V70 Steering Rack Replacement - Page 4

big radius · Sep 22nd, 2009, 19:13

and as for the banging i would check that the rack is tight by turning the wheel to the right like you have in the pics and grab the tie rod and see if there is any up/down forward/back play.

or instead you could put a bar under the tie rod and over the sub-frame and see if there is any lift in the rack

kby69 · Oct 25th, 2010, 15:18

my c70 has just develop a masive leak of power steering fluid, i've tried to find the leak but this proved almost impossible due to the massive leak. does anyone have some idea as were to start to resolve the leak help appreciated

Stuh1981 · Oct 25th, 2010, 21:06

Quote:

Originally Posted by kby69

my c70 has just develop a masive leak of power steering fluid, i've tried to find the leak but this proved almost impossible due to the massive leak. does anyone have some idea as were to start to resolve the leak help appreciated

Hi mate. MY C70 just failed its MOT for a small leak in the power steering rack. I was advised to replace the rack, but prices seem to vary quite dramatically from £130 to £700 After much shopping about I bought the replacement rack from
acs power steering It is a reconditioned rack but you get a two year warranty. It has not been fitted yet (next Wednesday) but I will keep you updated

foggyjames · Oct 26th, 2010, 00:27

...had a slight copy / paste issue earlier...sorry!

I bought a cheap re-con rack for my S70. It was £145 (plus the dreaded...) or so from Andrew Page, and came in a "Driveline components" box (or something like that anyway). I fitted it myself, and all was well with the world...except that I discovered later that the replacement PAS pump I fitted was just as faulty as the previous one (a common 850/70-series problem...), and the rack wasn't to blame at all...! I had a shiny new rack, anyway...

I then sold the S70 and bought a V70R. This is on its second PAS pump, having suffered the usual problems with its original, but has also suffered intermittent loss of assistance from cold when turning left. It's not been bad enough in the last 12 months to warrant replacement, given how busy I've been...but on the odd occasions it gives trouble, it is an irritation.

I started looking into it, and came across the SMI / TRW issue. The other interesting information is that it had a rack not *that* long ago (circa 2004? something like that)...and the bill was £200 all-in. There isn't a breakdown of parts/labour, but that seemed astoundingly cheap.

As I see it, you have three options:
1) Dealer - expensive, but you know it will be right. Unless it isn't, but you have some serious leverage.
2) Indy specialist - normally cheaper, and the job should be right if they're worth their salt.
3) Do it yourself - If you feel so inclined, none of this stuff is *that* hard. I could do a rack with a £100 Halfords kit and a big £100 jack from Machine Mart...plus a pair of stands for about £10 each. At least you know you've done your best...

Mates of mates are always dodgy territory. At the very least you want someone who knows the cars well. I know first hand you can save a *lot* of time on almost every job if you've done it before on that particular car.

For what it's worth, £200+ for labour, especially for a "bloke on the drive", sounds like a bit of a laugh. I managed mine on my back on the drive in an afternoon, and I wasn't going nuts, speed-wise. It's not a fun job, but it wasn't *that* bad, either. You can get a clutch done for that sort of money!

cheers

James

wildy · Nov 12th, 2010, 18:40

hi. new to this but very fond of my v reg v70 xt which has struck a leak on n/s end of steering rack. its a 2435cc 20v 140hp (i am 98% certain) and i bought a second hand rack for £50 off ebay but now realise it may not even be the right one!! so was going to put it to YOU, foggyjames, to maybe give me a brief rundown on how to remove the offending item? any help greatly appreciated as i wont be using a garage, just some tools and choice swearwords!

