http://www.fcpeuro.com/Volvo-parts/ ▻ We’re here with Ben McNally to show you how to replace the control arm on a 1996 Volvo 850 Turbo using Meyle HD control…
Volvo Control Arm Replacement (850 Meyle Heavy Duty) FCP Euro
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It’s a slightly different repair but these directions should help quite a bit. We put anti-seize on the ball joint threads so the nut wouldn’t seize to the bolt with rust, corrosion, etc. It’s tough to make it too much easier, you’re really going to have to pull everything out anyway, keep that strut replacement bookmarked and follow them both one after the other, and you should be able to get everything out without too much extra effort. Hope that helps.
Could I use the same instructions from this video to change the control arms on a 2004 XC90 2.5T? What was the name of the substance you placed on the ball joint? Also, I intend to replace the upper spring seat and strut mount, how could I make this a much easier replacement knowing I have to change that as well. FYI – I saw the strut replacement video. Good stuff!
I don’t think this would have broken/damaged anything, though if you’d like to check to be safe I’d jack the front end up and verify torque on both arms. Hope that helps.
Hi Ben, the company were I bought the control arm told me, that it is important the both
sides of the car is jacked up, I only jacked up one side at a time, could I have damaged something by doing this? I do remember that I had tension in the subframe.
I must change the strut and all now since I still have noice when moving the steering wheel and breaking, Pretty sure that the spring cap and all the mounting parts are worn out after 16 years.
I think you made a smart decision to send it back. I only ask if you bought it from us because we guarantee our parts for life, so if you’re ever unhappy, we’ll gladly take it back. I wanted to make sure that if you did buy from us you weren’t having any trouble sending it back. Let us know how you fare!
Hi, no since I am a Swede and I live in Germany I cannot buy from you, the custom would force be to pay a fortune to get the goods cleared and all….. I would love to buy from you but I have a good supplier in Germany this is the first time something that I bought from them broke, remember youtube is global many do it yourself guys like I Watch your videos out there….. Kind regards bjorn. we love your stuff! top class ! ! !
Sounds like a good idea, didn’t sound proper. Did you buy the parts from us?
Spoke to the supplier agreed to send it back and I bought a new one, will not drive the car unitl I change the partly broken one, each time I break it makes a little little bang from the front right side, the rubber bushing clearly moves inside the control arm. My new control arms were not as easy to put back in place as yours in your video, had to use some force, the parts are supposed to fit my 1997 GLT 170 Bhp 20 Valves though.
Honestly that sounds a little dangerous, can you send a picture to our master Volvo tech Jason at jasonv@fcpeuro.com he’ll be happy to help you out with some more details.
to add, this was of course before I tightened the bolts and nuts……….
looks even that there is some metal first and then rubber.
Hi Ben, the car is ready, one thing…. when finalizing the second side the rubber cylinder slid a bit out of the iron part of the control arm, this on one of the inner two rubber bushings, is this bad? Or could it be dangerous?
I had to use some force to get the control arm into place, did not work to bend it, had to use some iron and bang on the iron with a big hammer.
There’s no control arm bump stop in the front, it’s actually located on the strut assembly, and there’s no need to grease that guy either. Hope that helps.
where are the bumps stops on the contol arm? what do you use to grease them?
will copper paste do the job? Thx again! I am a great fan of your superb work!
Hi Ben, had to put back the inner bolts and nuts, tighten them a bit otherwise the control arm just moved to the front of the car and I did not get the force down to the bolt the I tried to bang out with a piece of steel and my big sledge hammer, did not need to hit that hard once both of the inner bolts were back in place.
THX Ben! I will let the W40 to work overnight, I feel so confident with your great DIY HD clip, I will get that bolt out somehow, got a better punch on the way from amazon.
It seems that my 1997 V70 has rusted more than the 850 Turbo you have in your videos, meaning that many factory installed bolts look and are way worse on my car, it only has 160,000 Km or 100,000 miles and only one owner before my purchase for USD 1100 or 800 Euros….
If the nut is off you should be clear to punch it straight out. You might just need a bigger hammer.
Hi Ben, I started and it goes ok, got the inner bolts and nuts off with no problem,
got the nut off the lower outer one with a normal wrench, I cannot get the bolt out though…
Try to punch it out with a punch a and hammer but it does not move, cannot really get to the bolt from the other side… any tips or tricks? Sprayed W40 all over it and hopefully it will suck some in.
There’s not a lot of room, but there is some, you might just be able to do that if you have to.
thx Ben! appreciated and never forgotten.
My car is 16 years old, and for example when changing the sway bars I had to use a flex grinder to cut the lower bolts since they had rusted together completely, I am just a bit worried that I might get the same when trying to replace the control arms, do you think there is room to flex cut off some of the bolts if needed? I did buy a second mini flex grinder.
You’ll want to jack up the control arm until the car lifts off the jack stands, lifting off the stands means the full weight of the car is on the jack where the wheel normally is. Hope that helps.
I think he means you’ll want to tighten everything at ride height as opposed to it hanging when you tighten it. He’s not wrong, but removing the sway bar gives you the ability to do it in the air as opposed to on the ground behind a wheel. Hope that answers your question.
Hi again Ben, how do I know how much I shall jack up the car to get the actual ride
height after removing the top bolt on the sway bar. I replaced them last week so the sway bolt will be fine to loosen again. Thx in advance.
Hi Ben, You are great! I’m a Volvo fanatic Swede living in Germany, owning S80 V8,
XC70D5 and a 1997 V70 GLT, feel confident to try this,my German mechanic said that I should not tigthen the outer bolt on the control arm before lowering the car down completely because it will damage the rubber in the outer part of the new control arm if I doing it before… Does the bit where you remove the upper bolt on the sway bar make this way unnecessary? Hope you understand what I mean. Thx in advance!
Thank you for posting this. This video helped make my installation of new control arms on both sides of the car so much easier.
Thanks for the kind words, no video for that one yet but shoot our sales team an email at sales@fcpeuro.com and we might be able to get you some diagrams or advice that can help you out with the repair. Hope that helps.
I love your videos, Ben. You explain things really well and make it look so easy. I have a 1997 850 T-5 turbo with torn outer boots. Do you have a video for replacing those, or can you tell me how? I already ordered the boots from FCP.
Thanks again for your helpful videos…
To tighten it at the proper height you really need a floor jack that you can use to lift the whole suspension assembly to ride height. You probably won’t have enough room to access the bolts if you try it any other way. Hope that helps.
sorry meant to say that “wasn’t able to tighten ‘IT'” meaning the control arm bushings to the subframe
hey ben, i can’t seem to tighten up the sway bar and wasn’t able to tighten it under a load. making a lot of noise. how did you tighten the sway bar, and should i just get a jack (my jack only fits on the undercarriage and doesn’t have a flat surface) and then raise it and tighten with it and its regular ride height?
Thanks Ben
Well, a wishbone can be considered a control arm, but wishbone suspension is a specific kind of suspension that uses triangular arms to connect the wheel hub assembly to the chassis. Hope that answers your question.
is the control arm the same as “witch bone” ?
It’s a little bit easier on the 850 but it is a similar process. The bushings do come with the new control arms and there’s no reason to raise the engine. Hope that helps!
I was told my control arm bushings are worn/loose and need replacing. Is this the same procedure for a 2000 s80 2.9L non-turbo? If so, it it easier to replace the control arms than the bushings (assuming the bushings come with the new control arms)? I’ve heard things about having to raise the engine to access screws?
Sure is
is this the same for a 2004 s60?