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I am new here and I have a very perplexing problem. It all started when I hit a full grown groundhog, or something its size, at 40mph on the right front wheel. The impact was so severe I almost pulled over to inspect for obvious damage, but all seemed well in the moments following. Fast forward several months and my dad pointed out outer tire wear and recommended I do an alignment. I did this and the car handled better, especially after new front tires. I assumed the issue fixed, until a few more months went by. The car started to pull to the right as it did before, and so I did another alignment and that fixed the pull. A couple months later it was pulling again, and this time I aligned it and rotated the tires front and back. This time there was no difference at all, still pulling to the right. Three weeks or less from this last alignment, a straight tire is worn enough to need replacement. I don't know what to do, and I have checked everything I can. I checked for tie rod play and found none. I straightedge checked the strut rod and it appears straight. The bushings all seem to be in good shape. I am at my wit's end, and this is my only car. I will soon need a new tire, but I am not going to do that until the pull is fixed. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.
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I finally have an update. It has been too long, but circumstances have been against me. I took the car to a local shop, and he basically told me there is nothing wrong with it. He aligned it nd did extensive testing, but all he could conclude was age was the factor here. He did not say this, but it is likely the bushings are old and need to be replaced. The car has 356,000 miles and counting, so that probably needs to be done. I really appreciate all the suggestions. I plan to get new tires and I hope the alignment holds up this time. I intend to do a T5 transmission swap soon, but I need a second car first. Since I mention it, any thoughts or recommendations for a T5 swap? I don't know what will be involved. Also, any suggestions for a good, older car for long distance interstate travel? The 940 does not do well at 70mph. Thanks guys!
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A light bulb finally went on in my mind when I was under the car just now. It's almost certainly your radius rod (control arm strut) bushings. I apologize for not remembering this until now as it could have saved you a lot of time and effort.
The right side often goes first. When braking, the radius compresses and the steering pulls to the right, exactly as you describe. If they're really bad you may even get steering shudder up through the column as well as the front tracking being sloppy. I've had to replace a few over the years -got a set on the shelf right now as I know one of my 940s hasn't been done in living memory.
The conical bushings at the front usually go first. There's a pair, one on each side of the control arm. With age, the rubber dries out, loses its flex and the faces start to wear out, eventually permitting back and forth movement. The pressed in bushing at the chassis end of the rod is often okay, but should still be checked to make sure it's not torn. To do that, it's best to remove the rod to the bench and clamp the rear bushing solidly in a vise. Twist the arm with a wrench while moving it up and down to see if the rubber is torn or there's visually any hint it's starting to tear. For an old bushing, a bit of crazing on the rubber surface is okay as long as it's not severe.
For the conical bushings, Meyle is an aftermarket brand I frequently use, while Bougicord is generally considered better when you can get them. Do both sides even if the other side hasn't gone yet. You're supposed to do a wheel alignment when replacing the bushings, but you can often get away without it. In your case where the last alignment was done with worn bushings, you should have the alignment checked.
A medium small wire cup in a drill is ideal for cleaning the mating faces of the control arm. Do not lube the bushings. Torque spec for the front nut is 70 ft-lbs (with the rear bolt finger tight). For the rear bolt it's 63 ft-lbs. The rear bolt should be tightened in the neutral position with the weight of the vehicle on the suspension (ie. front on ramps).
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Dave -still with 940's, prev 740/240/140/120 You'd think I'd have learned by now
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I have a small update. I discovered I had a bad tire on the right side. After the most recent alignment, the car still pulled the same to the right. I decided to swap the front tires, which I know is highly discouraged, but when I did, the pull swapped sides to the same degree. That was clear enough to me to say I had a bad tire. I then put new tires on it, and it continued to pull to the left. I recalled that the mechanic who did the last alignment said he set it up to pull left in order to counter the right pull. I took it back to him, and he refused to touch the car on the basis that his initial findings are concrete and unchangeable. He told me the alignment is not adjustable, and I likely had a bad steering knuckle. Obviously, I did not believe a word he said, and I decided to once again do the alignment myself. I discovered the alignment to be very out of spec to the left, and I was able to get it straight enough to drive for a limited time. I believe I am on top of the issue now, but it has been a hair pulling journey. It appears that all the bushings are good, and they were done roughly 100k miles ago. The steering is very tight and has no slop at all.
