front suspention

[rexer12]

Well ive finally had to bite the bullet and get the s40 booked in for the front suspention top mounts to be done as the bearings have gone, so from wednesday she should be as quiet as a mouse with no knocking sounds from the front end.

[ThroughLou]

Hey I'm trying to diagnose a suspension noise on mine. I get a loud clonking noise over speed bumps. Is that similar to what you experienced?

[cookie]

Originally Posted by ThroughLou

Hey I'm trying to diagnose a suspension noise on mine. I get a loud clonking noise over speed bumps. Is that similar to what you experienced?

First thing on top mounts, is lift bonnet, and see if top damper bolt is in the centre, or sitting to one side, and if you push car side to side, do the top damper bolts move around in the top mount

you can take off wheels and have a good check of the drop links, and check for broken springs, and anything else thats not ok (on the front, you only really have bottom ball joint (rarely fails, other than boot splitting), track rod end - again rarely fails, and would be felt through steering wheel, then you are down to top mount and drop link, possibly ARB bushes, but again rare, front spings don't tend to fail like rears, and 90%+ of suspension problems tend to be top mounts, and/or drop links

[ThroughLou]

Replaced the drop links and that didn't fix it. Il check the top mounts out later, thanks!

[Frank67]

Originally Posted by ThroughLou

Hey I'm trying to diagnose a suspension noise on mine. I get a loud clonking noise over speed bumps. Is that similar to what you experienced?

I have the same front end clunk, replaced the drop links and checked the ARB bushes and they look fine. Bolts dont look central in the top mounts under the hood so I'm guessing I need to get mine sorted. Is this a DIY job???

[cookie]

Originally Posted by Frank67

I have the same front end clunk, replaced the drop links and checked the ARB bushes and they look fine. Bolts dont look central in the top mounts under the hood so I'm guessing I need to get mine sorted. Is this a DIY job???

everything is a DIY (do it yourself) job, if you have the required skills, and tools, it involves spring compressers, and an impact gun, but with basic mechanical skills, is a straight forward job

removing springs without having (and using correctly) decent spring compressors can lead to serious injury, front springs are far easier to do than rears, as few coils, but do need to be very compressed, to remove top mount

its just a case of slacken damper top bolt with an impact gun, and 18mm impact socket but dont remove, remove 3 nuts on top mount, jack up car and put front on axle stands (both front wheels off ground) wheels off, remove drop link from leg, remove brake hose clip and abs sensor cable where attached to leg, remove 2 bottom bolts (I use the scissor jack to support under hub) and extract leg, then once out, spring compressors on, remove top mount, grease bearing ring, fit new top mount, refit damper bolt, refit leg, tighten damper bolt once back in car, do other side, check everything tight, remove axle stands and road test

[Frank67]

Originally Posted by cookie

everything is a DIY (do it yourself) job, if you have the required skills, and tools, it involves spring compressers, and an impact gun, but with basic mechanical skills, is a straight forward job

removing springs without having (and using correctly) decent spring compressors can lead to serious injury, front springs are far easier to do than rears, as few coils, but do need to be very compressed, to remove top mount

I work in engineering and have all the tools appart from spring compressors which I can get off a bloke at work. My question relates more to will I wish I had paid someone else to do it half way through the job. lol

[cookie]

If you have the skills and tools, there's nothing really difficult, realistically if first time 1 hour a side max, I have decent set of ring spanners, and manage to shift the 18mm nuts at bottom, and cheap machine mart impact gun, that runs on car battery, and 18mm impact socket, once you have loosened top nut, and bottom 2 bolts, as you have recently replaced drop links, it's probably less hassle doing at home than faffing going to garage, then back to collect, and paying for the privilege, just my personal thoughts.

[Alex121]

It's a simple enough job to do, you just have to make sure you have the right tools and be prepared for stubborn bolts - Be careful with the springs though, if you slip with those you'll know about it!

Both of my front drop links were stuck and seized and there was nothing I could do, it ended up at Volvo and it took them a fair amount of time. They ended up cutting them off in the end.

[cookie]

Originally Posted by Alex121

It's a simple enough job to do, you just have to make sure you have the right tools and be prepared for stubborn bolts - Be careful with the springs though, if you slip with those you'll know about it!

Both of my front drop links were stuck and seized and there was nothing I could do, it ended up at Volvo and it took them a fair amount of time. They ended up cutting them off in the end.

My exact point regarding the drop links, they are so cheap, if doing the job yourself, get drop links, as you will 99% need them, and last thing you want to do, is have to trundle off 1/2 way through job in another vehicle trying to find some, so why spend your time (or even worse pay someone elses' time) trying to delicately remove nuts, when less than 2 mins with a grinder, and they are off, and in the metal bin