Hello,
I need strut mounts for my 1991 244. The last that I read here and elsewhere, the old "good" original strut mounts may not be so good now. I believe someone on TB may be machining a better mount. Are there any new options? My driver side strut mount is cracked all the way around, and there is a rather large woman driving the car everyday, and I am afraid it is going to fail. Can it blow through the hood? Thanks.

A couple of decades ago, I needed strut tops. A Lifetime Warranty with the Timken name on them led me to Autozone. When the things arrived, the bushed electric motor bearings in the middle made me say, fuggetaboutit.

I bought a pair branded KYB (KYB makes good stuff, right?). In about 5 Kmi., I noticed the inners were separating from the rubber. I mean, I could look through the gap to the inside of the wheelwell. The dealer said not to worry, they had a Lifetime Warranty. I said, "Are you nuts? This is for my daughter's car." I demanded and got my money back.

Not having time to wait for replacement parts, I greased and installed the 100+ Kmi. strut tops I had just removed. The last I saw that car, with over 230 Kmi. on the original strut tops, they were functioning just fine. Sure, they had some tight circumferential cracking like an old tire, but they gave no indication that they were going to separate.

I have one pair of OE Volvo strut tops which I am saving for the 240 Wagon which, at this point, is certainly going to outlive me.

If I have to buy strut mounts, I would go with the Spherical Strut Mounts offered by Kaplhenke Racing as previously mentioned. They may not be as compliant and cause a harsh ride, but they look like they won't kill you, either.

A sad truth is that aftermarket rubber sucks.

Rich (near The Burgh)

Unless I'm wrong. Please provide your forensics if so.

Volvo PN 1272455.

There does exist a strut mount part number used during the production run using a sealed bearing installed at the factory on 240 using a different part number with a 3 and one's in the part number. The use of these lasted a short while during the 1980s and quality issues ensured. I believe yet am unsure that it is Meyle that made these as OEM for Volvo.

If a brand of strut mount does not fail in less than 18-24 months and uses a quality bearing assembly and bushing material well bonded to the exterior steel assembly that secures to the inner fender and the exterior of the inner bearing assembly.

Boge made the OEM strut mount with open to the top ball bearing race covered by the dust cap. You'd slip in some NLGI-2 grease to maintain ball-bearing lube. The bearing assembly itself was made by SKF and another ball bearing manufacturer, Timken or something some brand quality made in Japan. Good stuff. No longer available. SKF was an after market option decades ago of quality. You could also make purchase of the Boge brand.

Meyle, Volvo made in chinesium junk OEM, and what I see of all other after market is some terrible quality. All are made in chinesium junk. As Art Benstein would say, so long after the production ended, whaddya expect?

So, so far as I know, this is the only durable option made today. At least you need not replace these every 18-24 months.

Kaplhenke Racing LLC 185$ US each.
240 Offset Spherical Strut Mounts

https://www.bneshop.com/collections/240/products/240-spherical-offset-strut-mounts


For the long story, please read here:

http://forums.turbobricks.com/showthread.php?t=315522

This solution won't work either as is mentioned in this same thread with link and fabricated by a Turbobricks member. The little Volvo 240 strut mount goes up and down (as suspension articulates).



I continue to hope someone like Dave Samuels or someone will fabricate a proper 240 strut mount using urethane and a ball bearing race, and not a sealed bearing race as they all use now. To CAD and fabricate such a thing for small batch production on North American or Europa soil would be expensive.

The use of the sealed bearing is folly. While a ball bearing race, the sealed bearings are better used to spin and not ideal to take on the up and down or cross-lateral shock as the little Volvo 240 strut mount goes up and down (as suspension articulates). Unless a sealed bearing assembly would survive MTBF as factory original does, or would, or could.

I'd rather have a 164 or 140 series or older with the upper and lower A-arm. We also have quiality issues with replacement strut mounts on 700 and 900 series. One wonders why.

I've been performing suspension and exhaust work on a range of RWD Volvo since the mid-1980s.

Utterly nothing gets my goat and grinds my gears as this 240 and other McPherson suspension RWD Volvo strut mount issue.

Is it the Swedes being obstinate or their China Geely overlords itemizing classic Volvo parts that may make a Ford Motor Cars (FoMoCo junk - most of these Ford parts come from China also) accountant blush. "How many spot welds per inch? We could use fewer."

Fantasic!
--
Donate NOW! Give your brickboard.com a big DONATION!!! Find the on brickboard pages!

Kitty wrote: "SKF was an after market option decades ago of quality."
If you look back into the history of VOLVO, you will find that, before the company-(then SKF) took the plunge into the nacient automobile building frontier, the Company made bearings --- SFK was its name.
VOLVO - the name the board chose for the new venture...Latin...I Roll.
Studied the Classics at Uni in addition to Engineering.


Also you wrote: "Is it the Swedes being obstinate or their China Geely overlords"

Read This: CEO of Volvo Says Company is Considering Leaving Sweden Partly Due to Rise in Violent Crime. July 12, 2019
(Google it)

STAY AWAY from the VOLVO branded ones as they are garbage. I replaced as PM when replacing the last set of bilsteins and they were in worse shape within 6 months than the original ones that were 25+ yrs old.

I plan to use MOOG ones when I replace the lousy meyle ones I have now. They are expensive but they supposedly have superior steel to rubber binding. They are more expensive but who wants to do the job over and over. Here is the listing on rock auto. https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/volvo,1982,242,2.1l+l4+turbocharged,1287233,suspension,strut+mount,7600

I think maybe it was swdishbricks that had a long discussion on the struts mounts to no real avail either. Someone said KYB and MOOG looked the same. I guess looks can deceive though.

Good Luck!
Gary

Search for OEM mounts. Cheap aftermarkets do not last. I have one OEM left on ebay.

In the meantime, put the driver in the passenger seat to reduce the load on the bad side. Lol.

Worst case scenario is you will have a small ding or hole in the hood if the rubber breaks. Not pretty to look at, but the spring and the plate will keep the shock tower from going through.

Yes, it is possible that it could break loose. Doubt it could break through the hood, but it would certainly make a mess and the car would be not be drivable. Potentially a dangerous situation if it were to happen while driving!
--
Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....

Hi Pittroj,

Does your strut mount look like my 91's ? This is a recent pitcure, but these "good" original Volvo mounts looked much the same when I bought the car 12 years ago.



I'm not sure how they're made. The folder hits something hard at about 5/8 inch down making me think making me think the bearing's retained by more than the rubber.

After a wedding about 5 years ago I was asked to give a lift from the church to the reception to a 400+ pound man. We got him there alright and he found another way home, but after the event my 3 ladies in gowns had to wait while I, in a suit and white shirt, struggled to jump the starter motor because the neutral safety switch was broken. Once we got going, the young woman who took the also broken passenger seat complained that something was poking her in the bum. The strut mounts, however, were fine.

The January before last I was headed home in light snow on an ice covered gravel road when a Toyota pulled out blind between high snow banks. I was doing about 40 and only had a second or two before demolishing his poor car. Although my engine didn't fall, both mounts were sheared as well as the radiator supports so that the fan and the shroud were busy beating each other to pieces. Nothing was leaking, so I wired them apart and drove five miles home. I rebuilt the front end with a parts car I had and replaced a lot of things, but the strut mounts are still there doing their thing.



I know there's much ado about cracks appearing on the top rubber and people considering them failed. I think it may be nothing more than aesthetic. From the bottom, the bearing in my mounts looks pretty secure to me.

regards, Peter

FEBI brand is one. MYLE another. Both companies that make "rubber" parts for European vehicles.
It's not just the Brand, it's alos where the item is "made" - China, SE Asia, Brazil???. It may be a Blue Box Volvo Brand, but where did the think in the box come from.

Do a search and look for the other car companies that use that Manufacturer as OEM. For example FEBI goes in BMWs Mercedes etc.