As for an alignment shop, I have tried three local shops. One has horrible customer service and tried to tell me I needed a strut rod, though they did align it. The second outright refused to align it, and the third tells me the alignment is not adjustable. There is one more local shop I can try, but I do not have very high hopes. I live in central Kentucky; if anyone can suggest an alignment shop that will do the 940 in the Somerset/Lexington region, I would really appreciate that. I live in Chevrolet country, where a Volvo is a 'What?'
Machine Man, the engine is running close to 3,500rpm at 70mph with little sound insulation, which is highly unsuitable for long trips. Many have been made in the car, but I value my eardrums. I realize there is probably an exhaust leak of some kind, as the engine is extremely loud at high rpm. The 940 I have is an automatic non turbo with a 4:10 rear, which is perfect for back road fun. However, it is not ideal for interstate travel. I am specifically looking for a car like a BMW 5 series from before 2004. I am interested in a Volvo up to roughly 2010 though. I would like to have a RWD car that will happily cruise on the interstate and handle well on back roads. A stick shift is preferable but not necessary, as is RWD. I have absolutely zero interest in new cars, and I do not have the place to store a more valuable car.
As for the T5 swap, I only desire to do it knowing the automatic will likely one day let me down. I also have a strong desire to own a manual car, and I love the sound of the B230. I also drive my car hard on the back roads, which is why I lean to a T5 rather than a Volvo transmission. I don't know much about gearing, but my research seems to indicate the T5 will provide better gearing for what I want the car for. Any further suggestions are welcomed. Thanks!
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Hi,
I’m curious what you mean by extensive testing?
Does that mean he looked for frame structure or at least the rear differential being in line and parallel with the front end? To me that would be extensive if you are thinking bushing.
On the 240s there are trailing arms a torque limiting rods keep things straight.
I keep thinking that since front end people seem to not find anything something else must be tweaking .
If the problem keeps reoccurring “there is something wrong in DENMARK”. Sweden is in the Netherlands isn’t it? 😊🤭🤔🤫😇
I don’t understand the remark about the car not doing well doing 70 MPH.
What’s going on with that?
I’m aware that when I drive the newer vehicles have six to nine speed transmissions and other tricky stuff that puts their car in the junkyard just after they’re paid off.
A lot of ON STAR’s customers of 2016 vehicles have been obsoleted for several years already.
They don’t work with the cellular platforms changing regularly.
Lots of features were tied into that expensive option package.
My sister-in-law is less happy with a less interactive console on her Chevy Equinox.
Now it’s only her cellphone for navigation and other higher priced subscriptions “per device” if you don’t watch the fine print. Home surveillance cameras have tried that too.
You said you wanted an older car for long distance travel. AN Older car?
What ways and brands are you open for?
Are you thinking a Lincoln Town Car as that’s pretty old and out dated for any economic considerations since the land yacht days. I see them occasionally lurking around slow world towns in various mechanical conditions.
The running gear of a 940 B230 is pretty bullet proof isn’t it? 356K is about normal for these engines but I don’t know anything about the 900 series bodies except being a little more dressed out for later sales attraction away from the inevitable FWD competition on the horizon.
Are we talking about creature comforts of the seats or lack of Air conditioning for long distances?
Are you referring to T-5 because you have an automatic transmission?
What kind of mileages are you are you getting in the 940?
Do you want to ride peacefully with traffic or try to out Drive the others to the next signal?
I ride and don’t drive to places.
The others in up sitting and waiting for me to coast up behind their next racing moment.
We all are going get to where we are going at the same time as a group of traffic.
The signaling systems are set up that way.
It’s not rocket science but it’s the way time, we call it, or physics governs everything.
To get to a next place or point within half the time, there is an exponential factor to consider. It’s been calculated that takes quadruple the amount of energy to do that once.
A photon travels at the speed of light because it is. Imagine how much energy it takes to push that photon!
We have studied how to extract some of that energy to do work for us. Photosynthesis is our planet.
🤭 we use minerals and petroleum in every which a way!
So much for those generations that come later, if?😬
Life is but a flicker in passing.
A neutrino can pass through the earth. Imagine its energy?
I found out about their existence in 1985. I was still behind the times!
Who said TIMES… to mean what and do what? 😵💫
Enjoy what you learned to like and unlearn those you don’t.
There’s been 160 billion people on this biosphere since the beginning.
I’m sure some old fart thought that one up before me!
Phil
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Hi __?__,
Do you see any signs of the right brake caliper binding and or any noticeable
damage to the brake flex line. Old brake flex lines might be an issue for you.
