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M-R-P
Sunday 6th November 2011, 17:59
If, like me, your Volvo is your only means of transport, and your missus is dead against performance upgrades, When you find that your shocks are shot, the excuse "it's done the bushes in too" could lead you to the following phrase..."It's £160 for a pair of wishbones but I can get a set of polybushes for £33 and they last forever!" I'll start with the bushes because I found doing it all in one go leads to the hub flapping about while you're trying to do something.

So, here goes...

Firstly, tools...
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6954.jpg
With the wheel off, give everything you're planning to undo, a dam good going over with some Plus-Gas...
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6953.jpg
Let it soak for a few minutes. The bolts are on the other side of the subframe. On the drivers side (as you see here) These are a pig to undo as there's no room to get a socket on so I used a 17mm ring spanner and a rubber mallet.
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6955.jpg
Have a jack under the wishbone, just to hold it steady.
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6957.jpg
Pull the assembly toward you and use something to wedge between the wishbone and the subframe. Giving you access to the bush. You can see how bad this bush is as I can push the rod over to one side with my thumb.
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6956.jpg
With a 4mm drill, destroy some of the rubber to weaken it a bit...
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6958.jpg
Grab the rod with a couple of adjustable spanners and turn it in one direction until you hear a crunch. then keep turning and eventually POP, out it comes!
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6959.jpg
Burn the old rubber off the rod.
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6960.jpg
So as not to get the rod too hot, burn it for a few minutes then let it cool. Wipe it with a rag and repeat 4 or 5 times until you end up with a clean rod...
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6967.jpg
In the intervals between burnings, grab a hacksaw and remove the blade. Thread it through the hole in the wishbone and re-attach the handle. Find the square cut out in the remains of the bush-outer and cut through into it. Be careful not to cut the steel sleeve press-fitted into the wishbone.
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6962.jpg
Now hammer a blunt screwdriver between the bush-outer and the steel sleeve, next to where you cut and twist.
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6964.jpg
Keep prying the bush into itself and after a while, it will just pull out.
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6965.jpg
Now, off to the shed with the rod and the new polybush. You can push the rod in part of the way by hand (plenty of copperslip required)
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6968.jpg
Now put it in a vice and press it about half way, until the bit of the rod that's inside the bush reaches the vice jaw.
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6969.jpg
Now, with a socket or anything to keep the rod away from the vice jaw (I used 2 little dumbell weights, taped together), press the rod all the way in. You should hear a "pop"
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6970.jpg

sizzlechest
Sunday 6th November 2011, 19:06
Interesting project.Watching.....:eye-poppi

M-R-P
Sunday 6th November 2011, 19:36
Now, back to the car!
coat the inside of the wishbone hole with good ol' copperslip
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6966.jpg
Using your socket (dumbell weights) the same way as before, use a G-clamp to push the bush into the hole in the wishbone. It WILL try to go sideways so force the clamp square. You'll see that about half of the lip round the end of the bush goes into the hole. The rest, you have to gently push in with a screwdriver. once the whole end of the bush is in, it will easily press all the way in with the G-clamp.
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6971.jpg
You'll know it's in when the lip pops out the other side and locks in.
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6973.jpg
Turn the rod so the rounded side faces the subframe and bolt it back on. AS for torque settings? I did it up as hard as I could by hand with a spanner and tw@tted it twice with a rubber mallet:)
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6974.jpg
That's it for the polybush side of things, let me know if I missed anything.

M-R-P
Sunday 6th November 2011, 19:55
Ok, Now the shocks... First, crack the top nut on the shock, this will save some agro later...(thanks for the tip, Duane)
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6975.jpg
Give the hub mount bolts another dose of Plus-gas and take the ABS wire out of it's brackets and drop it down, out of the way. Haynes book of lies says to disconnect it but it's not needed and will take longer.
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6976.jpg
Because these bolts are notorious for corroding and refusing to undo, I wound another nut up the bolt to clean the thread a bit. More Plus-gas.
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6977.jpg
Note the droplink is already off, 18mm open ended spanner and a torx key, easy peasy (and I forgot to take a pic)

