My 92 Volvo 740 is leaning to the left......

[geronimo]

Its around an inch lower on the left side, suspension is
apparently sagging on that side. Ovbviously the rear left suspension
is affected, too. Do I need to change the left hand strut, or shock
or both?

 

[James Sweet]

Its around an inch lower on the left side, suspension is
apparently sagging on that side. Ovbviously the rear left suspension
is affected, too. Do I need to change the left hand strut, or shock
or both?

Does this have Nivomat self leveling rear suspension? If so, when it starts
to go, it goes fast, and pretty soon you're bottoming out over speed bumps.
My little brother's 760 did this recently, I replaced the springs with some
from a junkyard and installed standard Bilstein shocks. Much cheaper than
new Nivomats and it handles fine.

 

[Roadie]

    Its around an inch lower on the left side, suspension is
apparently sagging on that side. Ovbviously the rear left suspension
is affected, too.  Do I need to change the left hand strut, or shock
or both?

The rear shock won't effect height but the spring will.

Older Volvo's are prone to sag from worn suspension bushings too, so
it may be time for a rebuild. If you choose to simply replace a
sagging front strut, do yourself a favor and replace both sides at the
same time.

 

[Steve H]

The rear shock won't effect height but the spring will.

Older Volvo's are prone to sag from worn suspension bushings too, so
it may be time for a rebuild. If you choose to simply replace a
sagging front strut, do yourself a favor and replace both sides at the
same time.

My old 960 with the self leveling suspension leans t0o the left if I
don't drive it for a few days. a 5 mile drive sorts it out and self
levels as os should. rather expensive to replace.

Ste H

 

[James Sweet]

The exception is if the car has Nivomats. These self leveling shocks use a
very light spring, and much of the support is provided by the shock. They
will sag badly when they wear out and replacement is spendy, it's much
cheaper to convert the car to conventional shocks and springs.

 

[Roadie]

My old 960 with the self leveling suspension leans t0o the left if I
don't drive it for a few  days.  a 5 mile drive sorts it out and self
levels as os should.  rather expensive to replace.

Ste H

I didn't realize the 960 could be had with that feature. Was it an
option in some years? My 1996 had a lot of features, but not that
one.

 

[Someone]

"For 1995, the 960 underwent radical changes. Most obvious was the
more aerodynamic front end, and more body coloured panels. Underneath,
the front suspension was completely retooled to more closely match
that of the 850. Indeed, 1995 to 1998 960s are able to use the same
wheels as 1994 and newer front-wheel drive Volvo models. The rear
suspension was a completely redesigned multi-link independent design.
Instead of conventional coil springs, Volvo used a single transverse
fibreglass leaf spring. The 1995 960 station wagon marked the first
time ever that Volvo equipped one of its rear-wheel drive station
wagons with an independent rear suspension. Included in the suspension
redesign, Boge's self-levelling rear suspension system, the Nivomat,
became an option, rather than standard equipment."

See,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volvo_700_Series

 

[Roadie]

"For 1995, the 960 underwent radical changes.  Most obvious was the
more aerodynamic front end, and more body coloured panels. Underneath,
the front suspension was completely retooled to more closely match
that of the 850. Indeed, 1995 to 1998 960s are able to use the same
wheels as 1994 and newer front-wheel drive Volvo models. The rear
suspension was a completely redesigned multi-link independent design.
Instead of conventional coil springs, Volvo used a single transverse
fibreglass leaf spring. The 1995 960 station wagon marked the first
time ever that Volvo equipped one of its rear-wheel drive station
wagons with an independent rear suspension. Included in the suspension
redesign, Boge's self-levelling rear suspension system, the Nivomat,
became an option, rather than standard equipment."

See,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Volvo_700_Series




- Show quoted text -

Thank you. Yes, i remember the transverse spring beding relatively
new.

 

[geronimo]

Mine doesn't have self-levelling system. Its driveable, but I can't
load much into it as is, with it leaning so much down on the drivers
side. What I'm wondering about about is that it would seem to be a
problem both at the front AND back left. Wouldn't the suspension have
to go down on both the front and back for the car to be down on the
left when you look at it from the front or back? When you push on
the left hood and release, it only bounces once, so I guess the shock
is OK, but I think I'd replace both shock and strut. Thanks

 

[James Sweet]

Mine doesn't have self-levelling system. Its driveable, but I can't
load much into it as is, with it leaning so much down on the drivers
side. What I'm wondering about about is that it would seem to be a
problem both at the front AND back left. Wouldn't the suspension have
to go down on both the front and back for the car to be down on the
left when you look at it from the front or back? When you push on
the left hood and release, it only bounces once, so I guess the shock
is OK, but I think I'd replace both shock and strut. Thanks

It's hard to say without looking at it, but a broken suspension part on one
end could make the whole side of the car sag. I would recommend getting
underneath and having a look. Inspect carefully for broken springs, really
bad bushings, missing bolts, etc. If it's leaning that badly you might have
something broken that's obvious enough to see.

 

[JRE]

Its around an inch lower on the left side, suspension is
apparently sagging on that side. Ovbviously the rear left suspension
is affected, too. Do I need to change the left hand strut, or shock
or both?

Just take off the Hillary bumper sticker and all will be well. (Sorry,
couldn't resist.)

 

[geronimo]

Just take off the Hillary bumper sticker and all will be well. (Sorry,
couldn't resist.)

;-) good one!