removing steering rack

[Neilfinlay123]

I have abit of play in my steering especially when cornering. It feels like a serious of tugs trying to pull the car straight. I recently put 20'' alloys on my jeep which have 295 wide tyres which may contribute abit to this though this tugging was obvious before I changed the wheels. Has anyone replace d a steering rack? Could my mechanic do this or is it another job for Volvo???? Hopefully this should cure the problem

[binty]

Hi,
I have a similar issue, when making a long right hand turn, for example at a motorway roundabout, the steering wheel seems to loose its smooth action and to jump suddenly.
It does not do it on long left turns and is worse when travelling at speed and the suspension is weighted up.
It can be felt when the car is stationary if you turn the wheel slowly and it occurs both on left and right turns of the wheel when stationary.
It is also sensitive to tyres, as it was getting worse as my tyres approached 2mm tread, but is much better now since the new tyres were fitted.
It feels like something is holding, then releasing.
I wondered if it could be the front left suspension strut not turning smoothly, or possibly the steering rack.
Can anyone advise how I can check which it is, as my local garage have had a good look and tell me everything looks in good order underneath (No broken springs, loose joints etc.).
I am happy to pay to have it fixed, but do not want to chase the fault by replacing loads of parts unnecessarily until we stumble on the right one.
(XC90 D5 SE 2006 88 000 miles)

[Tannaton]

The problems you describe sound like the rack is starting to fail, but it is worth changing the power steering fluid a few times first to flush the system - old, burnt, thick fluid can cause these sorts of problems. The bigger wheels will need bigger forces to turn, it's worth doing a search to see what others did to sort this as it crops up every few months.

Draining the system involves disconnecting the return hose (either at the cooler or reservoir) and running the engine at tickover to pump the old fluid out. Add some more, pump it out, etc. then refill and possibly repeat the process a week later. The system takes about a litre to fill it so doing this will cost twenty quid.

If this makes no difference then it might be worth changing the pump - I suggest this as again it's easy to do and second hand ones are easy to get and cheap as they don't often go wrong.

If you have to change the rack, the subframe has to be lowered to get it out and subsequently the engine/gearbox released from some of its mountings and supported (the rear engine mount attaches to the steering rack). This isn't terribly difficult if you have the right equipment but does take some time. Any competent mechanic should be able to do it though.

[Neilfinlay123]

Got confirm action today that it looks they there is playing in my steering rack a replacement is necessary. I can get one at salvage yard with relatively low mileage but would like to know how much work is involved to replace?? Has any incountered this problem and post pics or step by step guide on their experiences?? Any help would be appreciated

[A lex]

Originally Posted by Neilfinlay123

Got confirm action today that it looks they there is playing in my steering rack a replacement is necessary. I can get one at salvage yard with relatively low mileage but would like to know how much work is involved to replace?? Has any incountered this problem and post pics or step by step guide on their experiences?? Any help would be appreciated

How much work...?

Lots.

Theres a reason it costs about £400-500 in labour to change!

Unless you are a very experienced home mechanic with a serious amount of equipment I think its regarded as one of those jobs for the 'pro's'.

I know at the very least you need to drop the sub-frame which is no small job in itself.

[cheshired5]

Originally Posted by Neilfinlay123

I have abit of play in my steering especially when cornering. It feels like a serious of tugs trying to pull the car straight. I recently put 20'' alloys on my jeep which have 295 wide tyres which may contribute abit to this though this tugging was obvious before I changed the wheels. Has anyone replace d a steering rack? Could my mechanic do this or is it another job for Volvo???? Hopefully this should cure the problem

Having read your other threads, if you've had to pay someone else to do an injector leak back test, you shouldnt even attempt changing your steering rack.

[Ducklakeview]

I'd tackle it myself without a 2nd thought, BUT it's not one for anyone lacking in confidence or experience if you ask me!

Mike

[Tannaton]

It might sound like people are being unkind but whilst it is a straight forward job in principle you can get yourself into trouble if you don't have the right kit - for example you would need to be able to support around 300Kg of engine and gearbox in the engine bay within quite a tolerance so you don't damage any pipes/exhuast etc. so you can drop the subframe...

Whoever does it - the car will need a full wheel alignment check and adjust afterwards.

[ifzal123]

Ive just had my steering rack re-furbished.


It cost £350 all in with 12 month warranty

approx £180 re-furb - rest labour

[A lex]

Originally Posted by ifzal123

Ive just had my steering rack re-furbished.


It cost £350 all in with 12 month warranty

approx £180 re-furb - rest labour

That labour cost is ridiculously cheap!