Front end binding/clunking/grinding/unstable and wobbly with new suspension

[IVIUSTANG]

Hi Guys!

I have rebuilt my 2006 XC70(300,000KM) suspension from top to bottom with new struts, strut bearings, spring seats, control arms, lower ball joints, end links. I immediately got it aligned after all this work, but clearly they did a very poor job of aligning it, the front wheels have some pretty nasty positive camber. I squeal my tires at very low speeds, when accelerating, when braking and when turning; in short the front end wanders all over the place and feels like krap. I did all this about a month ago and apart from the camber issue(which I will have realigned again) it has driven ok. Can a poor alignment cause very unstable tracking and almost "wobbliness?"

The car has still had some low speed popping and clunking seemingly coming from the front end and the tires almost seem to be shifting sideways etc when making tight turns. I assumed this had to be worn tie rods, so I replaced the inner and outer tie rods yesterday(they were all tight); I drove it today and it was so much worse somehow... I of course double checked everything in my suspension for tightness etc and found no issues.

Fast forward to today, I was driving and got the usual clunks turning out of my driveway, when I turned hard left at low speed it started grinding and clanking and when I straightened back out the noise went away. It just feels like utter garbage and makes random metallic bangs and rattles when driving. It also seemed like it didn't like accelerating(it would start vibrating) One guy I talked to today said he thought it was the AWD coupler(collar/sleeve) my first instinct tells me it the CV axle. Any direction on this? I am totally not comfortable driving it this way.

Thanks,
Jesse

[billr99]

Can a poor alignment cause very unstable tracking and almost "wobbliness?"

Absolutely! Of all the Volvos I have had, I find the the XC chassis is the one most sensitive to camber. The spec calls for a bit of negative camber and you can really get the front end to stick by giving it a bit more (along with a bit more tire wear). In turn, you get the camber going more positive, the front end loses grip and can get a bit vague. A difference of a half degree or so can make a world of difference if the current settings aren't quite right.

As far as the noises are concerned, that, obviously, doesn't sound good, but your call on a bad axle makes the most sense. In fact, I just went thru a similar experience after rebuilding my front end, a victim, of this last winter's crap roads here, and a bad inner CV (drivers side) was part of my problem. A bevel gear coupler doesn't make sense considering your symptoms.

Good Luck,

Bill

[vtl]

Do camber yourself. Start with the most negative setting, then adjust it if you feel its too much. Outer caliper will help you to get the same angle across sides.

My XC70 has camber visually a bit out of spec, into negative side, but I don't want to touch it, because car pulls straight and handles very good, taking in account its high ground clearance, of course.

[Astro14]

You've got two issues: instability and grinding/clanking.

Recommendations below are good: a proper alignment (I've had poor luck with anyone except the dealer) and a good look at your front outer CV joints.

[billr99]

Do camber yourself. Start with the most negative setting, then adjust it if you feel its too much. Outer caliper will help you to get the same angle across sides.

My XC70 has camber visually a bit out of spec, into negative side, but I don't want to touch it, because car pulls straight and handles very good, taking in account its high ground clearance, of course.

Assuming the OP is using Sach struts and all else is stock, if you set camber as suggested by VTI, you should be in the 3/4 to 1 degree negative range. That is loosen the strut-to-upright bolts and push the base of the strut toward the engine. I did my camber this way when I was running Sachs and it was consistent across both sides and was consistent across multiple times of setting it.

Cheers,

Bill

[IVIUSTANG]

Yes I used Sachs Touring Struts; I do have the BadSwede lift springs but have had them for 150,000KM and I never had alignment issues prior to redoing the suspension. I also noticed the Sachs struts have a rubber isolator built into the base of the strut perch which actually raises the car an additional 0.25" which I felt was a pretty noticeable amount; perhaps the suspension is simply too extended to get a proper alignment? In any case I would hope any good shop would at least tell me they can't get it within spec. Also confirming the adjustable camber bolting goes in the top hole and not the bottom of the steering knuckle? Also, which side of the car generally wears out the CV faster, I'm guessing drivers side since it is shorter therefore harsher angles on CV joint?

