I had my passenger side axel replaced, now the power steering rack is leaking fuid like mad.. should I just save myslef the greif and replace the whole rack? apparently the racks were bad in the 99's...
My mechanic told me that whoever replaced the axel in his shop could have knocked seal loose or accedently put a pin-hole in the fluid line too..
I'm taking the car to volvo tommorrow morning for them to diagnose for me, but in my opinion the whole rack should just be replaced..

If there is a leak in the rack not the lines then replace the rack. If you only have a leaking line I would replace that. What dealer or shop do you use? Are they good?

That is an expensive option if it is just a hose replament.

Klaus
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Please answer, we need to know if the advice is good or bad. The 164 has a new home, all I am left with are 2 turbos :)

I'm not sure, that's why I have the dealer(not the most cost effective, but most efficient) looking at it tommorrow morning... I know there are other people in my neigborhood, but they have waiting lists, sometimes weeks long, before I can get an appointment, with me just starting fall semester, and having limited time,the dealer seems the best, especially in foreign territory where you only know of one local who works on volvos...

If it is simple, and I hope it is, Im hoping the dealer can give me a loaner(HA), or take me to avis..Like I said, the dealer is not most cost effective, but I'm on my own here, and this needs to be fixed ASAP.(better now than in october when it starts snowing!) What I have heard, is that apparently the 99 70-series cars had steering racks that WILL go bad sooner than they should!? I heard that from my dad's client who re-manufactures steering racks, and that was one thing he pointed out to us when we bought this car..
as of now this car is not too difficult to steer w/o the p/s.. if it were and 850 which apparently is nose-heavy, then I would be whining right nowQ!

No Volvos ever made have steering fluid filters fitted and they have no service recommendations to change the fluid either. This is why all V70 and 850s eventually have leaky racks not to mention We run them well past their life expectancy. You should fit a Magnefine steering filter (eBay) and change the fluid yearly to minimise your rack seals being shredded by swarf chewing your seals away.
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Tek

interesting about the filters.. Well, the verdict from the dealer wwas what I assumed , which is replace the rack.. unifortunatly they gave me an outrageous estimate of $1735.... I'm having my local mechanic in NEw Buffalo,MI do the job for me tommorrow for about $1000, still more than I know it should be, but at least he can get the job done fast.. they also mentioned to me that if it is a particular rack that was made in france, that it has no core value..i guess this is becuase this is the rack that cuased all the problems for the 99's and they want them gone.. not remanufactured.
If I was on my home shop turf in Georgia, the dealer would have done this job for $850, and our local russian mechanics would have done it for about the same...

I replaced my rack last year. you either have the trw or the one made in france (name escapes me-something like sim?). Both rack are identical in size and dimensions and are interchangeable. I believe I posted here about how to tell which rack you have by looking on the vin plate numbers. Do a search. I purchased one used from a junk yard for $200 and my mechanic put it in for around $300.

Here is a link to my prior post with the info on how to tell which rack you have, also more accurate numbers on the prices (sorry)...

http://www.brickboard.com/AWD/index.htm?id=1142256

I know I can do it cheap, but time and lack of resources is an issue at this point....I unifortunatly dont have the time to pull a used rack and do it on my own time.. I am 750 miles from any other car I own, and I need the car I have now.. No time to take anything offline, however, I am now seriously considering moving my 240 or 850 north so I have a back-up car, the con of doing that is maintaining 2 cars, I live in an apartment where extra spaces cost $$, and the cost of renting a car when needed is cheaper than the forementioned..