Lower Control Arm Wishbone Replacement Volvo V70 S60 S80 

Well done that man!!! After struggling for eight hours to get the wishbone in, on the left front of my 2004 V70R, and enlisting the help of my neighbor I searched RU-vid, and found your video. The right side took a total of 2.5 hr and was a total piece of cake. The "R" parts are a little beefier but you method worked perfectly. I'll be drinking to your health tonight. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I just did this, and a tip is to add a block of sorts between the strap and the engine underside so the pull angle is more efficient, it tends to pull straigt to either side rather then in a downward angle, I used a sissor jack so I could adjust the pull angle

After studying this video religiously i finally got mine replaced on my v70xc with 170k miles. Followed every step to the T and had help pulling/ pushing the ratchet strap underneath and dropping in the ball joint. This is a tried and true method.

Sir, you are a gentleman and a scholar. If you ever find yourself in Southam, allow me to buy you a drink. Thanks again!

Just gunna give a shout out. Did my s80 like how you instructed and finished. Took my sweet time with everything n stopped midday to eat breakfast.... Took me around 3 hours total. Probably will take n hour n a half if I do it again for both sides. Best time safer is the straps to hold the lower control arm down. Thanks for the tips!!

Just had my Volvo diagnosed with worn out bushes and realized I was getting built up for the "lets strip the car down" quote where they make sure you're sitting down. After watching your video I am seriously thinking about having a go at this, great idea on the drive shaft staying in place. All in all a very well made workshop video, picture quality was good. Well done.

I've just done my abs rings and noticed my one wishbone Bush looks just like yours. Great video, lots of helpful tips

I'm half way through changing both control arms & ball joints (passenger side done, rain stopped play yesterday) and I really could't have managed without your video. My only difficulty was locating the rear bush correctly... after a bit of gentle persuasion from a rubber mallet it seated perfectly.

THANKS THANKS THANKS @SiRobb for showing me how to do this and give me the confidence to try it without shelling out £££ for a garage to do it for me! I wouldn't say I didn't struggle but I did get there with a little patience and trial and error. I would say to anyone trying this for the first time: borrow an impact driver (saves time). I was a little worried I'd dislocated the driveshafts but they were fine - there is quite a bit of in/out movement to allow for suspension travel so don't worry if you notice it. Bolts can be very tight - if you can, get under the car and soak the bolts in WD or similar a few days before you start. The bit I struggled with most was pulling the arm down to reconnect the bottom ball joint - an extra helper would have been ideal to give me the few mm I was looking for. All in all an EXCELLENT video for anyone trying this for the first time.

I just want to thank you for your tips on using the strapping tie down to install the ball joint. By this method it saves a lot of headache.

Instead of pulling the arm down I just put the jack under the front of the drum & lift it onto it👍 I know the straps are strong but some people buy them from pound land & they are unforgiving when they break.thanks for the vids buddy👍

I’ve fought with ball joints so much. Thanks for making the video!

Thanks SiRobb. Without you I'd have been doing it by the DIY manual (no names mentioned!) and jacking up the engine! It was a bit of a bonus to find that on mine (S60 2.0T), having loosened the 17mm bolts using your method, I was able to withdraw them completely and change them if I wanted. Something you didn't mention was the proximity of the metal pipe to the 17mm bolt head next to the undershield bracket. In order to get the clearance for the bolt head I had to wedge a small block of wood between the pipe and the subframe lip to force the pipe aside, which was a bit scary as I was worried I was stressing nearby pipe joints too much, but I seem to have got away with it. Strap idea worked well too. These days all my mates say they are too old to help with jobs like that. Wimps!

I had great difficulty on my XC90 trying to separate the ball joint from the control arm on disassembly, and getting the ball joint located back into the arm on reassembly (the rachet strap bit). In the end I found it MUCH quicker and easier to undo the two 13mm bolts holding the ball joint into the hub, and by tapping on the control arm withdraw the whole ball joint unit from the hub (rather than separating it). Then I separated the ball joint from the control arm in my press, fitted it onto the new control arm and reinstalled. Or just fit a new ball joint to your new control arm and don't even have to separate the old ones. When using the rachet strap to reassemble it is much easier to have the ball joint already attached to the arm. It only took me about 1hr to do my 2nd one using this method.