To undo the bolts, don't try to undo the nut side, you could bend the bolt. Undo the bolt-head side, pinning the nut with a socket and bar against the subframe. These are really tight. Treat it like tapping a thread - 2 turns out, 1 turn in so as not to damage the thread (if you want to re-use the bolts).
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6978.jpg
Repeat on the lower bolts... at this point, I propped the hub on some wood, so it didn't wander off.
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6979.jpg
Don't forget to soak your nuts! (and bolts)lol
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6980.jpg
Now undo the 3 nuts at the top, leaving a few turns on one, to hold the strut while you get your hand on the base.
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6981.jpg
Grab the bottom of the shock and undo the last nut at the top. now carefully remove the shock (careful not to catch the ABS wire)
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6982.jpg
Now we have one shot shock! (I know the top mount is a bit iffy, gonna get that sorted when I got some more funds!)
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6983.jpg
Compress the spring until the top mount plate wobbles about freely (lots of elbow-grease required)
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6985.jpg
Just for Mr. Fandango... the top mount assembly in order of removal...
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6986.jpg
The little plastic bracket that holds the ABS cable will need transferring to the new shock. Punch - out the little plastic pins and close the rivets from the other side, remove the bracket then reverse the process to refit.
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6987.jpg
Take the opportunity to clean and inspect all parts.
Fitting is the exact opposite of removal.
And TADAA!
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6990.jpg
All this done on my own in just under 4 hours, including cleaning up and washing the car!
and the only casualty?
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6991.jpg
There you go. If I missed anything, again, feel free to ask.

M-R-P
Sunday 6th November 2011, 20:12
Oh, I did this too but if you need a how-to on that, you don't deserve to hold a spanner!;)
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6992.jpg

AndysR
Sunday 6th November 2011, 20:18
Nice job done there, bet the car feels a huge amount more positive. One question, why only polybush one half of the lower torque mount?

M-R-P
Sunday 6th November 2011, 20:25
Nice job done there, bet the car feels a huge amount more positive. One question, why only polybush one half of the lower torque mount?
Cos that bush had disintegrated otherwise I would have left it well alone.

Car feels "new" now. Really pleased with it, even the missus says it feels a load better!;)

AndysR
Sunday 6th November 2011, 20:26
Cos that bush had disintegrated otherwise I would have left it well alone.

Car feels "new" now. Really pleased with it, even the missus says it feels a load better!;)

Added brownie points all round then :)

Jim S70R
Sunday 6th November 2011, 20:27
Very nice write up there with pics too I like it, I bet the car feels 10 times better to drive now...

M-R-P
Sunday 6th November 2011, 20:31
Very nice write up there with pics too I like it, I bet the car feels 10 times better to drive now...

I bent one of the hub mount bolts doing the nearside, yesterday, so I'm not gonna give her a "test" til I replace it. Yeah took it for a 20 mile drive on crappy new forest roads and yeah, loads better,
When I think it had done 182k on the same shocks! one barely had any pressure left in it. the other had no pressure or oil left in it!

AndysR
Sunday 6th November 2011, 20:34
I bent one of the hub mount bolts doing the nearside, yesterday, so I'm not gonna give her a "test" til I replace it. Yeah took it for a 20 mile drive on crappy new forest roads and yeah, loads better,
When I think it had done 182k on the same shocks! one barely had any pressure left in it. the other had no pressure or oil left in it!

When I changed to the Koni's my original shocks would compress practically on their own after the assembly was completely stripped. It, surprisingly, didn't feel that bad on the road but it now feels so stable that you'd have thought it was on rails :) I know the New Forest roads well, carefull of those horses... lol

Jim S70R
Sunday 6th November 2011, 20:36
One thing I see you did fail on when doing the suspension change is where is the refreshments whilst doing this job lol

M-R-P
Sunday 6th November 2011, 20:38
One thing I see you did fail on when doing the suspension change is where is the refreshments whilst doing this job lol

PMSL, Bro in law kept bringing the tea from time to time - with no bloody sugar in it! Don't worry tho, I got me some refreshments now ;)

M-R-P
Sunday 6th November 2011, 22:51
LOL, missus just read this and said "wot you trying to do, put Haynes out of business?" "no" I said. "I give helpful information and my pictures on the same page as the words!"
Got to admit, this was quite a job. I can barely move my hands to roll a fag and my back is kinda stiff... worth it tho. gotta lovely sweed to show for it ;)

dicky b t5
Monday 7th November 2011, 10:29
Mart, might be a stupid question, but why Polybush only one side of the Wishbone ?
Does the back one not need doing ?

DB.

t5 pete
Monday 7th November 2011, 10:44
very good write up and well explained im sure this will help many people

M-R-P
Monday 7th November 2011, 11:01
Mart, might be a stupid question, but why Polybush only one side of the Wishbone ?
Does the back one not need doing ?

DB.

The rear Bush rarely goes. You can polybush it (I think) but most people only do the front as this is where the "wooly" feeling comes from.
I forgot to add, although the handling is sharper, there is a bit more road noise coming through the car. Not enough to be annoying though.

Niles
Monday 7th November 2011, 11:21
when you buy those poly bushes dont you get 4? with respect I would have done the lot.

