I have done the installation a year ago but never had a chance to post it (the xc90 has now 78k miles and drives great).
Here are my notes:
I finally tackled the IPD anti sway bars project on the XC90 2010. I am a mechanical engineer per formation so I am not too afraid to start a project but I am not by any mean a mechanic.So here is my feedback,which might help you during the installation process.
Difficulty: 4/5
Time: Front 12hrs - Rear 12 hrs.
Handling: I disliked the XC90 handling before, way too soft. I am used to a firmer ride and precise steering. My car has 55k miles but rides more like a Crown Victoria and not like my former Audi quattro. I tested drove several XC90R design and never noticed any handling issue. I however bought a standard AWD 3.2 since it was in mint condition but the handling quickly became an issue. With the new bars in place, the improvement is noticeable, and the car handles much better in the turns without this understeering feeling.
IPD doesn't mention any time for the front bar installation and mentions 4 hrs for the rear.
Well it took me 2 weekends for each. It is equally difficult even if the front was more intimidating, the rear was a bit more difficult. I would definitely start on a Saturday morning, so that gives you time to think things through and get your car ready on Monday morning
.
Maybe if you are a Volvo mechanic, have access to a lift and a detailed documentation and have done it a couple of times you could come close to 4 hrs for the rear but you would be pushing. It's not an easy task if that's not your daily job.
Rear installation:
- I have a third row of seats. Couldn't figure out how to remove the carpet without removing a bunch of hardware for the seats, so I made a cut with a knife (there is a mark on the carpet where the shock is located). Once you fold the carpet back it's not noticeable and It's located under the seat completley out of sight, so it's wasn't an issue for me.
Now the fun part, the nuts and shock struts were rusted (it's a 2010 in perfect condition, so I guess that's pretty normal. It took me close to 2 hrs to get them out without destroying the torx head. I used some WD40 anti rust, not the basic wd40 and some patience. I had a flat 18 mm wrench, I am pretty sure Volvo has a special wrench to gain access to this tiny hole. Take your time and you'll be successful. If not you might have to drill and change the shock absorber...Also get a magnet and a flashlight to retrieve the torx #40 bit once you dropped it in the hole, trust me you will more than once...
I then followed the IPD documentation, removed the shocks/springs. You have to pry the lower arm so it gets out the way of the upper arm. You then have to push the lower arm down to get the spring out. Not really an issue.
IPD recommends to remove the exhaust. I didn't for the main reason that the bolts and nuts were rusted beyond recognition and that's normal on a exhaust. One bolt is located between the car body and the exhaust, not sure how you get there. If I have to change it, I'll let the shop do it.
I just removed the middle and rear brackets and used a jack to support the exhaust. I lowered it maybe 6" from it's normal position. Just enough so I could remove the sway bar without putting too much pressure on the exhaust front bracket.
That was the easy part, I put the new bar and got it wrong with the brake lines. The bar goes over the lines in the middle but under at the end. Take a snapshot before and make sure you are right otherwise you won't be able to install the endlinks and you'll have to start over. I didn't have to start over but I still got it wrong. Placing the new bar is most likely a 2 person job, since it's heavy and you don't want it to hang on the various cables/lines.
Now the most difficult part, putting the spring back and linking the upper arm with the lower arm.
For the spring, if you push hard on the lower arm with your foot or else, it gives you enough room to put the spring back in place.
IPD mentions that you might have to pry a bit to align the upper and lower arms holes. That's an understatement. It's impossible to pry with a bar and get them aligned. There is barely any room to pry and even that the force you need is way too much. So you have to be smart. I removed the stop rubber on the upper arm and put a jack in place (see picture). There is another jack under the lower arm. once you raise the lower arm and lower the upper arm and pry a bit with a bar, you can "easily" align the holes and put your bolt. You might have to slightly tap the bolt head with a hammer so it engages correctly with the spindle. Take your time and you'll get it right. It's not an easy operation and it's not in the manual.
For the outer tie link, you'll need to raise the upper link a bit to be able to insert the bolt as well. Very simple operation on the paper, but really time consuming.
After that, just make sure every is tied together, put the wheels back and tie again.
Front installation:
The other posting on the forum helped me a lot, but the car was a S80 I believe and there are some differences especially with the engine mount. The IPD documentation is vague and doesn't refer to a 2010 XC90 model, so the main line is the same but the details are different and figuring them out takes time...
Here are the details
1- Use a jack stand and place it just behind the mounting bracket for the subframe. I always double it since I don't trust a single stand with my life...
2- There are more nuts on the steering rack (5 I think). Support the steering rack as mentioned in the other posting.
3- Remove the fuel line bracket (3 or 4 bolts ?) from the subframe.
4- There is an engine mount on the passenger side that needs to be disconnected (4 nuts) see picture.
5- The front subframe needs to be lowered about 1/2 inch from the body so you can lower the rear enough to get the bar out of the way.
6- Use a jack to raise the front subframe in position before screwing it back up. If not it will generate some clicking noise when driving...
7- Same for the rear.
8- If you still experience some noises after that, tie the endlinks again, that's apparently a known issue, and you won't have to do it again.
9- There is a rubber seal in the driver side inside the cabin on the steering shaft, that will get disconnected and will generate some noise (rubber squeaky noise + engine noise). Just put it back up and you will be done.
It takes time and it's not fun to work under the car for that long, but the improvement is worth it.
If I had to do only one, I would do the front first.
Hope that helps and good luck.