Thanks Rob I have to tackle this job in the next couple of weeks. This is the most comprehensive video I have found and I am glad you showed this can be done without lifting the engine or removing the axle. I do hope to have access to a lift when I do the job so that will be an added bonus. Please keep up the good work brother!!

Great video, and I too don't like to waste time taking down drive shaft or disconnecting what is not required, and as a tip for others, if you don't have ratchet strap, just use another jack and place it under rotor and jack up and ball joint will slip in with less danger of tension strap slipping. Accomplishes same thing to allow ball joint to fit back into wishbone. Even easier, replace ball joint at same time for they will go sooner or later and with the amount of work required to get access, sure will save time in long run.

Great video, even with dodgy camera work. Id recommend this video to those who need to know how to replace the arm. I am replacing bushings inside my mothers volvo s60, reparing the DIM, and possibly replacing the ball joints.

This Yank wants to say Thank You for the best video on how to do this project. Love from across the pond from your American cousin.

I like this video as using the rachet strap would of made my life easier when I did mine, there is something I would like to share though. I did my nearside first and I didnt undo my drive shaft bolt. so as I took the wishbone off, The whole leg decided to come forward and stretched on the cv joint causing the inners to come apart. It took me a day or so trying to reassemble the drive shaft. My tip and suggestions are to grab some locktight, a bungie cord and when doing work on the lower leg components - undo the drive shaft bolt and bungie cord it to the coil spring so if the leg decides to fling forward then it will not pull the drive shaft out. Once you put the drive shaft back in along with the rubber spacer then a quick clean up on the drive shaft bolt and put the locktight on and do it. watching your vid, it shows you was quite lucky that the leg didn't spring out. Still a thumbs up from me.

Thanks for this video, Just finished the job myself , the first took two plus hours , I had the mechanic help to reset the lower ball (twenty minutes on that alone ) with a few close calls on fingers getting crushed. The second one was changed in thirty minutes, the mechanics jaw hit the floor when I used the cargo strap to tension the lower control arm. Impact driver, the auto lift, and the cargo strap trick were huge diference makers.

Just replaced my control arms on my 2007 V70R today, using this video, and the IPD control arm / sway bar end link / ball joint kit. THANKS FOR THE GUIDANCE! The control arm part of the job went smoothly, as per the video. On my car the RH front sub-frame bolts were difficult to access due to a rigid AC line that we had to pry out of the way to get the box wrench on. I did not hoist the engine to get to those bolts. Also, we used a come-along (ratchet strap) and strapped a 2x4 to the control arm to lever it down over the ball joint bolt. Having a second person really helps.

This needs to be done with both wheels off the ground, or the sway bar link will put pressure on the strut and it will force the spindle sideways making it difficult to align the ball joint into the wishbone. I prefer removing the two lower strut bolts, but you need a breaker bar. I have some videos on my channel, look up with 'peppermint control arm'

Another masterclass on the s60 si well done. The only other worth mentioning is final torque must be done with wheels on the ground. 👍

Man, thank you so much for showing us the ratchet strap trick, I've been at it for over 12 hours (ball joint and control arm) and I finally completed 1 side using your tricks. I struggled so much getting the ball joint to fit in the hub, and after using brute force for over 4 hours I found out that I had some weird ridge inside of the hole on the splines which caused the ball joint to not fit in there properly... So I sanded that down and it in like a glove. On to complete the other side tomorrow :)

Thanks for taking the time to make and post this video! I was at a loss for the last 2 hours on how to install the control arm. Now that I see what I need to do, I should be done in about 20 minutes!