M-R-P
Monday 7th November 2011, 11:28
when you buy those poly bushes dont you get 4? with respect I would have done the lot.

You have the option to buy a pair of front and a pair of rear or for 130 quid there's a full set which does wishbones and engine mounts.
I only did my wishbones because my old ones were shot and it was an excuse to chuck an upgrade in. If the rear bushes go (180k on the same underpinnings) then I'll bung poly's in there too.
Time was also a factor as the big sweed is our only means of transport.

Niles
Monday 7th November 2011, 11:36
fair enough martin. Good job tho. 850 polys seem easier to do. Still a bit of a mission tho. messy job!

Porcine_Aviator
Tuesday 8th November 2011, 13:00
Here Martin you not going to get a job at Haynes, your hands were dirty and you didn't say anywhere in the instructions "you should take the car to a main dealer"!

What where you thinking? :)

M-R-P
Tuesday 8th November 2011, 19:33
Here Martin you not going to get a job at Haynes, your hands were dirty and you didn't say anywhere in the instructions "you should take the car to a main dealer"!

What where you thinking? :)

Lol, I also didn't use the most common phrase in the haynes book of lies "carefully prise off..."
I did the shock top mounts, inner and outer track rods and replaced the hub carrier bolts today but no pics or how to for that, it was p1ssing with rain and it was marred by incorrect parts from GSF grrrr! Wasn't in the mood to help others lol
Getting the tracking done tomorrow other than that, she's pukka :)

dicky b t5
Tuesday 8th November 2011, 21:31
Mart, where did you buy just a pair of the front wishbone bushes ??

I can only find them being sold in sets of four !! (F&R)

Cheers. Dicky.

M-R-P
Tuesday 8th November 2011, 22:58
Got them off the bay of e, am I right in thinking you have a P1 (don't think there's a saffy P2) they only do a set of 4 -
http://www.powerflexshop.com/index.php?cPath=54_262
Personally, I'd get hold of a P2 and measure the bush and see if a P2 polybush would fit. (probably not tho, nothings ever that easy) or just fit the full set:)

T4Rick
Tuesday 8th November 2011, 23:43
What would you do if your ball joint was knackered wouldnt you have to replace the arm again and refit the bushes again?I have the 1995 model im not sure if the ball joint seperates from the wish bone or not.Looks really well though mate

M-R-P
Tuesday 8th November 2011, 23:56
Pretty sure the ball joint comes off...
http://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=12948
Might be of some use ;)
Personally, I'd just swap the ball joint. Looks like an easy job in comparison to what I've done recently lol

T4Rick
Wednesday 9th November 2011, 16:36
Seems there is two types 1 being a complete unit which i think i have got and 1 where you can seperate the ball joint from the wish bone its self lol,i think i have the one with the complete unit

M-R-P
Wednesday 9th November 2011, 16:43
Seems there is two types 1 being a complete unit which i think i have got and 1 where you can seperate the ball joint from the wish bone its self lol,i think i have the one with the complete unit

Oh, that's a bit of a bugger! Not much to suggest, other than getting the new wishbone and like you say, swapping everything over. :( Shouldn't be too hard, pushing the polybush back out but probably best to do that in a vice rather than still on the car.

Leeds_finest
Wednesday 7th December 2011, 13:33
EXTREMELY interesting thread. The reason is because my powerflex lower arm (front) bushes don't fit correctly, and this has answered the question why...

When you had fully melted all your rubber off the original centre bar, in your pictures it reveals that the centre bar reduces in diameter in the middle and is wider at either end. Mine however, was a consistently large diameter all the way across, and this is why mine didn't fit properly. The bush then expanded too much when the centre bar was inserted, causing it to be almost impossible to then fit into the arm.

The only reason I can think of is, yours were maybe original Volvo arms and bushes which is what the Powerflex bush will be designed to fit to. Mine on the other hand must have been aftermarket ones, not made to the same spec, but I couldn't have known this at the time. Truly gutted. Unless of course the S60R and V70R come with different centre bars through the original bushes? If so, Powerflex should be informed really. Mine:

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/387817_10150414825254024_628254023_8317538_2533059 41_n.jpg

Still fits to the car fine, handles fine, no noises and doesn't show up discrepancies with laser tracking... still not right though.

t5_monkey
Wednesday 7th December 2011, 13:40
To anyone thinking of getting theirs polybushed.

Mines fully Polybushed front all back (all of the suspension bushes) it's the best Mod I ever had done and the handling is in a different dimension with an acceptable loss in ride comfort.

M-R-P
Wednesday 7th December 2011, 14:08
LeedsFinest, are you sure you removed the outer metal sleeve off the old bush, out of the wishbone? Looks far too squished to be the rod. And the inside of the polybush isn't shaped inside, its straight, so the rod shape shouldn't have an effect.

