Steering: wants to straighten

[DonHS]

I have a 2003 D5 SE AWD that only wants to go in straight lines. I was taking a 90 degree corner to the left and my car jerked the steering wheel violently to the right and almost put me under a Dennis. Volvo garage is mystified, have tried 2 recon power steering racks but no change. When car is stationary and you turn the steering wheel you can feel it twitching to straighten itself but when the car is lifted off the front wheels all seems perfectly normal. Car been lounging in my garage ever since. Any help will be very gratefully received as my fab 2006 model just got totalled by a newly qualified driver who apparently forgot how to drive round a parked car. I'm utterly gutted, car-less and desperate.

[Dancake]

Have you checked the anti-roll bar and front struts for anything amiss? When was the last time the car had a wheel alignment? You say you've tried two reconditioned steering racks, but have you tested the pump and checked that the correct fluid is being used? It should be green CHF. As far as reconditioned racks go, it isn't unheard of for them to be faulty straight out of the box. Where did you buy them from?

[DonHS]

Thank you for replying. Wheel alignment checked before garage changed steering racks. Volvo got both racks and installed them. Supplier checked and reconditioned my original which has now been put back on so 3 now been tried. Can't remember name of the company but they were very helpful and my local volvo garage been using them for years. New pump fitted but Volvo very graciously took it back into stock at no charge as it made no difference to the problem. I haven't had anti-roll bar checked that I know of but I know the garage checked struts. Ran a diagnostic, only bit I can remember is it saying something about steering wheel angle sensor had an internal fault and that the DTC was not active (no idea what that means). Who best to check anti-roll bar? Volvo or bodywork shop?

[Dancake]

Any garage should be able to inspect the anti-roll bar as well as the rest of the front end suspension, also paying close attention to the bushings in the control arms. Have a look at the condition of the rear engine vacuum mount too. These things need to be eliminated properly as potential causes. My gut feeling would be that the rack is still the source of the fault, even though the work completed would lead you to think otherwise.

[S60D5-185]

Originally Posted by DonHS

Thank you for replying. Wheel alignment checked before garage changed steering racks. Volvo got both racks and installed them. Supplier checked and reconditioned my original which has now been put back on so 3 now been tried. Can't remember name of the company but they were very helpful and my local volvo garage been using them for years. New pump fitted but Volvo very graciously took it back into stock at no charge as it made no difference to the problem. I haven't had anti-roll bar checked that I know of but I know the garage checked struts. Ran a diagnostic, only bit I can remember is it saying something about steering wheel angle sensor had an internal fault and that the DTC was not active (no idea what that means). Who best to check anti-roll bar? Volvo or bodywork shop?

I would be having a look here.

[ksmi]

Originally Posted by S60D5-185

I would be having a look here.

I am with you on this one Darryl , DTC= Diagnostic trouble code.
Stiff and/or Erratic power steering problems!!,get the faults codes read?
Don,Perhaps a visit to a good auto electrician would be more productive?
There is no end of information if you Google it,you have to make clear it is Not electric! I am surprised the Volvo garage didn't go down that route instead of changing racks and pumps. Perhaps the problem is not mechanical at all?


Best regards,Keith.

[SwissXC90]

A bad steering angle sensor cannot impact the hydro-mechanical power steering pump and steering rack

The only electrical input to the steering is the Sports model (R-Design) which has speed dependent variable power steering using an electrically operated hydraulic valve to change the rate of power steering applied.

Anything where the steering system feels like the wheels want to run straight instead of around the turn has to be a mechanical or hydraulic issue.

[DonHS]

A big thank you to all of you for your advice and experience. I will work my way round to getting all your suggestions looked into. I'm spending a lot of time arguing with the insurance ppl atm. I've looked at replacing my 2007 model (sorry, I prev said it was 2006) but they want me to take 1.5k less than I can find a replacement for with similar spec. Sometimes I think being male would be a help as quite a few (by no means all) seem to try to blind us females with tech stuff when deciding how much my car was worth. Last time I worked on my own cars was about 25 yrs ago when I recognised what was under the bonnet! It's really good to have tech stuff from experts to come back at them with. I truly do appreciate all the help, advice and suggestions you have all given me.
Gratefully yours
Donna