You can try spinning the front wheels when they're jacked up to compare.
Good luck, Bill
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I checked a number of things pointed out here. There is no wheel bearing play, no ball joint play, no bushing play. Some time ago I installed brake pad shims for squeal reduction in the front and back and later realized they were only supposed to go on the back, but I just left them in the front. There was some drag on that wheel, so I took those shims out. I do not think that was enough to cause the pull, nor is it consistent with the time I put them in, but I have not driven it yet to confirm the results. I will also say that I have been doing my own alignments. Two different local shops told me they could not align it, so I just did it myself and have since.
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Thinking of hitting an animal, the one possibility that occurred to me is the wheel getting bent and now not running true. At highway speed it would wobble and create drag. For a front wheel I'd expect harmonic steering vibration at certain highway speeds. For a rear wheel, perhaps not so much. To verify that you'd need a dial mic against both the inside and the outside wheel rim bead area to measure both the vertical and horizontal variation (there are allowable specs). If just the tire got damaged, it would not only be out of round and cause vibrations and drag at certain speeds, it would take on a bulge. You can visibly check for both these things by spinning the wheel tread grooves against a piece of chalk, but you need to leave the wheel raised at least overnight to let the roadset flat spot fully relax, also have the tire properly inflated.
To add my two-bits to the mix here, as soon as you said one wheel spins less easily than the other then I have to suspect a brake drag issue, as have a number of others here. I'd pursue that first before coming back to deal with any remaining alignment issues.
With the wheel raised, when you spin it is the drag even all the way around? Rotors/hubs never run perfectly true, but bearings tend to wear evenly.
I'd put a seizing caliper way ahead of a collapsed brake hose as a first suspect causing the brakes to drag when cold. With the wheel off, after pressing and releasing the brakes, can you turn the rotor using one hand on the studs? Ideally the pads will just scuff and more ideally scuff evenly all the way around, but as long as you can turn the hub by hand then the pads will continue to retract during driving. If it's uneven side to side then you will have pulling.
Let me guess that the problem got noticeably worse soon after replacing the pads. The caliper piston is now travelling more retracted with piston grunge now under the seal. As the seal continues to wear or if it ever gets rusty then they will not retract properly and eventually seize.
Did you carefully check for torn/damaged piston dust boots and the caliper slide pin boots? Have the guide pins been removed, inspected, cleaned and re-lubed in living memory? If the guide pins can't slide freely then the caliper can't brake evenly. If one pin gets stuck the caliper can even lock.
Did you carefully check for split/damaged steering rack boot? A worn/rusty steering rack can cause problems even when the alignment is withing spec.
Any alignment shop that says they can't do a 700/900 isn't worth talking to. Toe in/out should be checked/adjusted whenever any of the steering links or bushings are replaced. There is a limited amount of room for adjusting camber and caster in these cars.
--
Dave -still with 940's, prev 740/240/140/120 You'd think I'd have learned by now
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Thanks for the suggestions guys. I have looked at several things as you have mentioned. To answer some of your input Dave, the drag was even all around. I had noise reduction shims in the pads that were only supposed to go on the rear so I removed them. I have not driven it yet to see if it made a difference, but I have my doubts. The brakes were last done over four years ago, long before the problem started, and the rotors and pads are wearing very nicely. The wheel bearing is also very tight and makes no noise, so it looks to be in good shape.
I could not tell that there was any damage to the rack boot, but the rack was rebuilt 7 years ago, though that does not rule this out. All of that should be in decent shape anyway.
Jwalker, there is no pull when braking. I checked for that specifically when I drove the car the last time. I do not suspect a bad brake hose, but I also do not know what I am looking for. There are no external signs of failure, though I am familiar with collapsed hoses. I highly doubt a groundhog did serious damage, but sometimes strange things happen.
As for the two shops I mentioned, both were set up for alignments and still turned me down. I will not go back to the one, but the other is my outlet for tires. I plan to be out tomorrow and will check with one or two other local shops to see if they can do it or find anything wrong. I hope they can point something out I cannot detect. If it gets fixed or identified I will try to respond here. Thanks a lot!
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Hi,
When I started reading about your issue with outer tire wear I thought it sounded like your camber angle was leaning outwards.
I read on and got caught up in thinking about the drag idea as if one wheel could be slow enough that the left wheel is trying to drive around the right wheel and cause drifting to the right.
Like having one horse in a team not pulling as evenly with another horse next to it.
