Help on AWD issues

[unggthat]

This is my first post on here--I have been on brickboard for years, but have just ventured into an XC for the first time. Thus far, it has been an utterly terrible experience. I won't go into all the details of how we ended up with the 2002 V70XC, but the point is that we have it now and I have to fix it.

It all started when we got the car and I noticed a high-pitched whirring coming from the transmission/front drivetrain when not under load. It is loud. Since they were old and about shot anyways, I replaced both front wheel bearings to no avail, as well as the front right driveshaft (thought it might be the carrier bearing). No dice.

"Gee," thought I, "what is left in the front that might make a terrible bearing-type noise?" The angle gear!

So I took the thing off tonight, after getting a used one off ebay. Lo and behold, the angle gear seems fine, as far as I can tell. It might still be the problem, since I can't spin it very fast by hand, but the bearings don't seem to make any noise when I just spin the thing.

Also of note, the transmission was just rebuilt before I ended up with this car. I'm wondering if the guy who did it screwed something up.

On to my questions:

1) What actually makes the splined angle-gear drive coupling turn? It seems completely locked in one position. I turned the front left wheel and the coupling didn't move a bit. I put the car in neutral and drive and tried the same thing, but nothing. I thought it was supposed to turn when the other wheels turn?

2) Is the prop shaft supposed to come completely apart at the end when removing it from the angle gear? It did. I think the tranny shop messed it up.

3) Inside the angle gear coupling there is a snap ring. It was in two pieces, with one floating around. What does that snap ring hold in place?

I have owned at least 8 Volvos, but so far this XC is the most problematic and poorly designed one by far. Are these cars usually quite reliable? Before I owned the car, I was the primary mechanic for it for four years and have replaced an incredible amount of parts on it considering it only has 124,000 miles. I might just have to get rid of it and find another 1999 V70 like the one I have . . .

Thanks in advance for any help! It is greatly appreciated!

Nate

[hoonk]

The splined coupling is connected to the front differential carrier. If the front differential spins it does too. Put the right axle back in, the trans in neutral and turn both front wheels (the same direction) at the same time - you will see the splined coupling spin.

The driveshaft is one piece, the cv joint should not come off, but it is replaceable on some cars.

If you are tired of spending money trying to get awd to work, you can remove the angle gear (and driveshaft ) on a 2002 (w/ viscous coupling) and create a fwd car - It's been done many times on 98-00 xv70's.

In any case before you buy any more parts you don't need, figure out what's really wrong with the car.

[JRL]

Are you refering to a front drive axle or the propshaft (front to rear shaft)?

[unggthat]

Thanks for the help, guys. I got all the AWD stuff taken out eventually (the rear driveshaft did not want to come loose from the viscous coupling for a long while). Then I put the driveshaft back in and took it for a quick spin as FWD just to see if the bearing noise was gone. NOPE! So, the tranny shop guy who swore the tranny was fine lied. There we have it.

Anyone want an angle gear that I stupidly bought without needing it? 102,000 miles. New exterior seals. $250, shipped.

Hah.

Anyways, on goes the V70XC saga . . .

Thanks again,

Nate

[nickbw]

Plug n play diagnostics - hit and miss DIY mechanics doesn't seem to be very effective on this! I wonder why? Could it just be you guyes have a wrench in one hand and a hammer in the other? I have watched this, and other sites long term, ( like JRL and many other knowlegeable posters) what I see all too often are lazy individuals, who know nothing and do NO homework simply 'dissing' Volvo: come on you guys, get GRIP!

[guyeye]

Plug n play diagnostics - hit and miss DIY mechanics doesn't seem to be very effective on this! I wonder why? Could it just be you guyes have a wrench in one hand and a hammer in the other? I have watched this, and other sites long term, ( like JRL and many other knowlegeable posters) what I see all too often are lazy individuals, who know nothing and do NO homework simply 'dissing' Volvo: come on you guys, get GRIP!

???
The guy has a bad, rebuilt tranny on an 02 V70XC. Case closed.
People get frustrated and vent, we try to talk them down. Having not seen any of these cars, first hand, we try to glean as many facts as we can, to make diagnoseis based on personal experience. Some have a lot of tech. knowledge, some have tons of personal experience, some are frustrated and down on Volvo, some are cheerleaders, etc. It's the "hive mind" at it's best! I personally love my XC and I think this forum has got a lot to do with it. It really is the best forum I've ever come across. How, pray tell, did "we" fail?
I'm scratching my head here.

[howardc64]

Thanks for the help, guys. I got all the AWD stuff taken out eventually (the rear driveshaft did not want to come loose from the viscous coupling for a long while). Then I put the driveshaft back in and took it for a quick spin as FWD just to see if the bearing noise was gone. NOPE! So, the tranny shop guy who swore the tranny was fine lied. There we have it.

Anyone want an angle gear that I stupidly bought without needing it? 102,000 miles. New exterior seals. $250, shipped.



Just to confirm what you did... and clarifying part names so its more clear to understand what is going on

- The shaft running between AG and VC is called propeller shaft. Sounds like you took this out which would make the car FWD
- The shafts that turns the front tires are called front drive axles.
- Did you put in your newly acquire AG or left the old AG in the car? I think you are running the newly acquired AG because you said you had to put driveshaft back in to drive it as FWD. If "driveshaft" means passenger side axle, then I would guess you put the newly acquired AG in.

Without running the newly acquired AG (just can't tell what you did from the post), I'm not sure you can rule out AG as failure point instead of transmission.