Recently Purchased a 2002 XC70...No rear Driveshaft! Options?

[JMielke]

Hello everyone,

I recently purchased a 2002 Volvo XC70 with a bad engine (timing belt snapped on previous owner). I have purchased another engine to replace it.
I began to lift the car and put it on 4 jack stands to do the work. As I looked up into the car...there's no drive shaft connecting the axle gear to the VC in the rear!

It looks as if it has been out for sometime. What are my options for this? I can try to go to the junkyard and find another XC70 (will the V70 drive shaft work also?)
I am trying to put at little money into this car as I can. I have already had a small argument with the previous owner as the car was listed as a 2003 and not a 2002, which it is and I do not want to deal with this person again.

I speculate that the drive shaft is not there for a couple reasons:
1) Transmission was rebuilt at 170K (car now has 232K) Transmission shop forgot to replace the drive shaft?
2) VC went bad and instead of replacing it, previous owner simply had the shaft removed
3) Previous owner towed the vehicle, but only had a tow dolly and removed the shaft temporarily

At any rate, it looks like I need all the hardware and bearings, etc to put this back in. What are my options?


Thanks

[JRL]

No hardware except 12 bolts
Bearings?????? :confused:

[howardc64]

The propeller shaft has center bearing, a u-joint and a CV on each end. The CVs are the same for 01-02 but different for <=00 and >=03. Make sure you get a 01-02 prop shaft for replacement.

There are 2 bolts that holds the center bearing up and 6 bolts+washers on each end. The washers are special shape. Here is a diagram. Bolt is part 14 and washer is 14a.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploads3/CVplate1092840705.jpg

coloradodriveshaft.com rebuild these prop shaft for $500 shipped with a core charge. Don't know price without core. Aftermarket new ones can be found for $700, Volvo charges like $1100+.

If you get a used one, check the front CV carefully before installing. Front CV's boot gets cooked by the hot CAT nearby and leaks causing the CV to fail. Mine has early stage failure and can hear a loud clink under the center console sometimes when the tranny releases from 3rd(?) to neutral. I'm guessing this might be the reason your prop shaft was removed.

At these costs, you might want to check with the previous owner if they still have the shaft even though you are tired of dealing with them.

[Ocean Racer]

At any rate, it looks like I need all the hardware and bearings, etc to put this back in. What are my options?
Thanks

Why did you buy it?

[MBevans]

You bought a "fixer-upper" with high mileage in peices.....
Sounds like a big can of worms....
Good luck!

[Astro14]

Seems pretty clear: this person did not do the maintenance on this car. The timing belt snapped because it wasn't replaced. AWD problem? Pull the driveshaft instead of fixing it.

You ae going to pour a ton of money into this car fixing all the stuff that he didn't...and fixing all the stuff that broke because of deferred maintenance...

[JMielke]

JRL,

I was referring to the CV joints.. I noticed that there were rebuild kits for these that look like a bearing of some sort



Howardc64,

Thanks for all of the information! I noticed in your signature that you have a 2001 XC70 FWD, what was the reason for going FWD?



Ocean Racer,

It was my intention to fix the car and sell it. I did some research on the car before hand and I intended to replace the engine and transmission with a lower mileage version. This was when the car was listed as a 2003 XC70...When I was handed the title, the car was listed as a 2002. Knowing what I know now about this model year, I would have walked away. However, I didnt know at the time how much of a difference there was between a 2002 and a 2003. I have since sourced a replacement engine so I am not worried about the maintenance history for the engine.
The previous owner bought the car to fix it up as well, however he was going to have a shop install a new engine for him, but when he was quoted $2500, he wanted to sell it.
I bought the car cheap enough to where I planned to put roughly $1500 into it.



MBevans,

...Indeed, however I planned to replace a ton of parts to bring the car up to a condition to where I could sell it.


Astro14,

To be clear on what the problem was, I was told that the waterpump seized and snapped the belt, however I noticed that the new belt was on the car and the old belt was in the trunk, but still intact. This leads me to believe that the waterpump seized and the belt jumped timing and bent valves. This doesn't concern me as I have another engine in the garage to swap in.

"AWD problem? Pull the driveshaft instead of fixing it."
Not sure I understand what you mean. The car currently doesnt have a driveshaft at all. Are you suggesting that I dont even bother putting another one back in?

Also I noticed that you have a 2002 XC70 with 165K...What are your feelings on the transmission thus far?



Thanks for all of the responses, I appreciate it
I am going to try my best and find a 2001-2002 XC70 at the junkyard and pull it myself along with the VC just incase that is the reason that the driveshaft was pulled.