Fantastic video, with your no-nonsense approach anyone can do this, great advice keep on filming

The best method i have seen on RU-vid,highly recommended. Regards Bob,Telford

MOST IMPORTANTLY! WHEN DOING THIS JOB MAKE SURE BOTH SIDES OF THE CAR ARE JACKED UP EQUALLY. WITH THE ANTI SWAY BAR YOU COULD ACCIDENTALLY PULL CV AXLE OUT!!! GOLDEN RULE OF SUSPENSION WORK IS ALWAYS MAKE SURE BOTH SIDES ARE JACKED UP EQUALLY, THAT IS FIRST RULE OF SUSPENSION WORK. Good video I did this job on my 02 S60 Last year and it was difficult. The first spot you showed with the bolts under the car where the skid plate goes I had to buy a long rod to break them, there is like you mention zero way to access them properly. It can be done without jacking up the engine it was a learning process. Personally if you are going to do this job and drive it for quite a while I would highly suggest getting new lower control arms with polyurethane bushings. This might make the initial handling a bit tighter but over the long haul I did this at like 170k miles I have 210k and expect to not have to do this job again. I also suggest if you go through the pain of doing the control arms might as well replace the ball joints at the same time. For cost and effort I found it easier to replace the control arm with the ball joint locket in and use a pry bar with rope similar concept to your method (probably less dangerous) and get it in its spot then torque it down to its correct spot to put it in place. Overall great video. When I did this the videos on here were not very clear and I ended up spending two days, I pulled a cv axle out and broke and sway bar end link. The two most difficult aspects are definitely getting to bolts underneath where the skid plate is and using some kind of pry system to get it over the ball joint or in my case to get the ball joint & control are in place. To give my experience for anyone who reads this, 4 to 5 years ago I knew absolutely nothing about cars. Now thanks to youtube and community boards I have been able to do rotors, break pads, control arms & ball joints, spark plugs, motor mounts, fuel pump. Especially for Volvos it is expensive to have work done you can do yourself. My advice to everyone is watch as many videos as you can for different tricks and methods and be sure to check out the various community boards. Lots of great info there too. Most of these jobs especially for suspension aren't rocket science.

1st time. 3hrs for the cpl front axl. Lift and air tools. I didn‘t have to lift the engine. ‘06 D5 185hp auto. The lower joints in the hubs were a pain! Thx for the vid!!!

Unless a person has an impact wrench, they will want to loosen the steering link nut before removing all the control arm bolts. Otherwise the knuckle wants to move all over the place when you're trying to crack it loose. I did this the way displayed today, after doing it the "normal" way previously (used some GARBAGE Meyle control arms that lasted only a year and 5,000 miles). I would not recommend this technique to the weekend warrior. It's a few more steps to release the axle from the hub, but I found it less stressful. Seeing the axle boot shoved into the control arm was disconcerting. There is just enough room for this technique to work - kudos to you for discovering it.

did that today with some help from a neighbor it was successful thanks again.

i have done this job a few times, and will be doing another one on a 2005 volvo s60 soon. hopefully i have time to record a video. i have never replaced those bolts on any of the ones i have done in the past. i live in California, so we don't get much rain, so usually the bolts are in good shape. if they are rusted, i would recommend replacing them.

Yes thank you for this. My S60R is a Left hand drive but it all seemed pretty much the same. Ive been having some horrible clanking noises going over bumps and after further inspection I found the rear bushing was grinding metal on metal. Control Arm was ordered so I get to do this in a couple of days. Thank you!

I need to order a ratchet strap - Genius tip. Thanks very much!

Bravo mate. Thanks for the tip with the ratchet strap.

Great video. I have the exact same issue where my rear bushing is torn on the passenger side and it makes horrible creaking noises going over bumps. I was a bit hesitant at first about tackling the job, but your video gave me all the confidence I need to do this myself. Don't worry about the camera work, you showed all the major components of the installation in great detail which is IMO much more important than simple production value. Thanks!

I wish i have not seen you film before i started. It would safe at least 3 hrs for doing that job. thanks for sharing

Like this method - rather than loosening the axle bolt - thanks mate!!

So glad you have this out there, thank you 🙌 gonna tackle both sides today would of been virtually impossible without your knowledge, thanks again 👍

Useful video - note that the lower arms are different on the 06-07 V70 phase 2 - the earlier cars have alloy arms as shown in the video, the later ones are steel arms in a slightly different shape, most of the video still applies though.

Great video and wonderful resource! Was able to replace the ball joints and control arms on my 2000 S80 T6 because of your video. Thanks SiRobb for sharing.

Brilliant video. Thanks so much for doing this. I have renewed confidence in doing this job myself.