Leeds_finest
Wednesday 7th December 2011, 20:01
LeedsFinest, are you sure you removed the outer metal sleeve off the old bush, out of the wishbone? Looks far too squished to be the rod. And the inside of the polybush isn't shaped inside, its straight, so the rod shape shouldn't have an effect.

Right, here's the explanation as to why mine don't fit properly:

The centre bar that came out of your OEM bush is narrower in the middle than mine is. If you follow the diameter of your bar from left to right, or, right to left, it goes... wide-narrow-wide ...this is a perfect shape for the inside of the PFF88-601 poly bush which also goes... wide-90degree step-narrow-90 degree step-wide:

http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6967.jpg

Mine did not have the curved in middle section yours has, it was just the left part where the bolt goes through, then a middle section ALL the same diameter, then the right part where the bolt goes through. As mine was fatter in the middle, it pushed the polyurethane outwards. As it can't go outwards because the metal of the arm is there, it goes length ways and bulges out the end.

I put ALL of this down to you originally having genuine Volvo bushes with correct centre bars and mine being aftermarket ones, that, clearly the Powerflex bush is not designed to fit to.

Also, even though we were getting confused about whether or not I had removed the correct amount of outer sleeve and rubber of the original bush, well, yes I had as my arm (ready for the new poly item) looked identical to yours:

http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6966.jpg

I was just unlucky and even though I knew it wasn't right, I saw "this bush is not easy to fit" on the Powerflex instructions and put two and two together.

M-R-P
Wednesday 7th December 2011, 20:20
Aaah, I got ya! Been using my phone to view the forum today which makes it ard to go from thread to thread to double check my facts. Sorry if i confused things.
If you wanted to rectify the problem, you cpuld remove the polybush and ream out the hole to fit the bar better. I wouldn't grind the bar down for obvious reasons. As you say the bush is doing its job well and can be left alone but distorting it like that could lead to it failing at some point.

Leeds_finest
Wednesday 7th December 2011, 22:51
Disappointing from my point of view as we removed and re-fitted the bush so many times until we decided it was a design fault and that's how it was staying.

Still, works fine on the car and i'm glad your thread has given me the definitive answer as to why mine's wrong :)

Good write up btw.

Erik The Viking
Thursday 8th December 2011, 23:52
To anyone thinking of getting theirs polybushed.

Mines fully Polybushed front all back (all of the suspension bushes) it's the best Mod I ever had done and the handling is in a different dimension with an acceptable loss in ride comfort.

Ok - sold on the bushes - where did u get your powerflex "full kit" from t5_monkey ? if you dont mind me askin' ?

Martin - cheers for the walk through

M-R-P
Thursday 8th December 2011, 23:55
Go to www.powerflexshop.co.uk, find your car, get the part number for the full kit. Then go to flea bay and type "powerflex <part number>"
It will be cheaper there than the manufacturers.

Thanks for your comment ;)

Leeds_finest
Friday 9th December 2011, 00:45
where did u get your powerflex "full kit" from?

As Martin said really! ^^^

Personally I went onto ebay and searched:

1. 'Volvo S60 powerflex' <--- exactly like that.

2. Then sort the search results by 'price and P&P lowest first'.

3. Then scroll through until I got to the cheapest full front kit.

I ended up paying about £119 delivered I think for a full front kit for the S60 which included wishbone front bushes, upper stabiliser bushes, lower stabiliser bushes and strut brace inserts.

M-R-P
Friday 9th December 2011, 00:49
£119 is a good price. Best I saw was £135. Keep an eye on the strut brace bushes - they have a rep for not lasting.

Leeds_finest
Friday 9th December 2011, 01:15
£119 is a good price. Best I saw was £135. Keep an eye on the strut brace bushes - they have a rep for not lasting.

Didn't realise strut inserts died, best keep an eye on them.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/VOLVO-S60-AWD-00-09-POWERFLEX-FRONT-BUSH-KIT-/250843741511?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item3a6773bd47

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Powerflex-Full-Bushes-Kit-Volvo-S60-V70-S80-P2-Petrol-/250795566223?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item3a6494a48f

These ^^^ are the S60/V70 for mine and yours although i'm not sure which car the other member drives? P1 V70 by the looks of his thread? In which case it will be:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/POWERFLEX-SUSPENSION-BUSHES-BUSH-KIT-VOLVO-850-S70-V70-/230524175405?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item35ac4fc42d

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Powerflex-Suspension-Full-Bush-Kit-Volvo-850-S70-V70-/260704104481?pt=UK_CarsParts_Vehicles_CarParts_SM&hash=item3cb32cf021

M-R-P
Friday 9th December 2011, 01:27
How much of a difference did you notice after doing the bushes? I did bushes and shocks at the same time so there was a massive difference. The old shocks had done over 180k so it's hard to say how much improvement can be attributed to the bushes.