[Leto Atreides II]

"AWD problem? Pull the driveshaft instead of fixing it."
Not sure I understand what you mean. The car currently doesnt have a driveshaft at all. Are you suggesting that I dont even bother putting another one back in?


Referring to what the previous (or previous previous?) owner did and explaining how it got into its current condition. Something broke in the AWD system and ripping out the driveshaft was easier/cheaper/quicker than actually fixing it.

[howardc64]

Howardc64,

Thanks for all of the information! I noticed in your signature that you have a 2001 XC70 FWD, what was the reason for going FWD?


I pulled the prop shaft due to the bad front CV and leaky pinion seal on the rear differential (oily residue on the bottom of Viscous Coupling). Haven't put it back yet thus FWD for the moment. Just like your car :)

[Astro14]

My feelings on the car?

I think it's a great car, that has gotten a poor reputation for reliability because maintenance was not done by the book and because people expected this car to be like the 70's and 80's vintage: simple, reliable, easy to maintain...but with the increasing performance and capability came increasingly sophisticated systems and engineering that took more care to maintain.

The transmission got a bad rap because people ignored the warning signs of failure, and kept driving (it's a Volvo, these things last forever, right?) ... until it was fried and they were out $6,000 + on a new transmission... But I replaced the valve body when it first started showing signs of wear and it's been perfect ever since. I've rebuilt the suspension (shocks, struts, control arms, balljoints, mounts, seats, tie-rod ends) and it drives/handles/rides like a new car. In the 75,000 miles we've owned the XC, I've done the brakes (front and rear), the brake booster, an exhaust manifold gasket, engine mounts, and all the required regular maintenance, including oil changes, differential and angle gear oil changes, trans fluid flushes, filters, spark plugs, belts and the like.

I'm picky about oil (this car is running on Mobil 1 currently, and will go back to Pennzoil Ultra next change) and it has rewarded me with zero leaks, zero failures, and zero PCV problems.

It's a great car: capable, safe, comfortable and reliable. But you have to take care of it, and know what you're doing, if you want to own a used one...or it will eat into your wallet with repair costs. Now, it won't eat you alive the way a twin-turbo V-12 Mercedes will...that car can cost you as much as a mortgage payment...but the Volvo can rack up some bills if you're not watching it...

And today, as my wife heads out in truly awful weather, I am really, really glad that she is driving this car. I bought it to keep her safe. Should the worst happen, I know this car will do that...and in the meantime, she gets a comfortable, capable ride.

[billr99]

Astro:

You're knocking on wood while you are typing all of that, right?;) I know every time I do what you have just done, I need to fix something.

Have fun,

Bill

[sikbrik]

Sad that the deferred maintenance led to this but I also can't imagine buying a car with a bad engine and thinking $1500 is going to get me ti where I can flip it in good conscience (and I'm a former mechanic with a few flips under my belt.)

Agree with Astro. Great car. Did my Toyota's last longer between maintenance periods? Sure. Were they as nice to drive? Nah....maybe as safe, maybe not. Glad I haven't found out. But I keep buying Volvos...even if they're quirky or finicky, they're quiet and comfortable and understated and relatively inexpensive to buy so you can afford all the maintenance that the original or previous owner neglected. Same thing happens on bmw, mercedes, etc...anything you wouldn't take to pep boys yet somehow might think it's better to just drive it til it fails completely.

Also agree with the driveshaft joint commenters. I did the same to my last awd. Pulled it and left it out because we had a mild winter one year and never bothered to get a new one. I did put the bad one back to sell it, though, and made it known to the buyer.

Now, WHAT ELSE are you going to find wrong with this car? I'd guess plenty. Tie rod ends, sway bar end links, cooling system gunk, spongy watery brakes??? It certainly won't be a JRL car when it sells. Haha...had to say it. The guy has a good rep.

[bg2128506]

JMielke,
Jack up the car, put on jack stands, turn front wheels: if bevel/angle gear flange won't turn, then the prop shaft was removed because of bevel gear failure.
I had mine failed at about 200k miles on XC 2001. New/rebuilt BG would cost $1750, plus job, and that was a half of the car's KBB value at that moment, and I was pretty confident the tranny was to happen sooner or later (it did at 221k). So I decided to go ahead and get rid of BG and prop shaft in my sunny California; I also made the BG not to rotate by grinding off splines on the axle (they were half worn already – the root cause of failure).
I never regretted the decision, and change in the driving experience was insignificant.

(...and now she is waiting on the street to get sold as a mechanics special...)

[JMielke]

bg2128506,

Thanks for the tip!