[Chicago_UnCommon_Bricks]

2 broken springs

Ours came with a broken front spring...it was +/- the 20th Volvo across three generations of our family, and the first one any one of them had had.

I fixed the rear end problem on mine 2 months after I bought it in 2015, I had put 10k on it in that time span and the rear tires cupped like you wouldn't believe.

2009 C70 year round daily

Ours is just a toy with only 1k miles or so on new Z-Lines, and the adjustable rear camber arms are in hand awaiting installation, so hopefully we dodge that bullet.

I'm planning on putting together a parts list so they are better prepared to go OEM or performance upgrade as various parts begin tot need replacement, so I will make a mental note on the adjustable front toe arms.

 

[09c70]

adjustable front toe arms.

Just a technical note here, the toe is adjusted in the front with the tie rods by threading the inner and outer ends in and out to change the length, the control arms are not adjustable. But if the bushings in the control arms fail it does affect toe, which can affect handling and tire wear.

As far as performance upgrades go, you can possibly get stiffer bushings for the control arms to really keep them in position, but this can cause a harsher ride too, so there is a trade off. The most noticable performance upgrades without sacrificing too much on ride quality are front strut brace, stiffer rear sway bar, and if you want it lower you can play with springs and shocks, but be aware that lowering can change alignment characteristics.

2009 C70 year round daily

 

[coachrick]

Thanks for all the tips. Apparently, my tires were OK one year/~6000 miles ago when last rotated; but the fronts ended up showing great wear on the insides at this last visit. I'm not "certain" this is what led to the failed control arms diagnosis; so I'll double check with the shop before going forward. He basically quoted me $735 for the "lower control arms" replacement; but didn't detail what all would be done. That seems high for just the control arms; so I'm hoping he will explain all that is involved before we proceed. They are busy as heck and I've been pleased with their comprehensive yet "hierarchical/triage" approach to keeping BlueBell running smooth!!

 

[Chicago_UnCommon_Bricks]

Just a technical note here, the toe is adjusted in the front with the tie rods by threading the inner and outer ends in and out to change the length, the control arms are not adjustable. But if the bushings in the control arms fail it does affect toe, which can affect handling and tire wear.

As far as performance upgrades go, you can possibly get stiffer bushings for the control arms to really keep them in position, but this can cause a harsher ride too, so there is a trade off. The most noticable performance upgrades without sacrificing too much on ride quality are front strut brace, stiffer rear sway bar, and if you want it lower you can play with springs and shocks, but be aware that lowering can change alignment characteristics.

2009 C70 year round daily

Ah, thanks for the clarification. It must have been adjustable rear toe arms I was seeing when I ordered the adjustable rear camber arms.

 

[Facusan]

Last sunday I replaced the positive battery terminal with the correct one after finding it started melting the insulation. Before I bought the car somebody replaced it with this rigged crap:

This meant I had to remove the airbox to reach the other end of the cable at the starter and alternator. And take apart the fuse box to replace the other positive cable from the battery to the main fuse box rail and fuse 29.

Since the air box was out, this was the perfect moment to finally replace the lower intake manifold with the one did some porting a while ago.

 

[oilspot]

Did you have to do anything special with resetting the windows or top after disconnecting the battery to fix the positive cable? I'll probably be replacing my battery in the near future (its seven years old now) and I can't remember if there is a special procedure.

 

[Facusan]

Did you have to do anything special with resetting the windows or top after disconnecting the battery to fix the positive cable? I'll probably be replacing my battery in the near future (its seven years old now) and I can't remember if there is a special procedure.

No, if the top and windows are fully closed, you won't have a problem. There were a few times I had to initialize the windows because they weren't fully up when I disconnected the battery. I used VIDA to reset them. There is a way to reset them without VIDA, but I can't recall the procedure.

 

[09c70]

There is a way to reset them without VIDA, but I can't recall the procedure.

The procedure is to hold the switch all the way down until the window stops and keep holding for about 2 full seconds. then repeat the process for the up position. you may need to do both sides from the master switch that way. If the auto up/down feature is working then you were successful. I have had to do this several times as my car has a parasitic draw that sometimes gives me trouble in the cold months.

2009 C70 year round daily

 

[Facusan]

Well, after replacing the front left brake hard line that sabotaged my first attempt at upgrading (because somebody overtightened the rubber line hose and stripped the first part of the thread). I was finally able upgrade to 320 mm fronts and 302mm rear brakes (rear brake upgrade thread here) and also installed stainless steel braided lines on all corners.

While I was there. I replaced the rear calipers with a set I rebuilt myself because the passenger side parking brake mechanism wasn't working properly.

The reason why the parking brake wasn't self adjusting was because the piston had corrosion inside and that seized the inner piston from spinning on the adjuster screw. So when I released the parking brake lever, the piston would retract instead of staying close to the rotor.

I painted these rusty front calipers in cast aluminum color.

320mm front brakes installed:

302mm rear brakes installed:

I went with Akebono ultra ceramic pads and the braking improvement is well worth it.

 

[coachrick]

Today I made an appointment to get the front lower control arms replaced. Yay!! Still cheaper than a new car payment

 

[Facusan]

Well......... I bought another C70:

 

[coachrick]

Well......... I bought another C70:

View attachment 130519

Well done!!!

 

[RR04]

Decided to change front lower control arms with bushings. Took me about 3 hours to do both sides, including welding a bolt to new control arm for the headlight adjustment.
And guess what? The vibration which i had for 2 years is gone! During these two years i have changed both engine mounts, cv axles, struts, and some more things. Never would have thought that control arms can cause this much vibration.
Now i just need to change torque mount.


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[seventy1]

including welding a bolt to new control arm for the headlight adjustment

Sorry, but I don't follow. Is there an angle sensor connected to the LCA for headlamp steering?

 

[RR04]

As far as i know, there is no headlight steering for c70.
Its for automatic height adjustment for bixenon headlights.


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[rj240]

As far as i know, there is no headlight steering for c70.
Its for automatic height adjustment for bixenon headlights.

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The facelifted 2nd gen C70 had optional Active Bi-Xenons which do steer from left to right.

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[RR04]

The facelifted 2nd gen C70 had optional Active Bi-Xenons which do steer from left to right.

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Oh okay, didnt know that. Anyways, i got pre-fl

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[gtlover]

Replaced the missing rocker panel piece. Had to repaint a junkyard part (was silver). Turned out a smidge darker than I wanted but still looks better than it did.

 

[Facusan]

I didn't do anything to the car...........yet. But the car got mail today. Two BIG packages from Sweden:

 

[Facusan]

And also I got this a few months ago: