Episode 110 - How to replace a suspension strut on a Volvo V40

[@bobbyspity]

Thank you for this , video my shock was a nightmare to get out and this gave me the motivation to continue and now sorted cheers.

[@jimmykneesall]

That's fab to hear Bobby. Thank you for your kind words. Glad it helped you to get yours fixed. 👍

[@vazybelek]

Thank you for the detailed video. I had exactly the same problem but I went to change the top mounts Only. It’s a two man job when we’re not seasoned mechanics. Your video helped us a lot to go through it. It’s now all fixed, at a fraction of what the garage quoted me. I can’t thank you enough.

[@jimmykneesall]

Ah. Fantastic dude. That's great news. Really pleased that you were able to use my video to help get your car sorted. And thank you for your kind words. It means a lot. ☺

[@paulfisher7911]

i so like seeing your videos when u get your car fixed by yourself all calm and informative and great result .

[@jimmykneesall]

Thanks again Paul. To be fair, suspension parts on cars aren't too difficult to sort, unless you have rusted-on components to tackle. This one was OK and had a cheap replacement too in the end. Glad you liked it. Thanks for the feedback. There will be some more to come. 👍

[@joshh411]

The only sensible video. Thank you

[@jimmykneesall]

Thank you so much Josh. Really appreciate your feedback. I do try to make the "How-to" videos as informative as possible, both with instructions and visuals. I'm learning myself about these things along he way too. 👍😎

[@loveeritrea9621]

I have test tomorrow to replace suspension. Thank you for ur lesson it’s really helpful.

[@jimmykneesall]

Thank you. That's great to hear matey. The main aim for this video was to show to the viewers that it's not a difficult job to do and that anyone can tackle it with just basic tools. Glad it was helpful. Let me know how you got on with your test pal.

[@bavers]

It turned out to be an absolute nightmare. Managed to change both springs on either side along with new top mounts. Put it all back together and it made a massive thump noise over deep pot holes and bumps. Stripped back down again and still did the same. Changed lower arms but didn’t solve it. It turned out to be the shock absorbers on both sides had failed due to the snapped spring. So after spending £700 on parts I finally sorted it. On the plus side I have completely new front end suspension. Cheers for your advice.

[@jimmykneesall]

Glad you got it sorted in the end mate. It was definitely the shock absorber in our case too. Happy that our video has helped you out mate. Thank you.

[@gordonsmith9476]

I am doing that job right now, one common fail when unbolting the top mounts is the captive nut on top strut bearing can spin and the only way to drop the strut is helped by an angle grinder with a thin cutting blade . I noticed that you didn't fit the drop link bracket for abs cable on the correct side of the strut lug.

[@jimmykneesall]

Cheers Gordon. Interesting to hear about that issue. I've heard that the suspension components in general on the V40 are not the best (springs snapping, etc). Great spot by the way! Never realised I did that until now. Oh well. At least it was just that bracket and not anything serious. 🤣

[@ricwhite3410]

Great vid mate, really well done and informative. Are you still a member on the V40 Crew on Facebook?

[@jimmykneesall]

Cheers Ric. Appreciate the comments. I have still got them on my groups list, but sadly, we no longer have the Volvo anymore. 😔

[@jackstuckey2026]

Great video, really helpful 👍🏽

[@jimmykneesall]

Thank you very much Jack. Really appreciate that.

[@jannenikula2212]

Nice video and i have to change my girlfriends broken spring!😊

[@jimmykneesall]

Thank you. Glad you liked it. Be careful with the spring compressors. Cheers. 👍

[@gigabyte2573]

Good video showing how difficult some jobs can be for a DIYer without a car ramp etc, did the top mount move easily or was it quite stiff ? the reason I ask is because on mine when I screwed down the centre retaining bolt, and unloaded the spring compressor my strut mount bearing was very difficult to spin, I thought it supposed to move freely !

[@jimmykneesall]

Cheers pal. Glad you enjoyed that one. As with pretty-much all jobs on cars, having a ramp is always handy, but, to be fair, this one wasn't a difficult job to do, even with the car on axle stands. Regarding the top mount, it's gonna be a tad tight, as it's obviously under spring compression when it's all together, but it still should twist round by hand. Mine did quite easily.

[@siggi757]

Great video 👍

[@jimmykneesall]

Thanks Siggi. Really appreciate that. Cheers.

[@serhat7759]

Well done mate good job

[@jimmykneesall]

Thank you Serhat. Much appreciated bro! 👊

[@clewis5220]

Great video thanks my V40 has been making a similar hollow/wobble sound on OS for months and now I’ve seen your video I did have both springs replaced (cracked) before this started so maybe it’s the shock absorber although it passed MOT and handles ok. It’s not drop links as garage has had car on ramp shaker plates and are stumped they said just wait until it goes really bad 😂

[@jimmykneesall]

Cheers buddy. It was a strange one on our car. Our local garage mechanic also said at the time that the bushes, arms, etc were all fine, but pointed out that the shock was the likely culprit. At least if you aim to change yours out with the aid of our video, you've only got some fairly simple steps to follow. 😀

[@clewis5220]

@@jimmykneesall thanks for this m garage found a little play in the inner track rod ends thinking that was the cause and replaced them but noise still there. As links are cheap/easy diy i think I will replace them as cars done 85k anyway. Will let you know if that cures it!

