Hello everybody! I'm new to this forum. I have had a '93 945T wagon for six years now... it has 128K miles and is in excellent shape. I recently replaced the timing belt myself which was a lot of fun (used the special Volvo tool that holds the crankshaft pulley stationary... and it was a cinch!).

Anyway, now I need to replace the front strut cartridges. The car bounces like an old Buick. I have the 940 Haynes manual which details a very involved procedure of removing the ball joint, hub, tie rod ends, etc. However, when I look at the setup on my car, the top mounting is much different than in the pictures in the Haynes manual. It is also different from the information in the 700/900 FAQ on this site.

When I open the hood and look at the top of the strut tower, there is a huge nut, then a deep cupped washer about 2-3 inches in diameter, then a very thick ribbed rubber bushing, then another cupped washer, all on top of a 2-3 inch wide cutout in the upper mounting plate. It seems like this whole arrangement was designed so that the strut cartridge could be removed from the top without disturbing the spring, shock tube, or ball joint.

Could it be as simple as removing the large nut, then the washers and bushing, then just pulling out the shock cartridge?

Thanks for any information!