A coachman corrects the harder pulling horse to slack back or whips the other one with the reins and calls him out by name.
On roads with some excessive crown for water drainage a vehicle will have a tendency to hunt to the right.
But that’s on certain roads only and NOT enough to warrant tire wear. If you drive the mountains then wear can be on both sides.
ABS could do the same thing but only when applying the brakes or maybe a reoccurring sticking caliper.
I bet both would are very hard to process out to any conclusion
From all of your indications, it sounds like the car is in very decent shape.
Alignment shops worth their salts are hard to find. They only want to work for more expensive spices that are only flavorful and not essential.
So now I’m back to thinking that you may have an upper strut mount bad!
On the 240s the bearing goes bad but on many other cars, in general, the rubber breaks down that holds it all in place.
It absolutely controls the camber and caster simultaneously.
Caster is more for the wheels to straighten themselves back up after turning
Camber it is like leaning a motorcycle.
Outer tire wear in a big clue or excessive toe-in of which is what most alignment shops look for first as it’s the easiest adjustment.
I’m not familiar with the newer vehicles like even the 900’s but McPhersons setups are McPherson?
I don’t know how one checks those in place but since the problem comes and goes over a lot of time.
Enough to wear out a tire so it sure sounds like it should be high on the possibility list.
A reason to get it check out.
Do you think they are the original upper mounts and it took a big animal to shake it loose!
Just saying?
Some mounts when they go, the strut’s top nut can pop a dent in the hood with the bearing showing itself with it.
Have the alignment guys ever adjusted the strut around and called it good?
Look for wrenching marks on the nuts and bracket stains of movements.
Look for deep crevices or cracks in the rubber around the inside of the strut mounting plates casing on the topside.
Does the rubber look aged?
All of the strut should be in the center of the tower’s opening.
A little off means a lot in camber degrees below.
You cannot see anything from below because of the coil spring holder.
If they picked up on a shift maybe it only been adjusted and it’s moving and settling repetitively?
Your thread is a wits end so I hope these ideas above can lead you to a conclusion.
Phil
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All McPherson struts are the same basic design. Fair point about the camber or castor being off due to a bad strut mount. A missed bad spring or spring seat could also cause that. A professional alignment shop should have picked up any of those issues. I discount the bad strut mount theory. The owner would hear some noise if the strut mount was bad. I had a bad strut mount in both my 240 and 850. Both made noise….
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Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....
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Hi,
I agree with you totally about the questionably of an upper mount and it lacking some noise?
I to would discount it some as they have to be very reliable but when noise occurs that’s a sign of “it’s too late.” Tire wear is an early sign.
As far as hearing things, I’m going more deaf every year despite hearing aid adjustments.
I have more trouble hearing air going into a tire or noise from my engine rpm.
Worse yet is, not of all my wife’s speech is smacking me up that I’m getting older. 😬
Trouble catching the first word from her sentence, out of the blue, is not a good thing whatsoever! Trust me.
It appears he continues to wear on that axle’s tire.
The outside wear of tires and the questionable quality of service shops in his area tells me there must be something lacking in finding the problem.
If we back up a little with the issue of developing a skilled labor force with the idea of a business concept of time over profit does makes things dicey.
Tire shops want tire busters and if they stay there long enough alignment training can follow.
Past that, a career in this line of work doesn’t stay attractive unless you are a young management type person.
I know a person who went this way from high school age and set his sites on being a regional manger or above. IMO he is a rare duck but then, so is the company he works for.
At the same time that company limits the kind of work needed here to only stores with higher volumes of clientele. I live in a small town so I can see a possible dilemma.
The spring seat was only mentioned because it blocks an inspection from the bottom of a wheel well.
That unit is up behind the whole strut affair. Out of site out of a caring mind unless lots of parts profit is available. Our cars are old and are not in the high technology more money game.
The game being selling work to the unknowing public and the author of this thread knows a few things!
He a hands on guy more or less.
He knows things are not kosher about it.
I’m like you it’s a proven McPherson system, it’s the perimeters above, stopping the cure from appearing.
The mount is the only thing that I can think of “not visible or touchable left to question?
Thanks for your thoughts 🤔 as it looks like we needed them too.🤞
Phil
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Thanks for the suggestions guys. I have looked at several things as you have mentioned. To answer some of your input Dave, the drag was even all around. I had noise reduction shims in the pads that were only supposed to go on the rear so I removed them. I have not driven it yet to see if it made a difference, but I have my doubts. The brakes were last done over four years ago, long before the problem started, and the rotors and pads are wearing very nicely. The wheel bearing is also very tight and makes no noise, so it looks to be in good shape.
