My experts at Monroe Tire in Shelby showed me that caster adjustment is very difficult. They could not access two bolts 'under' the upper control arm, in order to re-shim the caster. Presently caster is 1.7 degrees positive left, and 2.5 positive right. I'd like to reset this back to near even 1.5 degrees. My factor service manual calls for special tool SVO 2713. Anyone have such a tool to loan / rent / buy?

Hey Chip!

I don't know who the "other" George is but he's right. I've done

it several times and a regular socket on a breakover handle works

OK if it isn't too long. You HAVE to get at it from underneath,

though. Green book says if you need the SAME amount of adjustment

on both sides, tilt the crossmember. If it is about the same,

tilt the crossmember (both sides) the smaller amount and then

shim the upper a-frame for the small difference.

I kind of wonder about these guys who can't do it with a socket.

Sounds a bit like the big fancy shop in Panama that was afraid

to replace A-frame bushings because they didn't have a spring

compressor. (well, they did, but it was AFU) A couple weeks later

I did it safely in my carport using a combination of wooden blocks

and jacks, NO excitement. BTW I think the size is 5/8" but if not

it is 11/16". 7/16" bolt.

The shims in the upper arm control both caster and camber; if your "expert" cant get to the two bolts, I'd suggest finding someone else to do the job :) They're not difficult to access if a jack is put under the crossmember and the car is raised a little. They can then be reached using a standard socket (a universal joint between socket and extension might make it a bit easier).

Some recommend that caster be adjusted by shimming the crossmember so that it tilts rather than using the upper arm - the unequal thickness of shims needed between the front and rear bolts of the arm to set caster angles can produce a twisting force on the bolts and the arm, leading to possible fatigue and breakage of the bolts. I've never tried this method so can't verify its worth.

He's really an expert, and the Volvo manual shows a very interesting tool that would really help. I couldn't see how to fit the standard sockets in between the control arm and the subframe...do you raise the control arm assembly using a separate jack?

Volvo (like all other makers) loves their "special" tools - the idea is to deter anybody other than dealers from doing repair work (like using only "genuine" parts for best performance and longest life - the timing gear set for 160/140 Volvos from the dealer is exactly the same, and comes from the same manufacturer, as that sold by most engine repair shops. Volvo just put a nice blue label on it and double the price). The only special tools I've used in 25 years were the ones I made myself.

Anyhew, when tyre shops have done wheel alignments on the (many and varied) 160 and 140 models I've had, they just put a jack under the lower suspension ball joint of the side they want to adjust (NOT the crossmember as I said earlier - I was thinking of 240's. Sorry 'bout that! Was tired and had "crossmember" stuck in my mind - very uncomfortable!) and raise it a tad to access the upper arm bolts using just a standard (5/8" I think) socket, sometimes with a universal joint between the socket and the extension bar. I've had over 50 alignments done and no-one ever used a special tool. Hope this helps. Sorry again for the misleading bit about the crossmember before.