I have the characteristic singing support bearing, checked it yesterday and there is a good 1/2" of play and when I moved the driveshaft up and down I heard a crunching sound. I will try greasing it to get me throught he week. Anyway, the Volvo dealer wants about Cdn$275 for all the parts associated with this job; bearing, support, dust cover, something else. FPC groton lists only 2 parts; bearing and support in a kit for like US$35. What gives here? Has anyone done this job lately - what parts did you use - any comments on Volvo vs. aftermarket? BTW I have the small diameter driveshaft. Thanks.


Ron Lynes
near Brantford, ON, Can
87 745 225 K km

Don't forget the the shields on either side of the bearing, if you have to drive in adverse conditions the seals on the FCP Groton are not effective in keeping grit out. Although if you pack it with a good bearing grease it might last a long time. I'm going back with Volvo parts this time as the shields did not fit well with the Scan-tech part. BTW I am not down on FCP. Also I think you should replace both parts, it's not likely you'll be able to press out the bearing and save the support.

Did mine a couple of weeks ago with the kit from FCP Groton. As long as the crossmember support and universal joints are still in good shape, you only need bearing and rubber mount.

Two things I would recommend.

1) Mark the alignment of the driveshaft before separating the two halves. See the FAQ section.

2) And trust me on this part... Unless you have access to a hydraulic press, take it some place to have the bearing pressed into the mount. It's a very tight fit and alternative c-clamp or mallet and block of wood methods don't work. It cost me $10.00 USD to have a local repair shop press it in. You could pick up an inexpensive 12 ton press for about $100.00 to $120.00 USD from a place like Harbour Freight (or similar) and do it your self, but at $10 to $15 a press...

Happy pressing!



--
1985 740GLE

I did mine yesterday. I removed the drive shaft and got a bearing kit for fcpgroton. I also found a bad U joint. I took it to a machine shop and had them press it in. 15 bucks for bearing and 15 (us) for the U joint. It took about an 1 hour to remove the drive shaft.

Works like new now. The fcp stuff was made in Korea. But I've never had a problem with scantech stuff yet. I think it's fine.

Thanks for your reply - so you didn't replace the support itself then, just removed the bearing and replaced it? What came in the bearing kit?