Since I got my '86 Volvo 240DL sedan over 2X years ago the rear is kind of low/sagging. So taking advantage of recent sale by IPD I bought a set of rear overload springs which I will have put on next week. Also I will replace trailing arm bushings. Should I also replace rear shock absorbers ? Anything else I should replace or have serviced while it is in the shoppe ??

When my '89 waqs sagging, it was the Trailing arm bushings. I also did the Overload springs. The sag was the Bushing though. I did the Springs one weekend, ran out of time, and the car was still sagging . The bushings did the trick.

I did not and it is not necessary to change the shocks because of the Spring change.
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'75 Jeep CJ5 345Hp ChevyPwrd, two motorcycles, '85 Pickup: The '89 Volvo is the newest vehicle I own. it wasn't Volvos safety , it was Longevity that sold me

Doing the trailing arm bushings might well fix the sagging rear end problem (it did on my car). Overload springs may actually make the rear ride high - only good if you're loading the trunk with a lot of stuff regularly or towing.


If you're doing the Panhard rod bushings, use genuine Volvo/Boge(?) parts, not generic rubber items from FCP Groton. I bought a set of FCP generic bushings and found that their metal shells were actually too small to fit tightly in the ends of the Panhard rod - they spun in their bores. Fortunately, FCP let me return the things (they actually covered return shipping) and had the Volvo items available for under dealer cost.


-b.

I would stuff some new shocks in the rear of it. I am fond of the Boge gas charged shocks, they are a nice combination with the overloads. You might want to take a look at stuffing in a set of the urethane locating arm bushings for the rear differential as well. Between springs, shocks, T/A bushings, and locating arm bushings you will have that rear suspension pretty much overhauled. The only other thing left is the panhard bushings and truthfully I really never do those, the just don't take the beating like the other bushings, but if you wanted to make a clean sweep you could hang those as well and then you'd be done with it. If it has not been done in the last 30K you might as well change out the diff fluid too.

Mark