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Strange steering and pull when braking

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Old May 20th, 2019, 15:52   #1
themindseye
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Default Strange steering and pull when braking

Hi all

I have looked everywhere and don't see the exact same symptoms so please forgive me if it's already been mentioned.
I've looked at various forums and none are the same symptoms so hoping to get some help here.

I have a UK 2004 2.4 D5 AWD XC90
When I got it a couple of weeks ago it has a pull to the right when braking.
Weird thing for me is when stationary and when driving the steering wheel is never centre it is turned more to the 03:50 position, that is until I press the brake then it pulls more to the right..like a twitch if you know my meaning, but the harder I press the steering wheel straightens itself then I release the brake, it twiches back to the left and the steering wheel is off centre again and is always like that until I brake hard then after the slight twitch its straight.

At first I thought it was a caliper binding but they all seem to roll free when I check.
The other thing is I have the anti skid service required light ...Does a failure of that create this symptom or do you think it's more of a control arm failure?
I don't have any steering wandering or bad handling round bends from what I've experienced.

Any help most appreciated.
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Old May 20th, 2019, 16:21   #2
SwissXC90
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I am picking worn control arm or worn bushings if it is twitching under braking

When replacing bushings, do both sides at the same time.
In fact, do all bushings at once if you can.
they will all be the same age.

Then you will need a wheel alignment afterwards too.
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Old May 20th, 2019, 16:25   #3
Clan
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Quote:
Originally Posted by themindseye View Post
Hi all

I have looked everywhere and don't see the exact same symptoms so please forgive me if it's already been mentioned.
I've looked at various forums and none are the same symptoms so hoping to get some help here.

I have a UK 2004 2.4 D5 AWD XC90
When I got it a couple of weeks ago it has a pull to the right when braking.
Weird thing for me is when stationary and when driving the steering wheel is never centre it is turned more to the 03:50 position, that is until I press the brake then it pulls more to the right..like a twitch if you know my meaning, but the harder I press the steering wheel straightens itself then I release the brake, it twiches back to the left and the steering wheel is off centre again and is always like that until I brake hard then after the slight twitch its straight.

At first I thought it was a caliper binding but they all seem to roll free when I check.
The other thing is I have the anti skid service required light ...Does a failure of that create this symptom or do you think it's more of a control arm failure?
I don't have any steering wandering or bad handling round bends from what I've experienced.

Any help most appreciated.
You have bought someone else's problems , I would take it back ! Someone has fitted a non volvo lower front wishbone on one side only ! they are cheap and nasty and do not react the same as a volvo one and affect the steering . It would be best to get it looked at and preferably fit 2 VOLVO front wishbones so they both work and their bushes compress the same amount as intended .

The ABS light is something else , probably a split or rusted toothed ring on the outer end of a driveshaft .
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Old May 20th, 2019, 18:16   #4
Tannaton
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When an XC90 pulls under braking, 99% of the time it is down to one of three causes or a combination of 2 or more...

- Tyres, are they matched? i.e. the same make, variant, tread depth - are they of reasonable quality (i.e. not Chinese ditch finders)

- Brakes, if there is more braking effort on one side of the car then this will cause the pull. Can be caused by sticking caliper, corrosion from storage or poor quality pattern brake discs/pads

- Worn suspension bushes, probably the most common cause, if one or more of the bushes are worn OR not matched on both sides (i.e. only one wishbone changed or non-gen parts) then under braking the wishbone can move back and outwards excessively. As well directly affecting the wheel alignment, it also causes the trackrod on that side to effectively shorten as the whole suspension moves back and this causes the wheel on that side to toe out and hence the car to pull to that side even more.

That fact that it occurs under light braking and then gets better with heavier braking implies exactly what Clan said in that you have un-matched wishbones, but could also be sticking caliper.

First I would check tyres, if they're not matched can you swap front to rear etc, to get a matched pair? Hopefully that is possible without spending any money, but it's probably the least likely cause.

As has been said if you need new wishbones the only ones to get are genuine Volvo - they're about £110 each from Volvo dealers who sell parts at trade prices on ebay.

If it is worn wishbones you usually get a pull in the opposite direction under hard acceleration but the 163 D5 doesn't quite put enough power down to match the forces on the suspension under braking.

The fact that the steering wheel is not "straight ahead" implies that it's had some work done by Bodgeit and Scarper, so make sure you get a full wheel alignment check as well. You should also check carefully the number of turns from straight ahead (or 3:50 as is currently) to full lock on both sides - they should be exactly the same - if not you might get wheel arch rub problems (MOT failure) and it's a further sign of bodgery.

Good luck - you will love it when it's sorted (even if it does empty your wallet in the process...)
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Last edited by Tannaton; May 20th, 2019 at 18:23.
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Old May 21st, 2019, 01:24   #5
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I have had to sort the anti skid twice, both times a broken abs sensor ring. The second one actually broke up and made crunchy noises. Cheap part, quite a bit of labour I seem to remember

Mike
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Old May 21st, 2019, 07:04   #6
Tony500
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Wishbone bushes will be the culprit. When we got our XC90 same thing happened, when you accelerate hard too it pulls to the other side ect... I would fit polyurethane bushes next time round as they should hold up better and have a lifetime warranty.
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Old May 21st, 2019, 15:47   #7
themindseye
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Thanks guys appreciate it. I'll fix it and get back to you
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Old May 21st, 2019, 23:27   #8
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Mine was a loose bolt on the rear wishbone bushing.
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