fgx318 · Dec 21st, 2010, 00:12

Hi there,

I just read the posts about steering rack leakage and I'd like to share my experience, my bad experience. I have a 2004 D5 geartronic V70 and 3 months ago I heard a weird noise (from the PS pump) when I turned left. I checked for level and had to top up. I then spotted a large amount of oil under the car. After a thorough cleaning and check, I found the steering to be leaking. The leak was where the steel lines connect to the rack close to the steering column.
Since I used to be a mechanic, I hesitated to fix it by myself. Finally I decided to have it fixed by volvo. I tell the workshop person to replace the lines, since they were available and in stock. Five hours later, the man called me and told me the steering rack was still leaking !!! And then finally, he called me back again to tell me the rack needed to be replaced !! Ouch ! Final price was a king size PITA, 1250 euros (£1.050), that hurts too bad !!! I said Ok to replace it (although I reckon I should have tried to do the job at home) and had to wait one more day to get the car back on the road. One day later, he called me back telling me they had a problem with the new steering rack. He explained that Volvo did an upgrade but it wasn't mentionned in there part diagram, so they call I don't know who, from volvo, and they confirmed a new adapter had to be installed to make the connection between the column and the rack possible ! I then realized how I would have been in deep trouble if I had decided to do the job by myself....
Buy a rack from an aftermarket retailer, have it fitted, realize it doesn't fit, send it back, being sent another one, doesn't fit, call volvo, they check their manual, everything is alright, finally stuck here, in my garage with no clue on how to fix it !

craigbarlow18 · Jan 19th, 2011, 00:53

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clan

I would stay away from this kind of thing too , you will spend a fair chumk of money to have this job done , it's only half a job when you find the rack develops play or a leak again ( which is likely with a "reconditioned" rack ) after a year or so . How can anyone recondition a rack for £130 AND Make a profit and even test it .. ...
They will cut corners , Its £100 alone just for a pair of steering rods , will they replace these ? no , or fit a pair of cheap quality ones , All they want is a fast profit . your long term well being is not in their mind .
Was your rack leaking or was it just play?

Fully agree here, I had a cheap job done on my vectra-c and less than 6 months later it leaked all its fluid out.

Never again

scoffbelly · May 10th, 2011, 14:11

My ACS rack is still working well, no leaks or creaks.

I'd go there again

foggyjames · May 10th, 2011, 22:09

Progress report! My V70R rack has been very well behaved lately after a fluid change. I will change it again, and declare it cured...for now!

The S70 which had the £145 re-con rack is suffering from a degree of play now. Seems we found where they were cutting corners...!

cheers

James

Clan · May 10th, 2011, 22:20

Quote:

Originally Posted by foggyjames

Progress report! My V70R rack has been very well behaved lately after a fluid change. I will change it again, and declare it cured...for now!

The S70 which had the £145 re-con rack is suffering from a degree of play now. Seems we found where they were cutting corners...!

cheers

James

Hi James ,
I was talking to someone recently who reconditions steering racks , do you know what they do when there is play in the inner steering rod ball joints?
They roll the casing inwards a bit more in a special press to eliminate the play! Thats how they do it for £145 and still make a profit . :-)

Sep 22nd, 2009, 19:13	#31
big radius Junior Member Last Online: Feb 5th, 2011 15:33 Join Date: Sep 2008 Location: cromer norfolk	and as for the banging i would check that the rack is tight by turning the wheel to the right like you have in the pics and grab the tie rod and see if there is any up/down forward/back play. or instead you could put a bar under the tie rod and over the sub-frame and see if there is any lift in the rack Last edited by big radius; Sep 22nd, 2009 at 19:17.

Oct 26th, 2010, 00:27	#34
foggyjames 300 Register Keeper Last Online: Apr 24th, 2024 09:13 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Nottingham	...had a slight copy / paste issue earlier...sorry! I bought a cheap re-con rack for my S70. It was £145 (plus the dreaded...) or so from Andrew Page, and came in a "Driveline components" box (or something like that anyway). I fitted it myself, and all was well with the world...except that I discovered later that the replacement PAS pump I fitted was just as faulty as the previous one (a common 850/70-series problem...), and the rack wasn't to blame at all...! I had a shiny new rack, anyway... I then sold the S70 and bought a V70R. This is on its second PAS pump, having suffered the usual problems with its original, but has also suffered intermittent loss of assistance from cold when turning left. It's not been bad enough in the last 12 months to warrant replacement, given how busy I've been...but on the odd occasions it gives trouble, it is an irritation. I started looking into it, and came across the SMI / TRW issue. The other interesting information is that it had a rack not that long ago (circa 2004? something like that)...and the bill was £200 all-in. There isn't a breakdown of parts/labour, but that seemed astoundingly cheap. As I see it, you have three options: 1) Dealer - expensive, but you know it will be right. Unless it isn't, but you have some serious leverage. 2) Indy specialist - normally cheaper, and the job should be right if they're worth their salt. 3) Do it yourself - If you feel so inclined, none of this stuff is that hard. I could do a rack with a £100 Halfords kit and a big £100 jack from Machine Mart...plus a pair of stands for about £10 each. At least you know you've done your best... Mates of mates are always dodgy territory. At the very least you want someone who knows the cars well. I know first hand you can save a lot of time on almost every job if you've done it before on that particular car. For what it's worth, £200+ for labour, especially for a "bloke on the drive", sounds like a bit of a laugh. I managed mine on my back on the drive in an afternoon, and I wasn't going nuts, speed-wise. It's not a fun job, but it wasn't that bad, either. You can get a clutch done for that sort of money! cheers James __________________ VOC 300-series Register Keeper '13 V70 D4 SE Lux '89 740 Turbo Intercooler '88 360 Turbo Intercooler '84 360 GLT '81 343 GLS R-Sport '79 343 DL '70 164