Be aware that some sites and another yt video give the wrong torque for the big vertical arm bolt, the correct torque is - for a new stretch bolt - 78 ft-lb (105Nm) + angle tightening 90°. However since we are reusing the bolt, I would skip the 90° rotation. The two horizontal bolts are 45 ft-lb (65Nm) + 90° (new bolt)

changed my rack end and control arms today , copied your method worked out great thanks!

Ratchet strap trick workes perfectly! Thanks!

i have always remove the bolts to the strut tower, the center shaft bolt and taken off the speed sensor, and the brake caliper. just support the axle and caliper with a bungi cord. i would be alittle afraid of that strap slipping off and hitting me in the face. But, this is a great short cut. you are not removing the whole axle, just turning wheel , like you did, and slipping the axle out of the rotor. there is a dust seal on the axle, make sure you put it back on the same way it came off, if it comes off.

Thanks. This video helped me a lot. I'm almost done with the passenger side... just need a ratchet strap to get it on the ball joint.

Genius idea with the ratchet strap! Thanks!

I tried to save some money by replacing those bushes on control arms and ended up with crashed aluminum and had to order mew ones, my advice is: do not try to save money that way. Anyway, great video , great tutorial thanks again

I mucked about with the ball joint for a while til I had a Eureka moment. I located the rear bush loosely bolted. The ball joint was easily located in position. Popped the wheel back on and lowered it back on ground. Wishbone was then in its natural place and front bush bolts were perfectly lined up and went straight in no problem at all. I didn’t have to remove track rod end and didn’t have a ratchet strap.

There are videos of people taking apart the whole suspension to remove the control arm, its not necessary, just support (not compress) the strut and drop the arm..easy. Also replacing the bushes can be done with a hacksaw and a bench vice, no need for a 10tonne press as ive read on online forums.

Supergood instruction video! Clear and not too fast! Good job! Thanks!

GREAT DIY VIDEO! Very useful. Thank you. I have a S60R and the process seems to be exactly the same.

Great video keep making more and I'm putting mines back on today with all the bushings and the ball joint are brand new I expect a smooth ride now thanks.

I'll be tackling this tomorrow! Many thanks Si

What I would also suggest id to use spring compressors to minimise the height of the strut. If you don't have a ratchet strp, use a long metal pole and force the control arm down.

Cheers for the video bud, my wifes car has just been serviced and they have picked up on both front arms need replacing.

great video ..but I forgo the strap ...took off strut from spindle and made it SO EASY TO PUSH CONTROL ARM...spent 6hrs try to bring it down with pry bar even ratchet strap since I'm not familiar with them gave me a hard time. try me guys remove strut from spindle

I have to do this to my 2004 S60. Kind of dreading it. Thanks for this video.

thank you so much for this video, I have to change both control arms on my 04 s60r tomorrow and was dreading it, this makes it look like a snap!

Thank you for this video. I followed your recommendations and you were spot on. Excellent work.

Thanks for the hints, was able to do this on my car! Only problem was my ratchet straps were much smaller... had trouble until I looked at yours carefully. I was able to use two ratchet straps side-by-side, and tighten them alternately, although they felt like they were at the limit!

If you remove the 2 small bolts facing you drivers side engine mount it will jack up enough get the bolts out its 5 min job it will not slip out and drops back in if replacing ball joints best remove hub as need to knock out and same to fit new one I removed shocker it's easier to put back together and no need for a strap as for drop link fit bottom first small jack under disc jack up enough get it back in shocker

Thanks i have removed the lower control arm i will not be changing the arm but the two bushings and the ball joint tomorrow.

Good video. However the ratchet strap method didn't help too much. I had to completely disconnect the strut from the strut knuckle assembly and actually lift it to get the back joint in. Thank God for compact impact wrenches for this situation. Which you have to be careful if you aren't disconnecting the axle bolt and axle as it could get damage. I would recommend removing the axle bolt and axle to be safe. The strap did help some but couldn't get it all the way in. My car is a 2001 Volvo S60 and using the OEM Lemforder control arms.

Great video man and thanks for the effort and time in sharing.

Thx for your quick response! I tried that already but it seem to have rusted together. I might have to cut the nut with my Dewalt grinder. I have new steering parts including all screws and bolts in my control arm exchange kit.