I could not tell that there was any damage to the rack boot, but the rack was rebuilt 7 years ago, though that does not rule this out. All of that should be in decent shape anyway.
Jwalker, there is no pull when braking. I checked for that specifically when I drove the car the last time. I do not suspect a bad brake hose, but I also do not know what I am looking for. There are no external signs of failure, though I am familiar with collapsed hoses. I highly doubt a groundhog did serious damage, but sometimes strange things happen.
As for the two shops I mentioned, both were set up for alignments and still turned me down. I will not go back to the one, but the other is my outlet for tires. I plan to be out tomorrow and will check with one or two other local shops to see if they can do it or find anything wrong. I hope they can point something out I cannot detect. If it gets fixed or identified I will try to respond here. Thanks a lot!
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- Weird problem -
You can do a basic alignment yourself, but with your problem it makes sense to find a seasoned Alignment professional even if you have to travel. Sometimes local guys don’t want to touch old cars!
One other thought: Besides a bad brake hose, there is a possibility that you have a dragging caliper. When calipers begin to stick they often do it on and off. Which seems to describe your issue. These two problems can be related. A bad brake hose may cause a caliper to stick (drag) on and off. Perhaps enough to cause tire wear but not show up on your rotor?
IMO - It is more likely an alignment issue possibly caused by unseen damage.
--
Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....
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Hi __?___,
Ask the local small auto garages or body shops near you where they they send their cars for alignment. There's no way that you can align the car yourself without the right equipment. Around my town near Boston, there's one shop that does alignments for other garages and that's all that Jason does. He's an ace.
A seasoned front end specialist should find out what's wrong in a hurry.
Good luck, Bill
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As Bill noted, could be a bad brake hose. Does it pull when you apply the brakes? I had a bad brake hose on my 95 850 at around 250k. It pulled when braking. There was no tire wear but I sold the car shortly after that. Bad brake hoses are a common problem on old Volvos with high mileage.
If a control arm or the frame is bent you could do an alignment and still have tire wear on one side.
--
Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....
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I don't yet have time to check all the items listed, but I had a minute and jacked up the front. There is noticeably a little more friction on the right wheel compared to the left wheel. I will look into this more in the evening.
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Thanks guys. I will check these and get back. Jwalker, I did not closely examine the control arm, but I checked the ball joint briefly and it appeared fine. I will check again though. I will also mention, Bill, that I looked at the brakes briefly since the wheel was off and did not see anything out of order. The rotor is wearing beautifully, and there is no pull in braking. I will check though and let you know what I come to. Thanks a lot.
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Thanks guys. I will check these and get back. Jwalker, I did not closely examine the control arm, but I checked the ball joint briefly and it appeared fine. I will check again though. I will also mention, Bill, that I looked at the brakes briefly since the wheel was off and did not see anything out of order. The rotor is wearing beautifully, and there is no pull in braking. I will check though and let you know what I come to. Thanks a lot.
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Thanks guys. I will check these and get back. Jwalker, I did not closely examine the control arm, but I checked the ball joint briefly and it appeared fine. I will check again though. I will also mention, Bill, that I looked at the brakes briefly since the wheel was off and did not see anything out of order. The rotor is wearing beautifully, and there is no pull in braking. I will check though and let you know what I come to. Thanks a lot.
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Good thinking. It's natural to assume one or both symptoms are related to the accident, but perhaps not. Especially since the symptoms showed up months later.
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More thoughts,
Not to overlook the obvious, I'm hoping he checked tire pressure first.
You'd think a pro front end alignment would turn up any problems with
ball joints, tie rods, etc. and even the frame getting damaged, so I wonder if he went to some Walmart or chain tire merchant alignment shop instead of a for real
alignment specialist. I'd take it back to the alignment shop and ask them
either way.
I'd jack it up and see if there's a noticeable bind on the front wheels.
Dunno if hubs can get damaged and start binding? Maybe the car has 300K miles
and the hub is crapping out? He can get a clue by spinning the front wheels,
A bad flex line is still high on my list.
Bill
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Two parts you didn’t mention checking:
1. Ball joint - check for slop
2. Control Arm - look to see if is bent
A good alignment shop should check these. Either one can definitely cause premature tire wear.
--
Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....
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