I replaced it early last year with a £25 part from a breaker. I've ordered another for exactly the same price and will swap it over when the weather is warm enough for the 3M tape to stick. The 'bonus plastic' on these cars makes for some very cheap body repairs.

[Limpet]

A great read. Lovely to see another old Volvo getting both used and looked after properly. These cars really do seem to reward proper maintenance, and they wear their miles really well.

Re your shock swap, I was just thinking how handy it was that the XC70 has conventional rear shocks instead of the XC90's £400 a corner self levelling Nivomat jobs.

[Accelebrate]

Limpet said:

Re your shock swap, I was just thinking how handy it was that the XC70 has conventional rear shocks instead of the XC90's £400 a corner self levelling Nivomat jobs.

I think Nivomats were an option on the P3 XC70, along with 4C active dampers, but you'd arguably be wise to avoid cars with either option fitted at this age/mileage unless you're regularly towing.

[Cwgt93]

Accelebrate said:

Cwgt93 said:

This was a great read and really nice to see. I've never been diagnosed with OCD, but neither have I ever been in a position to be!

I'm often toying with the idea of getting something slightly rough around the edges and enjoy not having to check my car for dings/scratches after someone has parked next to me in their battered 4x4. That's after I've already annoyed the wife driving around a car park for 5 minutes trying to find the 'right' space

It's sad really, but a new door ding would play on my mind for days. I think it would be quite nice to not worry as much, whether my brain would let me or not is a different matter.

For me, I think for a while I just mimicked the behaviour of my father who has always been extremely particular about keeping cars immaculate. I can't blame him for that, it was only later in his career and life that he was able to buy nicer newer cars and I can understand why he cherishes them. It's an attitude he applies to his house and all possessions.

It's admirable in many ways, but I also remember my childhood being punctuated by small amounts of damage being a big deal that would irritate him and steal his attention until resolved. We all have our flaws, and that's a pretty minor one, but I'm keen to live a life where a new door dent on a family car isn't worthy of anything more than a passing glance.

This was played out yesterday when my wife misjudged the approach to our driveway and found our boundary wall with the rear arch trim...



I think I earned some good-husband points by not being annoyed. These things happen, particularly when you're being kept awake most of the night by a baby.

Amusingly, keen thread readers might remember that the car came with almost identical damage on that wheel arch. I replaced it early last year with a £25 part from a breaker. I've ordered another for exactly the same price and will swap it over when the weather is warm enough for the 3M tape to stick. The 'bonus plastic' on these cars makes for some very cheap body repairs.

A very poignant point! I have definitely found myself wound up in the past about dents/scratches, which like you say is pretty trivial and needless in the grand scheme of things.

Again, I guess there's a balance between having pride in your possessions, and being overly obsessive. I'm ex-military too, so I like everything 'just so'.

I don't want to get a complete shed and almost admit defeat - in the way that I can't have anything nice (and keep it that way).

I think I'll keep my eye out for a well maintained XC70 with a few dings and scratches!

[Accelebrate]

The XC70 has covered about 1000 miles since I worked on the rear suspension, last week it developed a rattle from the rear over bumps, at first I assumed it was maybe a rattly child seat or a pram in the boot but it got progressively worse.

What was weird was that I couldn't replicate the noise when stationary by articulating the suspension, and after checking over all the bolts I'd touched nothing appeared loose.

I did notice that one of the fixings on the heatshield above the exhaust has failed, the heatshield was flapping about and potentially making contact with the backbox. I deployed the ghetto fix of a hole and a cable tie onto the subframe...



This seemed to improve the rattle, it definitely changed pitch, but there was still a noise over bumps at low speeds.

Up until now, I'd been checking bolts with the car on the ground, the XC is tall enough to crawl under. Upon lifting it to investigate further it was clear that I'd screwed up something to do with the dust shields on the new rear shocks...



There's a spacer that forms part of the shock assembly, I'd incorrectly installed them underneath the dust shields rather than above. The spacer provides enough clearance for the rubber top mount to bend as the suspension arc changes without making contact with the plastic dust cover. This is how I should have arranged it...



Without the spacer the dust cover was being forced against the body of the shock. The dust covers are plastic, moulded around a metal washer at the top, as a result of being forced against the shock body the offside dust cover had become loose, this was presumably vibrating against the shock body over bumps. It doesn't sound like much but it was surprisingly noticeable in the car.

