v70 s3 intermitant heavy steering

[jamesey]

hi has anyone experienced very heavy steering when stantionary , usually when turning out of a parking spot or out of the drive , but then when driving it becomes really really light.......when the steering becomes stiff i can hear a hissing coming from the rack even when the wheels arnt at full lock
my 2009 v70 r design 2.0 psa doesnt have any electrical inputs on the rack so i cant be adjusted to hard or soft
its had 3 green power steering flushes that had worked a bit but after a few months it comes back , its also had another pump fitted , so im thinking its either the rack or the pipes leading to it but i suppose if it were the pipes it would be stiff all of the time

[HowOld]

Hi Jamesy,
Ii used to have this problem and went to my local Volvo specialist hoping for answers. To say l was disappointed is an understatement. I was informed that they had changed the rack, pump and reservoir on a customer's car and he still had the fault.
I was now totally confused and considered taking my car to the main stealer. Not a thing you would do lightly with labour costs about £140 per hour plus of course genuine Volvo parts at £££a.
Anyway on going through my usual weekly service check l noticed that my nearside tyre was low on air and obviously inflated it to the correct level. That was 10 days ago and l have not had any problems.
The other thing my local expert never mentioned was the relay that adjusts the steering for road speed, l think its xalled servotronic, apparently they can get bad connections and of course also go faulty. That would have been my next step if the problem continued.

[CTCNetwork]

Hi,

Originally Posted by HowOld

The other thing my local expert never mentioned was the relay that adjusts the steering for road speed, l think its xalled servotronic, apparently they can get bad connections and of course also go faulty. That would have been my next step if the problem continued.

If that does happen, try removing from the plastic case so only metal and the circuit board is left, pop into the oven at 180°-190° for about 5 minutes or so.
Lead no longer used in circuits so they are now more prone to developing dry joints and cracking of the solder joints. The heat up in the oven helps to redo the joint and re establish connections without damaging the circuit boards.

Des. . .