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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    12

    Default Front sway bar bushing replacement alternative

    Just spent the weekend sorting a noisy front sway bar due to a failed bushing in my 2001 V70XC.
    Inspired by Bill's alternative bushing replacement method for the rear sway bar bushing,

    http://www.volvoxc.com/forums/showth...light=sway+bar

    I was looking for a similar fix for the front sway bar. I couldn't stomach paying $220 to buy a new sway bar when my sway bar was still perfectly good, just because Volvo decided to make non-replaceable bushings that are vulcanized to the bar.

    As the 2001 XC70 has a front sway bar with a diameter of 22.7 mm, I purchased a universal sway bar bushing from Energy Suspensions, item 9.5108. This is a polyurethane bushing with an ID of 7/8" or 22mm. I figured i'd go a bit smaller rather than order a 23 mm bushing and have it not be tight.

    This is a non-greasable bushing. They sell two styles and of bushings and this is the slightly larger style with a height of 1 and 3/4 " and a length of 4 and 1/2" which is very similar to the size of the xc70 bushing/bracket, and it has bolt slots that correspond to the bolt holes in the xc70.

    http://energysuspension.com/universa...-bushings.html

    The installation is a bit of work as it requires dropping the subframe but it would have to be done anyway to replace the entire bar.
    The installation went quite smoothly. I used the IPD sway bar installation instructions to guide me in removal of the sway bar. The bar came out fine. The old bushings and brackets had to be removed from the bar - this required drilling out the bolt hole bushes that hold the bottom plate of the bracket to the upper U-shaped portion. This allowed the bottom plate to be removed from the top bracket and then removed from the rubber bushing.
    I cut the bushing off the bar and then used a wire wheel to take off any remaining rubber stuck on the bar. A quick coat of rapid dry rust paint and the bar was ready for the new bushing.

    The bushings opened up nicely and could be placed on the bar in the appropriate location using the lube included with the Energy Suspensions bushing.
    I decided to use the bottom plate of the original bushing bracket with the new upper U-shaped bracket that came with the replacement bushing. I think it could also have been bolted directly to the subframe with out this piece of metal but i thought it would help me centre the bushing better. The cut portion of the bushing should face the front of the car I believe.

    It all bolted together great. As I mentioned, the bushing was actually a bit smaller in diameter than the bar so I have about 2mm of opening in the bushing even after tightening down the bracket. This won't affect performance but I'd use the 23 mm bushing next time - item #9.5115 ( or whatever the OD of your bar measures at). Make sure to measure the side distance of the sway bar from the subframe on each side to make sure it's centred before tightening down the bolts.

    The only additions i'd make to the IPD intructions is to remove the bolt that attaches some AC lines to front of the subframe under the steering rack. This is not mentioned in the instructions but this line is bolted to the subframe and then twists up over the steering rack and is attached to the steering rack. As the rack needs to be separated from the subframe when the subframe is lowered this stresses this line and limits the separation of the two parts.

    Whole job cost me about 20 bucks and I think I could now replace these new bushings with the sway bar in the car if they ever needed to be replaced, maybe even without lowering the subframe.

    Of additional note, I did my LCA bushings at the same time and getting the control arms out with the subframe lowered was very easy as it made getting the ball joints out of the arm very simple and I didn't even have to remove the drive axle bolt at all or jack up the engine. Might be a good alternative method as many people have had trouble with this job.
    1974 142 'Grand Luxe' - First Car ---> 1981 244 DL ---> 1980 242 GT - Should never have sold ---> 1979 245 Wagon - 450,000k then odometer failed ---> 1977 244 DL ---> 1986 740 Turbo ---> 1986 240 DL Wagon ---> 1967 122S 'Canadian' - Presently rebuilding ---> 2001 V70 XC - Daily driver

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Virginia Beach
    Posts
    4,116

    Default

    Great write up! Thanks!
    Current Fleet:
    2016 Tundra Crewmax 4WD 1794
    2005 MB S600 (126K, Michelin AS4, HPL 0W40)
    2005 MB SL600 (55K Michelin AS4, Mobil 1 0W40)
    2004 V70R (143K, six speed M66, HPL 5W40)
    2004 XC90 (235K, HPL 0W30 Euro)
    2002 V70-XC (295K, HPL 0W30 Euro)
    2002 V70-T5 (225K, IPD bars, Bilsteins)
    2001 V70-T5 (125K, IPD downpipe, cat back and other mods)
    1932 Packard Sedan (straight 8, dual sidemounts, original paint and interior, Shell Rotella 15W40)

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Mar 2008
    Location
    Western Head, Nova Scotia
    Posts
    3,089

    Default

    Damn! Now I'm inspired to do the fronts! Thanks, Dwasaurus!