I am preparing to get wrecked $$$ when I take my car in for axles... time is not on my side this week and I need the car by the weekend for travel so I can't do it myself this time. Any way of checking the CV axles with the car jacked up?

Thanks again,
Jesse

[billr99]

Yes I used Sachs Touring Struts; I do have the BadSwede lift springs but have had them for 150,000KM and I never had alignment issues prior to redoing the suspension. I also noticed the Sachs struts have a rubber isolator built into the base of the strut perch which actually raises the car an additional 0.25" which I felt was a pretty noticeable amount; perhaps the suspension is simply too extended to get a proper alignment? In any case I would hope any good shop would at least tell me they can't get it within spec. Also confirming the adjustable camber bolting goes in the top hole and not the bottom of the steering knuckle? Also, which side of the car generally wears out the CV faster, I'm guessing drivers side since it is shorter therefore harsher angles on CV joint?

I am preparing to get wrecked $$$ when I take my car in for axles... time is not on my side this week and I need the car by the weekend for travel so I can't do it myself this time. Any way of checking the CV axles with the car jacked up?

Thanks again,
Jesse

If you are running non-stock springs than you really do need to have a "professional" alignment or, at the least, use a camber gauge. I found this time when I used Monroe OESpectrum struts, that have the lower perch about a half inch lower than Sachs, and Eibach springs that I get about 3.5 degrees of negative camber requiring the use of two adjustable camber bolts to get the camber back around half a degree negative. If your setup raises the car much at all, you might also require two of the bolts to get the camber back in spec. You can play around with all of this using something as basic as this gauge ( http://www.ebay.ca/itm/171789343150?...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT). At least you can get in the ball park before you take it in and have some charge you for an alignment that will be just as accurate as what you could do with some patience, a gauge like this, jackstands and some string.

Cheers,

Bill

[IVIUSTANG]

The losers at the alignment shop only tightened 1 out of the 2 bolts on both sides... the owner better be ready for my tirade..The cam bolt was loose on both sides and adjusted the maximum in the wrong direction. I moved it as far as possible the other way and it did improve a lot but is still in the positive camber range and still squeals a bit, does anyone run cam bolting on the bottom and how much more can it give me? Grinding and popping etc seems to be gone for now but only took it for a 10 minute test drive; time will tell. Is it possible excessive positive camber plus my 2.25" lift is maxing out the angles of the CV joint and was grinding while turning left for only those reasons?
Thanks,
Jesse

[billr99]

does anyone run cam bolting on the bottom and how much more can it give me?

According to the manufacturers of the camber bolts (i.e. Ingalls Engineering http://www.ingallseng.com/), each bolt gives you about 1 degree plus/minus of adjustment.

Cheers,

Bill

[IVIUSTANG]

I am officially insane... I now have the camber at a spot I like and the front end is more stable for sure. But despite using Volvo tie rods and counting the revolutions when I swapped parts the toe on both sides are both pointed inward; so they are fighting each other and probably the real reason for my constant light squealing. I hate to say it but my car sure still feels like a FWD, when I turn my wheels hard left/right I get a very bad grinding sound; is it possible the bevel gear collar is stripped but is able to transfer some power under very light load but grind really hard when cornering due to the increased load? I also still have a horrific feeling over bad bumps; I can't figure that part out. All bushings and ball joints etc are 1 month old and drove perfectly up until 2-3 days ago, visually nothing is broken and I have torqued all the bolts again to make sure. I'll also mention I check my bevel gear fluid every oil change and lately is has started leaking quite badly, I cleaned it off two days ago and it is already dripping and saturated on the bottom of the casing; it has never gone below 3/4 though; appears to be the cv shaft seal that is leaking.

I lifted my car up to see if the AWD was still functional(all 4 tires off the ground and in drive) and all 4 tires did spin; but this is obviously a zero load situation.

Im going to get an alignment for sure to fix my toe, and probably use my roadside assistance to tow my car 250KM to the nearest Volvo specialist that I trust; I'm not in the mood for removing the angle gear and doing the collar.

What do you guys think?