Leeds_finest
Friday 9th December 2011, 20:25
How much of a difference did you notice after doing the bushes? I did bushes and shocks at the same time so there was a massive difference. The old shocks had done over 180k so it's hard to say how much improvement can be attributed to the bushes.

Hmmm this is a tough one Martin.

Basically, the whole front end was very ropey on my car when I bought it. I say ropey, I just think 105k of spirited driving had taken it's toll. Originally, it was just the front drivers shock that was shot so I replaced both front shocks and carried on.

When I felt that the whole front end needed overhaul, I changed practically everything - lower arm front bushes, lower arm rear bushes, ball joints, drive shaft bolts, track rod ends.. everything!

So in reply to your question, I couldn't really gauge the difference either. However, one thing I can say is, changing your strut brace inserts + upper and lower stabiliser bushes to poly ones, you notice a difference at idle and also as the revs drop when you are letting the clutch out from stand still in first gear. This is because as engine intertia drops for that second or two, the vibrations are carried through the new bushes into the cabin. At idle, mine vibrates slightly more than before and it's noticeable when I pull off as you can feel the cabin vibrate significantly more too, but, once you're moving and normal gear changes are fine.

:)

LeeT5
Tuesday 6th March 2012, 04:50
Oh, I did this too but if you need a how-to on that, you don't deserve to hold a spanner!;)
http://i1100.photobucket.com/albums/g413/martinrpeachey/polybushandshocks/DSCF6992.jpg

Top tip. Don't replace the larger of the bushes shown in the above photo with Poly. Itf you do, brace yourself! The gear changes will be incredibly harsh and really not nice to drive. I should know, been there and done it. Fitted oe in the end with a poly bush for the small one. (much nicer to drive now).

shepbomb
Tuesday 6th March 2012, 19:07
Nice write up

graemewelch
Saturday 5th May 2012, 17:17
im half way through doing mine now. just sent the mrs out for a new tin of gas for the blow lamp. kind of wishing id just took the wishboe off now.

deathrider311271
Saturday 5th May 2012, 20:30
Did mine last weekend ended up replacing the full arms as the ball joints were knackered, also ended up breaking my driveshaft drivers side. Finally got it back on the road today, i now need to get the front wheels alligned again, but all good as its nice and tight at the front again now

Simon

M-R-P
Saturday 5th May 2012, 21:12
Well worth it, and not very expensive too.

graemewelch
Saturday 5th May 2012, 21:32
the job has turned into a night mare for me. had to do it back to front. put bush in first then steel bar. the g clamp just isnt working for me. ill have to use the press at work or a big vice

graemewelch
Saturday 5th May 2012, 22:04
EXTREMELY interesting thread. The reason is because my powerflex lower arm (front) bushes don't fit correctly, and this has answered the question why...

When you had fully melted all your rubber off the original centre bar, in your pictures it reveals that the centre bar reduces in diameter in the middle and is wider at either end. Mine however, was a consistently large diameter all the way across, and this is why mine didn't fit properly. The bush then expanded too much when the centre bar was inserted, causing it to be almost impossible to then fit into the arm.

The only reason I can think of is, yours were maybe original Volvo arms and bushes which is what the Powerflex bush will be designed to fit to. Mine on the other hand must have been aftermarket ones, not made to the same spec, but I couldn't have known this at the time. Truly gutted. Unless of course the S60R and V70R come with different centre bars through the original bushes? If so, Powerflex should be informed really. Mine:

http://a4.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/387817_10150414825254024_628254023_8317538_2533059 41_n.jpg

Still fits to the car fine, handles fine, no noises and doesn't show up discrepancies with laser tracking... still not right though.


mines also like this and was a pick to get the bush in. im thinking about cutting the bush down as it looks crap. mine are oe volvo arms to.

t5_monkey
Saturday 5th May 2012, 22:13
Hmmm this is a tough one Martin.

Basically, the whole front end was very ropey on my car when I bought it. I say ropey, I just think 105k of spirited driving had taken it's toll. Originally, it was just the front drivers shock that was shot so I replaced both front shocks and carried on.

When I felt that the whole front end needed overhaul, I changed practically everything - lower arm front bushes, lower arm rear bushes, ball joints, drive shaft bolts, track rod ends.. everything!

