Well, I completely rebuilt the front suspension on my '92 960 over the weekend. I replaced the inner and outer tie rods, balljoints, struts, all bushings, swaybars, and did a front brake job at the same time. All total it probably took me a good 15 hours or so. Definately not a fun job, but boy was it worth it. I ended up going with the Boge Turbo gas struts b/c the stock struts feel like they're filled with Jello. I was worried that they'd be too stiff, but the car actually has a MORE compliant ride than it did before...I guess because the the bushings were so far gone. Plus it handles infinately better (thanks also in part to the new swaybars). There is no more suspension crash-through like there was before and it tracks PERFECTLY straight. Road irregularities don't even upset its course any more.

The one hickup I ran into was after it was all apart I found that one of my wheel bearings was "bad." I put it in quotations b/c after I had already bought and installed a replacement (at nearly $300...ouch!) I found that these hubs ARE serviceable. They easily come apart and you can repack them with grease just like the old Timken style on the pre-'88 models. I found that mine was just dry and dirty...and thus making grinding noises. I could have just repacked the bearings and saved myself a ton of money. The bearings and races were fine...just needed lubrication. It's probably a good idea to repack these bearings once in a while, even though you're not "supposed" to be able to. It'll save you a ton of money down the road.

For some reason, though, an intermitant problem I've been having with the power steering was aggravated by my recent work. Since I've owned the car, every once in a while at very low speeds (like below 5mph), in tight turning maneuvers, the steering vibrates really bad. Since I rebuilt the front end, it does it during all turns at low speeds (again below 5mph). The belt isn't slipping, there are no external leaks nor slop in the rack, and the P/S fluid has been flushed recently. Raising the engine speed alleviates the problem but doesn't totally get rid of it. When the car is moving above 5mph or so the steering feels fine. Any thoughts?

Lance

Lance, I am thinking of doing the same to my car. How much did it set you back? Did you need any special tools?

I also will get a vibration when parking or moving out of the driveway. I seem to recall others having that too and there was some kind of fix for certain years, on mine it seems to happen more when the tires need some air.

Thanks in advance.

Dan Ray 94 960 179K miles

I think when it was all said and done, it cost about $500 to do. This includes the cost of an alignment afterward, but not the wheel bearing fiasco. I also replaced the front pads and rotors at the same time, so if yours are fine, that'll save you almost $100 right there.

The steering wheel vibartion has subsided with driving it for couple days. I think now that all the parts are loosened up a bit, there isn't so much strain on the p/s at low speeds. There's definately something wrong with it b/c it shouldn't do that regardless, but since it has subsided, I'm not going to worry about it at this point (unless there's some cheap fix).

Lance

I remember now, I was able to quiet it down some, the power steering cooler in located behind the bumper in front of the front wheel driver side, when it was vibrating that pipe was rattling, all I did was bend it slightly that helped.

Lance,

Did you go with all OEM parts or others? e.g bushings, anti-sway bars

I didn't get the parts from Volvo, if that's what you mean. They were, for the most part though, parts from the OEM suppliers to Volvo. TRW makes the tie rods, Boge makes the shocks, etc. I purchased most of the parts from FCP Groton Volvo in CT and was really impressed with their service. The sway bars came from IPD. I originally was just going to try to get an orig. rear bar from a 700/900 sedan to stick on the back, but couldn't find one. I'm actually really glad that I went with the IPD bars, though, because it corners MUCH better than it did before (and I've got Nivomats on the back still). The Turbo Gas shocks are a big improvement over the stock shocks, too, and there is only a slight loss of ride quality. Bushings came from IPD, too. They are a mix of Volvo and aftermarket parts.

Lance