    Cheers,

    Bill
    Western Head, NS CDN

    '08 BMW 750i (Black Sapphire)-204K kms to-date
    '05 XC70 (Lava Sand)-296K kms to-date
    '02 V70XC-gone @393K kms
    '05 V70R (Magic Blue)-120K mi to-date - gone
    '96 854R (Red)-real CDN-spec 5-speed R - gone @270k kms
    And other Volvos and misc. Euro stuff

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    Canberra, Australia
    Posts
    278

    Default

    Is it alright to do without dropping the sunframe?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Location
    Virginia Beach
    Posts
    4,116

    Default

    You have to drop the subframe to get the bar in there. To just get a bushing in there shouldn't require dropping the subframe.
    Current Fleet:
    2016 Tundra Crewmax 4WD 1794
    2005 MB S600 (126K, Michelin AS4, HPL 0W40)
    2005 MB SL600 (55K Michelin AS4, Mobil 1 0W40)
    2004 V70R (143K, six speed M66, HPL 5W40)
    2004 XC90 (235K, HPL 0W30 Euro)
    2002 V70-XC (295K, HPL 0W30 Euro)
    2002 V70-T5 (225K, IPD bars, Bilsteins)
    2001 V70-T5 (125K, IPD downpipe, cat back and other mods)
    1932 Packard Sedan (straight 8, dual sidemounts, original paint and interior, Shell Rotella 15W40)

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    Canberra, Australia
    Posts
    278

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Astro14 View Post
    You have to drop the subframe to get the bar in there. To just get a bushing in there shouldn't require dropping the subframe.
    Thanks! I'm just going to do the bushings so hopefully I won't need to drop the subframe. I just need to find something to cut the bushing to the right size to start with!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Nov 2011
    Location
    Canada
    Posts
    12

    Default

    I don't think you can replace the factory bushing with a universal sway bar bushing without removing the sway bar because the factory bushing is vulcanized to the bar and not designed to be removed at all. It's quite a mission to drill out the bracket, split it open, then get the old bushing material off the bar etc. I don't believe this could be done with the bar in the car. You need to remove the bar to properly access it with some tools and cut it off essentially. Once you've gone to a universal sway bar bushing though I think you could replace it again in the future with the bar still in the car if the bushing failed.
    Hope this helps.
    1974 142 'Grand Luxe' - First Car ---> 1981 244 DL ---> 1980 242 GT - Should never have sold ---> 1979 245 Wagon - 450,000k then odometer failed ---> 1977 244 DL ---> 1986 740 Turbo ---> 1986 240 DL Wagon ---> 1967 122S 'Canadian' - Presently rebuilding ---> 2001 V70 XC - Daily driver

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Jun 2014
    Location
    Canberra, Australia
    Posts
    278

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by dwasaurus View Post
    I don't think you can replace the factory bushing with a universal sway bar bushing without removing the sway bar because the factory bushing is vulcanized to the bar and not designed to be removed at all. It's quite a mission to drill out the bracket, split it open, then get the old bushing material off the bar etc. I don't believe this could be done with the bar in the car. You need to remove the bar to properly access it with some tools and cut it off essentially. Once you've gone to a universal sway bar bushing though I think you could replace it again in the future with the bar still in the car if the bushing failed.
    Hope this helps.
    Thanks! This is exactly what I want to know!

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    NY
    Posts
    6

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by dwasaurus View Post
    I don't think you can replace the factory bushing with a universal sway bar bushing without removing the sway bar because the factory bushing is vulcanized to the bar and not designed to be removed at all. It's quite a mission to drill out the bracket, split it open, then get the old bushing material off the bar etc. I don't believe this could be done with the bar in the car. You need to remove the bar to properly access it with some tools and cut it off essentially. Once you've gone to a universal sway bar bushing though I think you could replace it again in the future with the bar still in the car if the bushing failed.
    Hope this helps.
    What about using a little heat from torch, rubber released easily for me with just a little time applying torch, little by little.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Aug 2016
    Location
    NY
    Posts
    6

    Default

    Just torch bushing to release bond and clean up, insert new universal bushing, worked for me.

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