So in reply to your question, I couldn't really gauge the difference either. However, one thing I can say is, changing your strut brace inserts + upper and lower stabiliser bushes to poly ones, you notice a difference at idle and also as the revs drop when you are letting the clutch out from stand still in first gear. This is because as engine intertia drops for that second or two, the vibrations are carried through the new bushes into the cabin. At idle, mine vibrates slightly more than before and it's noticeable when I pull off as you can feel the cabin vibrate significantly more too, but, once you're moving and normal gear changes are fine.

:)

My bushes were gubbed at 54k, as were the dampers.

I think if you drive on bumpy roads these items are well past their best at 50k, with some focus ST drivers replacing them every 35k.

ROZER
Sunday 6th May 2012, 10:06
thanks to martin for this write up i did my polybushes, but they where a §§§§§§ to fit the g clamp had me going mad about 50 times trying to get it into the wishbone and lots of ffffing hell my backs broke took me 5 hours for the first one. the second one was 1 hour, all i had to do was push the polybush lip in the wishbone first then it was so easy but martin did say use a screwdriver first owell . i also did my small trans bush too it was well gone , and was easy to fit. took the car to get the Alignment sorted and it was almost bang on , car seems alot better round corners and feels tighter .well worth the £50 for the car to feel this good.

ROZER
Sunday 6th May 2012, 10:11
also my bushes fitted fine the right size i got Powerflex Part Number: PFF88-601 s60 fwd 00-09.

M-R-P
Sunday 6th May 2012, 10:26
Glad I could be one help. Indeed, that's the same buh i used on mine. Sometimes, when pattern buhes have been used, the rod isn't fluted and distorts the bush. Not a problem that i had as my bushes had been on there from the factory and after 180k (120k plod abuse) any improvement is a big improvement lol

ROZER
Sunday 6th May 2012, 11:19
martin where did you get the boost tube from for your gauge

M-R-P
Sunday 6th May 2012, 14:27
It's 2mm push-fit pneumatic tube, think it comes from R.S. www.rs-online.com
Many gauges use 6mm tho.

graemewelch
Sunday 6th May 2012, 18:31
what i a nightmare today has been. the bush wouldnt sit right so ended up getting the pin turned down. when i started putting it back together the inner cv fell apart. im now covered head to toe in grease and have no gearbox oil.

M-R-P
Sunday 6th May 2012, 19:06
Sorry to hear you're having such a hard time, did you undo the hub bolt before you pulled the wishbone?
If you have a manual box, it takes 75/90 full synth.

graemewelch
Sunday 6th May 2012, 22:39
i didnt uno the hub nut but will when i do the other side. the other side will have to wait till next weekend as ill have to get the pin machined on other side aswell. i did the norty thing and used the old oil but ill will be putting fresh in. the inner cv was a nightmare to get back together. got a mate to help out in the end

M-R-P
Sunday 6th May 2012, 22:51
Persevere mate, it'll be worth it in the end ;)

graemewelch
Sunday 6th May 2012, 23:34
having to get the steel bit turned was prob the biggest headache but it means that its right. just hope it makes a difference as the bush i took out didnt seem to bad

M-R-P
Monday 7th May 2012, 00:20
Oh yeah, it makes a difference mate ;)

JamesT5
Sunday 17th June 2012, 15:15
Yikes, that looks pretty hard work, both the shocks and the polybush fitting! I think it would take me about a week to do that job, and by the time I've added on the cost of buying the tools with my limited finds, I'd have no funds left for the parts.

I think I'll just buy a standard new wishbone and bolt it on too, it will save me a lot of hassle and I will probably need only my standard tool kit and some muscle to change it.

Regards

James

ShadeTek
Sunday 17th June 2012, 20:24
Is the steel liner embedded into the wishbone supposed to be left or hackswaed out? When I fitted my 850 polybushes I removed the liner and it all fitted well. Do the instructions say to remove it? Nice write up btw, I may need to do mine soon so I am glad I found this.

M-R-P
Sunday 17th June 2012, 20:29
Yikes, that looks pretty hard work, both the shocks and the polybush fitting! I think it would take me about a week to do that job, and by the time I've added on the cost of buying the tools with my limited finds, I'd have no funds left for the parts.

I think I'll just buy a standard new wishbone and bolt it on too, it will save me a lot of hassle and I will probably need only my standard tool kit and some muscle to change it.

Regards

James
or keep the old wishbones and send them to me and ill fit the polys for you when you have the fourty quid for the bushes and you can can fit them as-and-when. ; )


Is the steel liner embedded into the wishbone supposed to be left or hackswaed out? When I fitted my 850 polybushes I removed the liner and it all fitted well. Do the instructions say to remove it? Nice write up btw, I may need to do mine soon so I am glad I found this.
the 850 ones are easier than the P2 ones, providing you have a good bench vice. you drive the whole bush out in one piece, steel liner 'n' all.