Thanks Rob great video.

thank you sir! was able to get mine replaced in the same manner. Was a pain trying to get the round bushing in place with the bolt that goes thru the middle. ugh.

This is awesome! You gave me confidence to do this myself. I did NOT want to raise the engine to perform this swap. Elegangant suggestion about the ratchet straps too. Can you suggest any DIY ways to make the Ball Joint replacement easier?

Great Video, Thanks a lot. my project for the summer. doesn`t look too difficult, so actually I might do it myself. once again, Thanks a lot

awesome video! no worries about the camerawork, your tutorial is great nevertheless

nice video and good camera work considering what you are doing - thankyou

Thank you for doing this! Not as bad of of a job as I thought.

I don't understand how everyone has trouble with this job. You don't even need to disconnect the track rod end. Just jack the hub up and the control arm pulls straight out, don't even need to bother with ratchet straps or prying the control arm down just guide the balljoint into the new control arm as you lower the hub back down.

thanks for all your helpful videos

I did this on my S80, worked great except I couldn't get the ratchet strap to pull the arm down far enough to relocate the ball joint, so I unbolted the strut from the wheel hub and slotted it in.

I didn't change the ball joint, only the arms like on your video. The ball joint has to come out of the hub to get the arm off. That's where I had the problem getting it off against the pressure from the strut spring.

sirobb thanks so much for this video! My 2000 needs both sides, is the other side just as easy? Also did you have to keep the ball joint from spining when you reassembled it? it was good to see a video of it done from start to finish, not just pictures like some others on youtube. You have differently saved me a few hundred dollars for sure by not going to a garage to have this done. thanks agian for taking the time to video this. Cheers!

Narrow socket with universal joint got me on both with a socket. Mine was 15mm though - yours looks like 15mm too.

Great instruction. will help me do this work on my XC90

Thanks for the post. Such a big help. Having a problem though similar to a few others. Pass control arm fit perfectly with ball joint, driver side arm however is just a little off, like half an inch. I'm wondering if I should try installing it again.

Pretty useful, you just made my day easier, cheers!

Thankyou so much

Very clear video indeed, thank's for sharing 👍

just what the doctor ordered for me to know----east fix--thanks

wow thanks I have to do both on my wife's car. thanks for your video.

Hi Sirobb Thanks for your advise,I am living in Sweden the home of Volvo...usually volvo is no problem to handle regarding service like this...BUT...this time Ireally needed some help,and I sure hope it will help me tomorrow...you know in Sweden we call a Volvo by the name of tractor...but this???? when I was young it was quit different...this f?cking development....thanks again...

Regarding the ratchet strap, looking at 16:22 and observe the size of the handle used....this is a heavy duty strap. Dont buy a small cheap ratchet strap like I did....you will bend the small handle and the control arm wont go down very far... Go big for your ratchet strap.

Well done, but you need to tell people that if you don`t take the axle out and you pull outward on the strut that the axle will pull out of the transmission and you will not realize it until you can`t figure out why nothing lines up. I think you got lucky it didn`t pull out. That`s the reason they recommend loosening the bolt holding the axle to the hub so it can slip out and not pull out of the transmission. Otherwise I like it.

Great video. Don't know if you did it off camera, but I didn't see you remove the wheel stop bumper from the old wishbone onto the new one. Oops, just saw it at the end of the video.

You're right mate. Thanks again for help.

Very useful video. Thank you!!

thank you thank you thank you!! I was stumped and couldnt figure out how to get that damn ball joint in!!!

As I said in my previous postings. Getting the lower ball joint to come off the hub was impossible without my 21stone son in law pushing down on a five foot long bar. I could not force it down against the spring on the strut. Hopefully will never have to change it again.

My '04 S80 is in desperate need of this work. I've watched this video numerous times and think its fantastic.. Still nervous about taking this on, but I think this weekend is the time. I didn't see the engine bolts(?) loosened in the video, so I'm not clear where in the process that happens. Also was this the driver side or the passenger side? Important to note, I'm from the US.

Good tips. Cheers 👍

Great Video. Helped a lot!

Thank you very very much for this video.

what a horrible job well performed love the strap idea keep them comming..