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My diagnosis was correct, the strut with a bit of oil around the end connected to the car was the bad one. When I got it off, the piston just fell down into the cylinder.
Checked with a number of suppliers.
fcpgroton - Non-Volvo p/n 6846014, $13.00. Had a note "Made in Germany"
vlvworld - Non-Volvo p/n 6846014, #16.76. No special notes.
TAP-VPI in Houston - $40.00 Phone order. No p/n given. Assured that their label "Stabilus" is from the OEM for Volvo.
Felt queasy about after-markets, plus time was inportant. Drove into town and got a pair from TAP-VPI. Put into cargo area awaiting dry weather.
Went to install, noticed a tag on one shock. No brand, but shows a number, 6846014. Friendship with TAP-VPI is in question.
About installation:
Unlike the 240 struts I am used to, these have a ball joint on both ends.
There is a sort of "C" clamp that wraps around at the end, but is 3mm wide. Use a small flattip screwdriver, poked into a groove made for this, and pry the band up but do not remove entirely.
Easiest is to learn how little it takes by removing the old strut. Pry a little, pull on strut, do again if not successful the first time. Won't take much.
with the strut off, I wiped the ball clean with a dry paper towel, then applied a coating of thick "Lubriplate" silicone grease (have had a quart can in garage for 40+ years) and put on the new strut. There is probably some grease on hand for you to use, maybe even front wheel bearing grease would work. Whatever.
Put on the door end first, after prying the "C" band loose a little.
Then, As a "lets see" idea, I positioned the door end over the ball and gave it a mild karate chop. POP, that was all it took.
No doubt all my worrying made the job easier. Next time, however, it's off to fpcgroton for parts.
But there is a lingering question - is Stabilus the OEM for Volvo?
Regards,
Bob
:>)
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