ShadeTek
Sunday 17th June 2012, 23:20
This may have been asked already, but why not take the arm off the car?

M-R-P
Sunday 17th June 2012, 23:42
to see if it could be done and if it made life any easier or quicker. :)

ShadeTek
Monday 18th June 2012, 09:35
I''m thinking, to remove the old bush rubber, a jigsaw or some kind of reciprocating blade would be a good idea to mash that up nice n quick.

M-R-P
Monday 18th June 2012, 09:50
When I removed the old rod, there wasn't much rubber left on it (see pic) and burning it in stages gave me time to remove the outer sleeve from the wishbone. Even after cutting the rubber off (be bloody careful) you'd still be burning it down to bare metal. The rod MUST be clean before attempting to fit it to the new bush.

JamesT5
Wednesday 13th February 2013, 20:15
I've just managed to get my old bush out of one my old wishbones. I'm relieved to see that on the face of things, the bar looks like a genuine Volvo one so the Polybush will fit. Getting bush out took hours and a lot of hard effort and I've yet to clean the wishbone hole out or burn any rubber off the old rod but things are looking more hopeful.

This is a good thread! Request to moderator/admin, can this be made a 'Sticky' thread please? :D

Regards

James

JamesT5
Wednesday 13th February 2013, 23:52
Ok, so some pictures of my mega drilling session these last two days. I've been taking the front bushes out of my old wishbones and what a pain in the §§§§ it's been. I have to say though, the second wishbone bush was out within about 30 minutes as I was a bit braver with the drill (hence all the broken Bosch drill pieces!) :D

I'm going to order some Polybushes and then spend another few hours pulling faces trying to fitt them. Should be worth it though as I plan to sell them at the end of it all......

20291 20292 20293 20294 20295 20296

I'll post some more pictures when I've done the next stage (probably later next week).

stephenevans99
Thursday 14th February 2013, 00:07
Are they genuine Volvo suspension arms James?

M-R-P
Thursday 14th February 2013, 00:13
Are they genuine Volvo suspension arms James?

The rods don't look genuine.

stephenevans99
Thursday 14th February 2013, 00:18
If they're after market arms James, it may not be worth your effort. Most folks prefer genuine Volvo wishbones....maybe I'm wrong.

JamesT5
Thursday 14th February 2013, 00:23
They are genuine Volvo ones - they've got Volvo embossed on them! :D

stephenevans99
Thursday 14th February 2013, 00:30
Good stuff.....didn't want all that hard work go to waste !!

partsforvolvos.com
Thursday 14th February 2013, 13:55
the problem with the above can be that some aftermarket bushes have a straight rod, but the genuine volvo has a step down in the middle so it is thinner .
this means if you tried to fit powerflex inserts to a straight aftermarket rod, then it is too wide to go back into the casing without the step.

james is getting the latest type of poly bush, with the rods already in so no possibility of this hiccup.

M-R-P
Thursday 14th February 2013, 14:02
The rod in the pics do indeed step down to the middle but I'm 90% sure its a pattern one tho. The genuine ones are chamfered not stepped like the ones in the pics.

partsforvolvos.com
Thursday 14th February 2013, 14:35
could be

JamesT5
Thursday 14th February 2013, 16:35
New bushes ordered. :D I look forward to getting them pressed in to the arms and see how they look........

graemewelch
Friday 15th February 2013, 10:43
mine were solid and they were genuine volvo items.

JamesT5
Friday 15th February 2013, 21:47
I tried using a junior hacksaw blade to cut the casing out and the blade didn't even make a scratch in it! I may have to drill away some of it and then lever it out with a screwdriver, obviously being careful not to damage the arm itself. :(

M-R-P
Monday 18th February 2013, 01:37
Just make sure you distinguish between the press-fitted steel sleeve in the wishbone and the outer shell of the bush and don't damage the sleeve - you'll need it for the poly to fit correctly.

chopper_harris
Thursday 13th February 2014, 20:14
Folks

There is a thread over on the Volvo UK forum which we have been maintaining for over four years.

The straight pin is fitted to an uprated bush which was fitted to all years of police spec wishbone.

There are three types of front bush fitted to non-police Phase 2 models from 2000-2007 :

1, The waisted front pin with oil filled rubber wishbone bushes from 2000-2003.
2, The waisted front pin with solid rubber wishbone bushes from 2003-2004.
3, The straight police spec front pin with solid rubber wishbone bushes from 2004-2007.