May 10th, 2011, 14:11	#38
scoffbelly Scoffbelly Last Online: Feb 7th, 2012 01:46 Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Hants	35,000 and 19 months later.... My ACS rack is still working well, no leaks or creaks. I'd go there again

May 10th, 2011, 22:09	#39
foggyjames 300 Register Keeper Last Online: Apr 24th, 2024 09:13 Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Nottingham	Progress report! My V70R rack has been very well behaved lately after a fluid change. I will change it again, and declare it cured...for now! The S70 which had the £145 re-con rack is suffering from a degree of play now. Seems we found where they were cutting corners...! cheers James __________________ VOC 300-series Register Keeper '13 V70 D4 SE Lux '89 740 Turbo Intercooler '88 360 Turbo Intercooler '84 360 GLT '81 343 GLS R-Sport '79 343 DL '70 164

Oct 25th, 2010, 15:18	#32
kby69 New Member Last Online: Oct 25th, 2010 15:19 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: london	my c70 has just develop a masive leak of power steering fluid, i've tried to find the leak but this proved almost impossible due to the massive leak. does anyone have some idea as were to start to resolve the leak help appreciated

Nov 12th, 2010, 18:40	#35
wildy New Member Last Online: Jan 28th, 2011 18:43 Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: lancaster	hi. new to this but very fond of my v reg v70 xt which has struck a leak on n/s end of steering rack. its a 2435cc 20v 140hp (i am 98% certain) and i bought a second hand rack for £50 off ebay but now realise it may not even be the right one!! so was going to put it to YOU, foggyjames, to maybe give me a brief rundown on how to remove the offending item? any help greatly appreciated as i wont be using a garage, just some tools and choice swearwords!

Dec 21st, 2010, 00:12	#36
fgx318 Junior Member Last Online: Sep 11th, 2023 14:58 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Rennes	Hi there, I just read the posts about steering rack leakage and I'd like to share my experience, my bad experience. I have a 2004 D5 geartronic V70 and 3 months ago I heard a weird noise (from the PS pump) when I turned left. I checked for level and had to top up. I then spotted a large amount of oil under the car. After a thorough cleaning and check, I found the steering to be leaking. The leak was where the steel lines connect to the rack close to the steering column. Since I used to be a mechanic, I hesitated to fix it by myself. Finally I decided to have it fixed by volvo. I tell the workshop person to replace the lines, since they were available and in stock. Five hours later, the man called me and told me the steering rack was still leaking !!! And then finally, he called me back again to tell me the rack needed to be replaced !! Ouch ! Final price was a king size PITA, 1250 euros (£1.050), that hurts too bad !!! I said Ok to replace it (although I reckon I should have tried to do the job at home) and had to wait one more day to get the car back on the road. One day later, he called me back telling me they had a problem with the new steering rack. He explained that Volvo did an upgrade but it wasn't mentionned in there part diagram, so they call I don't know who, from volvo, and they confirmed a new adapter had to be installed to make the connection between the column and the rack possible ! I then realized how I would have been in deep trouble if I had decided to do the job by myself.... Buy a rack from an aftermarket retailer, have it fitted, realize it doesn't fit, send it back, being sent another one, doesn't fit, call volvo, they check their manual, everything is alright, finally stuck here, in my garage with no clue on how to fix it !

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