I masked the shocks up and gave them a few coats of paint to repair the scuffs and keep any corrosion away. The plastic dust covers responded well to some heat and I got them back to the correct shape and nice and tight around the metal top washers. Both sides were reassembled in the correct order this time...



All back together and it's more obvious why the top mount needs clearance to bend...



The suspension is rattle free once more. I was in a bit of a rush the day that I did the bushes and swapped the shocks, never a good way to work.

[Davie]

I've taken your lead and ordered a set of KYB rear shocks from AutoDoc for mine... so I'm due you and GuitarFanatic a virtual pint or ten for your efforts researching the subject. I'll be interested to see if they make a difference, but given they were reported to be rather rotten at the MOT, they must be a fair few years old. However mine has a definite shimmy over rough surfaces - the bushes are all good, geometry is good so I'm hoping the new rear shocks make a bit of a difference.

I've also got lower arms on the list along with inner and outer steering arms as there's a bit play been noted in all of the above. It had new Volvo shocks and top mounts fitted a couple of years ago just before I bought i so I assume / hope they'll be fine but I think I'll add front and rear drop links to the list along with all the gearbox, diff and Haldex fluids - though I'm still deliberating what to buy as the Volvo genuine stuff is rather spendy and frankly, the fact it'll last another 250k is irrelevant as the rest of the car certainly won't!

On a more depressing note, it's developed a rather significant engine oil leak from a couple of places both front and rear of the engine so that will require a lot of cleaning and then a run and hopefully the source will reveal itself. See, that's the thanks I get for spending money on it!

[LunarOne]

Saw a Volvo in a car park the other day, and it had these lights in the grille. I don't know if these are from the factory or some sort of aftermarket (or perhaps they are blue and flashy!) but either way, I thought of this thread...

[Craikeybaby]

Googling "Lazer elite 3" shows it is a "road-legal auxiliary driving light", rather than a flashy blue one.

[ST565NP]

Davie said:

- though I'm still deliberating what to buy as the Volvo genuine stuff is rather spendy and frankly, the fact it'll last another 250k is irrelevant as the rest of the car certainly won't!

Quote of bearman68 re what parts to buy : "For whoever was asking, callipers come as callipers and no more. Slider pins, carriers and the like are all extra.

Right, let's get something out of the way. Euro car parts are a bunch of cowboys who know nothing about parts, cars, or probably Euro either. They are a bunch of cheap charlatans who have taken over the world based on buying price only. Now I know this is important, but the cheapest job is usually the one you don't have to touch again, and for that reason ECP should be strung up by their goolies and left to rot. And Pagid brake pads are made to an especially cheap standard by ECP.
Given the time required to make pads fit correctly and not stick in the carriers, the cheapest brakes are actually Allied Nippon, that are excellent, and actually fit.
Apec make good callipers, they fit well and work well.

Bosch filters are the work of the devil, and the ideal are made by Mahle, though ADL and Wix are acceptable alternatives.
Napa rotating parts are rubbish, but suspension is OK, except for the top joints that should be KYB or maybe Febi. Napa suspension is really cheap, so fill yer boots. Delphi make excellent suspension parts as well, and much is often only a tiny bit more expensive than the cheapest stuff.
Gates cam belts have gone rubbish - there bearings have gone shockingly bad. I use Dayco exclusively now - cheaper and better. The belts are very very tough.
Rotating electrics used to be done by autoelec, but I don't know if they are still in business anymore.
Clutches should be Valeo or ADL, and only under the most extreme circumstances would I use LUK, that have also fallen off the cliff quality wise. Wheel bearings seem to be fine whichever brand you use, so I tend to use the cheapest.
I also have decent suppliers for refurb gearboxes if anyone is interested?

Ohh, I know someone will be upset that I think Bosch filters are rubbish. Their wiper blades are OK (Though Valeo are about as good at half the price)."

[Stedman]

Bosch blades appear to have become pricey, mind.

[seawise]

Discovered what a great towcar these XC70’s make yesterday - went to collect a historic rally car for my brother, 400 mile roundtrip, Volvo was faultless and comfortable as ever.