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j229/chopper_harris/Dsc01406.jpg



If you own an ex-plod phase 2 vehicle, or pick up a pair of ex-plod wishbones from eBay/breaker they will be fitted with the straight pins, and are NOT compatible wit the Powerflex bushes.


Here is an excerpt from an update I made in July 2010 on the Volvo UK forum.


---

There seems to be some debate around what constitutes the 'original' bush.

The Powerflex fitting instructions are poor - "Leave the original outer sleeve pressed into the lower arm."

I spoke with the tech manager at Powerflex, and this is how it goes :

The original bush is a steel sheath, with rubber core and mounting pin.

This unit is pressed into the outer steel sleeve, which itself is cast into the wishbone.

When you extract the rubber core, it is likely the external sheath will be corroded into the outer sleeve, and must be cut out.

With the wishbone mounted in a large vice, I simply used a hacksaw to split the sheath of the old bush, and work it loose with a blunt screwdriver.
After cleaning the inner surface of the outer steel sleeve, the poly bushes can be pressed home as described in previous postings.

The inner diam of the outer steel sleeve is 42.5mm, the diam of the PF bush is 44mm.
This is sufficient to give a safe, secure fixing for the PF bush.

Compressing a poly bush excessively will alter the shore (hardness) rating and give an excessively harsh ride.

These pictures may help to clarify what goes and what stays.

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j229/chopper_harris/Volvo Bush/Dsc01421.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j229/chopper_harris/Volvo Bush/Dsc01422.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j229/chopper_harris/Volvo Bush/Dsc01424.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j229/chopper_harris/Volvo Bush/Dsc01425.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j229/chopper_harris/Volvo Bush/Dsc01428.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j229/chopper_harris/Volvo Bush/Dsc01429.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j229/chopper_harris/Volvo Bush/Dsc01431.jpg

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j229/chopper_harris/Volvo Bush/Dsc01432.jpg


I hope this helps :)

chopper_harris
Thursday 13th February 2014, 20:26
Here is a picture which compares the waisted, standard pin and the police spec pin :

http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=68562&d=1386797433

(Thanks to Avalaugh)

chopper_harris
Thursday 13th February 2014, 20:44
Just make sure you distinguish between the press-fitted steel sleeve in the wishbone and the outer shell of the bush and don't damage the sleeve - you'll need it for the poly to fit correctly.

I am currently refurbing a set of 2001 arms, including new Lemforderer rear locating bushes.

To recap, the steel sleeve is the remainder of the original front bush, which was cast into the arm. O/D = 48 mm, I/D = 44 mm.

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j229/chopper_harris/Volvo%20Bush/ArmCleanSml.jpg

This one is about to go in the Aga for 30 mins, prior to fitting the Lemforderer rear bush (which is in the freezer) :)

The Powerflex is fitted when it has cooled down, and is a straight fit into this sleeve from right to left - easy.

To replace the front bush with an OEM type would require heat and a flypress to press out this sleeve, and press in the new bush - not trivial.

graemewelch
Thursday 13th February 2014, 20:51
I am currently refurbing a set of 2001 arms, including new Lemforderer rear locating bushes.

To recap, the steel sleeve is the remainder of the original front bush, which was cast into the arm. O/D = 48 mm, I/D = 44 mm.

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j229/chopper_harris/Volvo%20Bush/ArmCleanSml.jpg

This one is about to go in the Aga for 30 mins, prior to fitting the Lemforderer bush (which is in the freezer) :)

The Powerflex is fitted when it has cooled down, and is a straight fit into this sleeve from right to left - easy.

To replace the front bush with an OEM type would require heat and a flypress to press out this sleeve, and press in the new bush - not trivial.


freeze the bush and heat up the arm. im lucky that ive got a 10 ton press in the garage

M-R-P
Thursday 13th February 2014, 23:17
interesting... my ex plod had fluted rods... as seen in the first page of this thread.

heat? freezer? fly press? sounds like a bit of a faff when a bench vice and some G clamps is enough?

graemewelch
Thursday 13th February 2014, 23:19
mine needed turning down to make them fit.

chopper_harris
Friday 14th February 2014, 19:39
heat? freezer? fly press? sounds like a bit of a faff when a bench vice and some G clamps is enough?
If you can fit a new rear steel/rubber wishbone bush with G clamps I would like to see the result.

T5RatherAmusin
Friday 14th February 2014, 19:48
lol i tried with a vice and some scafholding tbe and no luck. so had to use my old mans press in the end lol

M-R-P
Friday 14th February 2014, 19:48
If you can fit a new rear steel/rubber wishbone bush with G clamps I would like to see the result.

Bench vice... clicky linky (http://www.vpcuk.org/forums/showthread.php?50908-Front-wishbone-rear-bush-fitting-easy!)