Volvo C70 2.5T Coupè 1998 Suspension Comfort Problem
 

Hello.

During the 2018 i start to change a lot of spare parts for suspension and steering for my C70.
The goal is to erase the steering noise and bad comfort of suspension.
I list the new spare parts i buy and installed from mechanician:

BUYED AND INSTALLED

- x2 Front Spring Seat 30683637 (Polar Parts)
- x2 Front Support Plate 31200599 (Polar Parts)
- x2 Front Helper Spring 9140067 (Polar Parts)
- x2 Front Protecting Bellows 9140068 (Polar Parts)
- x2 Front Shock Absorber 9173850 (Sachs)
- x2 Rear Shock Absorber 9173851 (Sachs)
- x2 Rear Support Plate 9461524 (Sachs)
- x2 Front Washer 30647969 (Polar Parts)
- x2 Rear Helper Spring 3516327 (Polar Parts)
- x2 Front Stabilizer Link Bar 31212730 (ComLine)
- Tie rod end Front axle left 271598 (Kager)
- Tie rod end Front axle right 271599 (Kager)
- Control arm front left 8628499 (Optimal)
- Control arm front right 8628500 (Optimal)

A total of 24 spare parts.
Plus, i was send to a steering box repair center, my steering box (was have problem of oil leak and noise during parking steering)

The situation: the suspension comofort was bad and now is bad.
The mechanic told me that he found more spare parts to replace:

TO BUY AND TO WILL INSTALL

- 2x Rear Link 3516122
- 2x Steering Road 9191410
- 4x Bushing 3507923
- Engine Pad 9434435
- x2 Stabilizer mount (Skandix, not provided by Volvo)

In your opinion, installing these last parts, will the suspension comfort return as new? Or will it always remain very rough on road bumps?
If the problem not will solve with this last spare parts to buy i'll buy the new front and rear springs, but is very hard to find.
The code of my suspension (the string code on right bottom of VIN plate) is 46 (front spring) and B (rear spring).
For info: wheels is 7"x16" Volvo Ursa on 205/55 R16 Dunlop Sport MAXX RT (for now, but in future i buy 7.5"x17" VolvoCanisto on 225/45 R17 (that were those with which my C70 had left the factory)).

Hi Reise,

That's a long list of parts.

I notice that you have the rear
Engine Pad 9434435
There is also a similar front pad at the front.

Can you provide a link to the Skandix site for the two
x2 Stabilizer mount (Skandix, not provided by Volvo)

But can you describe what the problem is?
Is it when you go over a small bump? A big bump? Turn a corner? Brake? etc
Is it a knock or a vibration?
Do you feel it through the steering wheel, or through the seat, or can you only hear it?

On your 205/55 R16 Dunlop Sport tyres what is the air pressure?

Steve

During brake or corner is ok the car.
Good brake and good handling.
No squat and no dive. Ever flat in acceleration or brake.
The problem is for all bump or hole or anything defekt of street. The car is similiar than a model car without suspension.

Hi, Just a thought but the ride may be better with higher profile tyres such as 60 or 65. jack

Hi Reise.

Is the car sitting at the correct height (the wheel arches should be a couple of centimeters above each tyre)? If one of them is much lower then maybe you have a broken spring.

When you go over a bump, is there a knock or a vibration? Is it heavy knock or a light knock?
Do you feel something through the steering wheel, or through the seat, or can you only hear it?
Which part of the car does it come from?

On your 205/55 R16 Dunlop Sport tyres what is the air pressure?

Have you looked at any of the parts that your mechanic has taken off the car? Could you see for yourself that they needed replacing?

What do the current trailing arm bushes 3516122 bushes look like? Can you see them and are they in bad condition?

Steve

The suspensions doesn't work properly and the car seems like a die cast model without shock absorbers, so I can feel any road irregularities. Zero vibrations but I want to know if this bad behaviour is due to old suspensions or other kind of issue.

Road springs?
 

You have not mentioned the springs and your complaints about the car's reaction to bad road surfaces and potholes sounds to me like a problem with aftermarket, shorter and higher poundage road springs.

Have you checked the ride height all round with Volvo's standard measurements?

Also a picture of the car, side on, might give us a clue...

Don.

Mechanician said to change:

- 2x Rear Link 3516122
- 2x Steering Road 9191410
- 4x Bushing 3507923
- Engine Pad 9434435
- x2 Stabilizer mount (Skandix, not provided by Volvo)

Monday i'll order this spare parts.
In this month i hope the spare parts they will be installed.
If the comfort will not change, the last spare parts to will change is springs. Now is present original 1998 Volvo springs.
I would like to avoid changing them. Is very expensive.
But my question is:
Volvo C70 Coupè originally as new was good on road bump and other defekt of street? Or was is very rigid?

Sounds to me like your new Sachs shock absorbers are far too stiff, maybe they are "sports" ones - you can have a stiff setup that is good for handling on a track or you can have a soft setup that is comfortable for rough roads, but almost impossible to achieve both.

The original shock absorbers, installed at the factory in 1998 of the C70, were Sachs with the same spare parts code of the new ones I bought and had installed.

However, my mother's Jaguar S-Type, has almost 300,000 km, the suspensions are all original, never changed, and compared to the C70, it is better both as a road holding, both as stability and both asperity absorption road. With the S-Type the holes are almost not heard.