[@jimmykneesall]

@@clewis5220 Cool. 👍

[@bavers]

Did you have to disconnect the track rod end? Or the lower arm? Or did you leave them in place? Thanks

[@jimmykneesall]

Hi mate. Nope. You can leave them both in place. You just need to lower the wheel hub out from the bottom of the suspension strut. After prising apart the back of the strut cup with that pick hammer, I used a mallet to knock the hub down and then applied a bit of pressure with my arms for the last bit. It drops down enough for you to remove the bottom of the strut from it without having to do anything to the track rod end or lower arm. Hope that helps. Keep me posted on how you get on pal.

[@bavers]

@@jimmykneesall cheers will do. Both my spring have snapped on the front. Going to give it a go by watching your video. Many thanks

[@jimmykneesall]

@@bavers I believe it's a common fault with this car. I had to replace 2 snapped springs myself in the short time my missus owned it. Easy enough to do though. 👍

[@wrath407z]

Hello! Would you happen to know if the 2016 V40 r-design comes with standard or sport suspension?

[@jimmykneesall]

Hi mate. That's a very good question. Unfortunately, I'm not sure of the answer! 🤣 It's probably worth asking on some of the Volvo forums. Hopefully someone can help you on there. Sadly, we no longer have the car anymore. 😔

[@lickyvlogs4108]

Hi , i too have a volvo v40 2014 my drls doesn't turn on either with low beam or high beam but works when the light switch is in position 0 and parking , is this normal ? .

[@jimmykneesall]

Hi mate. I've done some research into this. The DRL system is designed to make your vehicle more visible during the day-time, when conditions are already bright. Due to them being very bright themselves, the system is not meant for night-time use, as it could dazzle oncoming drivers. This would explain why the system doesn't come on when you have your low or high beam on, as you would ordinarily only use these at night. So, yes, I think this is normal. Hope this helps.

[@sheffcitys2forgedinsteel255]

Hi, I have a volvo V40 D4 r design 2.0 diesel year 2014 in red, Has any of you have issues with the EGR and cooler? And the car burning oil ? I'm i right in believing that the EGR valve had issues from factory, and from factory dodgy piston rings?

[@frankpeach449]

Good work mate. Bet you were chuffed you never had to remove the spring! That always scares me lol I thought you had sold the volvo? Or did I dream that cheers

[@jimmykneesall]

Thanks Frank. Yeah, a little less daunting without having to change the spring! 😬 I changed both front ones before, but that was its first replacement strut. Happy with the result though. You are right. We no longer have it. There will be a couple more videos on it coming up though. Just of minor jobs before it was sold. 🔧😉👍

[@Dannny1067]

3hours in and Ive just got the bottom of the strut out, man I wish i paid someone to do it 😂

[@jimmykneesall]

You'll get there pal. It'll be worth it in the end! 👍

[@Dannny1067]

@jimmykneesall I got there, it was worth it in the end! 5hours total 😂 cheers for the video mate

[@jimmykneesall]

@@Dannny1067 Ayyy! Fantastic!

[@Dannny1067]

@@jimmykneesall you need a donation link, I'd send you money for a beer if I could

[@walter6574]

The thing I was looking for is how to remove the belloews from the strut. No help on that.

[@jimmykneesall]

Hi Walter. In this instance, I got fortunate in that I was able to purchase a replacement strut with all the trimmings for a cheap price, hence why I took the faulty one off with everything still attached. I did mention midway through the video that if you did need to take the components off the strut, you would need spring compressors. The pair of wind-on / wind-off ones that I have were pretty cheap to buy. Had I not spotted the complete replacement part on eBay, I would have used them, so that I could have swapped the bits over to a replacement strut. You just need to be careful when using them though, as compressed springs can cause injury if not used properly. Hope that helps. Cheers.

[@HenryOCarmichaelSmith]

blates just a top mount

[@jimmykneesall]

Are you referring to the piece that I was calling the strut brace?

[@HenryOCarmichaelSmith]

@@jimmykneesallNo, the knocking sound is a typical top mount/bearing noise. I highly doubt it was in the shock absorber itself.

[@jimmykneesall]

@@HenryOCarmichaelSmith Ah. I see what you mean. Quite possibly. At the time I didn't know what it was. My plan was to take it apart, but got lucky on eBay. I was happy enough replacing that whole strut. Ultimately, it worked, it wasn't expensive to buy, plus I got to make a video on how to do it! 🤣 Cheers all the same pal.

[@ih8hertz1]

My rear one has gone

[@jimmykneesall]

Hope you can get it sorted pal. I can't recall what the rear unit looked like (we don't have the car any more for me to see). Is it a similar set-up to the front one?

[@user-tt8vt2qu5d]

ぶいよんじゅうううううう

[@jimmykneesall]

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