Drop links?

[iammart]

Hello!
What are droplinks and are they expensive/difficult to replace....?
Volvo tell me I need to replace my rear ones as my rear end was creaking, and I'm dreading the quote....

Cheers,

[chriskay]

Think you'll find they're not very expensive & you can probably fit them yourself. (A good guide is to ask how long the Volvo book allows, or if your Volvo mechanic is friendly, he'll probably tell you how easy to do).
They may even be available as a pattern part from an independent supplier. Luck, Chris.

[Ben Harris]

Yep - fairly easy to replace yourself, with just a simple spanner set (or two - can't remember if you need to use two of the same sized spanner at the same time!). It's just a case of undoing the nut on either end of the drop link, whilst holding it with a spanner to stop the ball joint turning as you turn the nut.

I believe it's also possible to un-sieze the old ones quite easily (as I was told, after I bought replacements for my 480!). What happens is that the grease around the ball joint goes hard, and stops lubricating it properly allowing it to sieze. If you take them off the car, peal back the rubber cover over the ball-joint, remove the old grease and use something like WD40 to free them if they've siezed, it's then simply a case of putting some new grease in there and putting the cover back on. That's what the previous owner did on my other 480 (as I advised him to on this forum, before shortly buying the car off him a few weeks later!), and a year on they're still nice and quiet.

Oh, and if it's like my 480, you'll replace the links at the back, only to then start noticing that the front ones are also making a noise - it's just that you couldn't hear it before!

Ben.

[Murf]

i had to replace mine recently, took half an hour per side inc. taking wheels off and putting them back on.

pattern parts are unavailable but the volvo ones are £20 ish each or keep an eye out in scrapyards for older cars as they will no doubt have had theres replaced fairly recently!!