(I didn't find a way to upload pictures.I would appreciate if someone could point me how to do so).
Here are my notes:
I finally tackled the IPD anti sway bars project on the XC90 2010. I am a mechanical engineer per formation so I am not too afraid to start a project but I am not by any mean a mechanic.So here is my feedback,which might help you during the installation process.
Difficulty: 4/5
Time: Front 12hrs - Rear 12 hrs.
Handling: I disliked the XC90 handling before, way too soft. I am used to a firmer ride and precise steering. My car has 55k miles but rides more like a Crown Victoria and not like my former Audi quattro. I tested drove several XC90R design and never noticed any handling issue. I however bought a standard AWD 3.2 since it was in mint condition but the handling quickly became an issue. With the new bars in place, the improvement is noticeable, and the car handles much better in the turns without this understeering feeling.
IPD doesn't mention any time for the front bar installation and mentions 4 hrs for the rear.
Well it took me 2 weekends for each. It is equally difficult even if the front was more intimidating, the rear was a bit more difficult. I would definitely start on a Saturday morning, so that gives you time to think things through and get your car ready on Monday morning
.Maybe if you are a Volvo mechanic, have access to a lift and a detailed documentation and have done it a couple of times you could come close to 4 hrs for the rear but you would be pushing. It's not an easy task if that's not your daily job.
Rear installation:
- I have a third row of seats. Couldn't figure out how to remove the carpet without removing a bunch of hardware for the seats, so I made a cut with a knife (there is a mark on the carpet where the shock is located). Once you fold the carpet back it's not noticeable and It's located under the seat completley out of sight, so it's wasn't an issue for me.
Now the fun part, the nuts and shock struts were rusted (it's a 2010 in perfect condition, so I guess that's pretty normal. It took me close to 2 hrs to get them out without destroying the torx head. I used some WD40 anti rust, not the basic wd40 and some patience. I had a flat 18 mm wrench, I am pretty sure Volvo has a special wrench to gain access to this tiny hole. Take your time and you'll be successful. If not you might have to drill and change the shock absorber...Also get a magnet and a flashlight to retrieve the torx #40 bit once you dropped it in the hole, trust me you will more than once...
I then followed the IPD documentation, removed the shocks/springs. You have to pry the lower arm so it gets out the way of the upper arm. You then have to push the lower arm down to get the spring out. Not really an issue.
IPD recommends to remove the exhaust. I didn't for the main reason that the bolts and nuts were rusted beyond recognition and that's normal on a exhaust. One bolt is located between the car body and the exhaust, not sure how you get there. If I have to change it, I'll let the shop do it.
I just removed the middle and rear brackets and used a jack to support the exhaust. I lowered it maybe 6" from it's normal position. Just enough so I could remove the sway bar without putting too much pressure on the exhaust front bracket.
That was the easy part, I put the new bar and got it wrong with the brake lines. The bar goes over the lines in the middle but under at the end. Take a snapshot before and make sure you are right otherwise you won't be able to install the endlinks and you'll have to start over. I didn't have to start over but I still got it wrong. Placing the new bar is most likely a 2 person job, since it's heavy and you don't want it to hang on the various cables/lines.
Now the most difficult part, putting the spring back and linking the upper arm with the lower arm.
For the spring, if you push hard on the lower arm with your foot or else, it gives you enough room to put the spring back in place.
IPD mentions that you might have to pry a bit to align the upper and lower arms holes. That's an understatement. It's impossible to pry with a bar and get them aligned. There is barely any room to pry and even that the force you need is way too much. So you have to be smart. I removed the stop rubber on the upper arm and put a jack in place (see picture). There is another jack under the lower arm. once you raise the lower arm and lower the upper arm and pry a bit with a bar, you can "easily" align the holes and put your bolt. You might have to slightly tap the bolt head with a hammer so it engages correctly with the spindle. Take your time and you'll get it right. It's not an easy operation and it's not in the manual.
For the outer tie link, you'll need to raise the upper link a bit to be able to insert the bolt as well. Very simple operation on the paper, but really time consuming.
After that, just make sure every is tied together, put the wheels back and tie again.
Front installation:
The other posting on the forum helped me a lot, but the car was a S80 I believe and there are some differences especially with the engine mount. The IPD documentation is vague and doesn't refer to a 2010 XC90 model, so the main line is the same but the details are different and figuring them out takes time...
Here are the details
1- Use a jack stand and place it just behind the mounting bracket for the subframe. I always double it since I don't trust a single stand with my life...
2- There are more nuts on the steering rack (5 I think). Support the steering rack as mentioned in the other posting.
3- Remove the fuel line bracket (3 or 4 bolts ?) from the subframe.
4- There is an engine mount on the passenger side that needs to be disconnected (4 nuts) see picture.
5- The front subframe needs to be lowered about 1/2 inch from the body so you can lower the rear enough to get the bar out of the way.
6- Use a jack to raise the front subframe in position before screwing it back up. If not it will generate some clicking noise when driving...
7- Same for the rear.
8- If you still experience some noises after that, tie the endlinks again, that's apparently a known issue, and you won't have to do it again.
9- There is a rubber seal in the driver side inside the cabin on the steering shaft, that will get disconnected and will generate some noise (rubber squeaky noise + engine noise). Just put it back up and you will be done.
It takes time and it's not fun to work under the car for that long, but the improvement is worth it.
If I had to do only one, I would do the front first.
Hope that helps and good luck.
(I didn't find a way to upload pictures.I would appreciate if someone could point me how to do so).
