Brickboard,

Have any of you had luck lately replacing the two steel lines on your power steering rack and if so, did you need to take the rack off to get them on?

My 1990 240 wagon is leaking from the lines on or around the bends where the lines enter the rack so splicing a piece of line in does not look promising.

I have not read of many success stories here on the brickboard. Seems that most end up buying a remanufactured rack.

The lines seem to be a dealer part only and run $200 here in Rochester, NY.

Any input will be appreciated. Thanks.

TwoOldVolvos

Brickboard,

Well the job is done and I have a few comnments:

The leak seemed to be on the bend near where one of the upper tubes was attached to the rack.

Its not worth the effort to replace only one of the tubes. Do both. In fact some say its not worth the effort to replace the tubes.

The 2 lines cost 85.63 from the dealer with tax. As I put them on, I realized that the price was worth it. These are some complex lines and they fit great.

This job is a PIA. It took me several hours. Most of the time was spent trying to get the 2 upper connections off and trying to keep my piece of cardbord I was on clean. I ended up using a propane torch to heat up the fittings.

Ileft the rack in place. However, I needed to remove one of the two rack clamps because one of the tubes fits under it.

My Craftsman flange wrenches are crap. The fitings were 12mm and my 12 mm wrench was sloppy even on the new ones. Had to use mini vice grips anyway. I mean these wrenches are crap. Most of my tools are Craftsman too. But these wrenches are crap. Did I mention that my 12 mm Craftsman flange wrench is crap?

Thats about it. Its a time consuming job if your car is as rusty as mine.

My neck is a little stiff today but my old grey wagon is back on the road.
I still love these cars. I would buy a new one tomorrow if they still made them.

TwoOldVolvos

Brickboard,

I must offer my appologies to Craftsman Flare wrenches. After some research it looks like the problem was not with faulty wrenches. It appears the flare nut was a 3/16 Whitworth (.445 in). My bad.

TwoOldVolvos

For what it is worth, I got a whole rebuilt rack from Jorgens for about $200 including brand new steel lines. At 200k, I figured that was a better deal than just new lines (which were the cause of the failure). Jorgens does a wonderful job rebuilding and warrants for the life of the car. Buy directly from them in Detroit for the best pricing.

Sorry guys,

I mispoke on the steel tube prices for my rack from my local Volvo dealer. I dont have the part numbers but the prices are $37.36 and $41.92 for a total of $79.28 plus tax. My bad.

TwoOldVolvos

"I dont have the part numbers but the prices are $37.36 and $41.92 for a total of $79.28 plus tax."

In my experience, the part numbers are always on the dealer invoice, which you appear to have. Please check again.
--
Bruce Young, '93 940-NA (current), 240s (one V8), 140s, 122s, since '63.

Here are the part numbers and my dealer's prices:

1330228-6 - oil pipe - $37.36
1330232-8 - oil pipe - $41.92

Dan

"The lines seem to be a dealer part only and run $200 here in Rochester, NY."

Please, what kind of rack and what are the part numbers for those lines?

I'd like to compare your dealer's price to Tasca's for future reference.

--
Bruce Young, '93 940-NA (current), 240s (one V8), 140s, 122s, since '63.

If you do this, let us know how it worked out.
--
See the 700/900 FAQ at the drop-down menu above right.

I have replaced the small steel lines on one of our 1994 940's. I do not know how similiar the job would be on a 200.

I disconnected the larger lines. I did not remove the rack from the car but I had to detach the rack at its mounting points and let it hang by the tie rods, otherwise there was no room to work.

I have bent up a lot of replacement brake lines and transmission cooling lines. The small steel rack lines were not something I was going to attempt. Because of the interlacing of the lines and the space they had to fit I ordered my replacements from Tasca.

If your car is equipped with an airbag be sure to disconnect the battery and let it sit for a period of time before banging around on the front end so as not to risk setting off the bag. The attachment bolts on my car were corroded and I had to do a lot of PB Blaster soaking, heating and pounding to get it loose.

Randy

Hello,


I took a few photos of a rack I had laying around. The rack is from a 1977 Volvo 264.

The line size is 1/4"

The fitting size is 11 mm bubble flare.

For $200 you could buy a bubble flaring tool, a tubing bender, and a coil of steel line.

http://www.unm.edu/~goatman/line/


Goatman

Thanks, Goatman for taking the time to post the pics. That is some good information.

I believe Goatman has a '77 Volvo.

Those steel lines are no longer like his photos show. I suspect yours are now the same as on my '93 940. The ends have a flat "Brim" that the nut pushes against. with an o-ring seal on the other side. And the end is no longer flared (at least not the ISO bubble flare).
[See photo from my '93 940 Koyo rack]

I gave up trying to find part number for a replacement line and got a rebuilt rack from Jorgen Automotive.
Too bad because at 177K the rack worked perfectly, with no leaks except from that rusty pipe.



--
Bruce Young, '93 940-NA (current), 240s (one V8), 140s, 122s, since '63.

Lucid,


Are the threads at all the same as the bubble flare? Maybe they will interchange???

Could you check, or should I?


Goatman

"Are the threads at all the same as the bubble flare? Maybe they will interchange???"

If by "interchange" you mean mating a bubble flare pipe to an o-ring fitting with the same thread, I'd say not likely. I don't have that part anymore, but it was a 12 mm hex.

And the fitting style may well vary by manufacturer. My example was from a current Koyo (Japan), while yours was from a '70s what? CAM? Z-F? Maybe the current CAM/TRW still uses the bubble flare. Maybe each rack brand/type is unique.

My post was meant to show that an example from the '70s probably doesn't apply to Daniel's problem, given the 30+ year time gap, plus the fact that neither rack type is known.


--
Bruce Young, '93 940-NA (current), 240s (one V8), 140s, 122s, since '63.

"The lines seem to be a dealer part only and run $200 here in Rochester, NY."

Is that for both steel lines? With the part numbers, you can check at Tasca Volvo for a better price.

--
Bruce Young, '93 940-NA (current), 240s (one V8), 140s, 122s, since '63.

I got the lines for my 86 from AutoZone for a heck of a lot less than $200 and they work just fine. I think I paid less than $50 two years ago for both lines (looks like it's 45 for the high pressure and $12 for the return line now). They do not come with the copper washers. I have the pump with the reservoir over by the coil on the fender. The return line is a slip on that you hose clamp in place. The only fully assembled line is the one from the pump to the rack.

You can pop up the front end and get it on jack stands and get to the two bolts on the rack. It is a PITA to reach them and don't loose the copper washers when you take a line loose. I would clean and degrease it all first so you can see what you are doing and also avoid get any of that gunk and dirt in your new lines when you install them.

May I suggest you flush your reservoir and power steering pump while you have the lines loose.

Don't be surprised if you end up getting the rack rebuild after you change the hoses. That slowed down the bleeding on my 86 but pulling the rack out and getting it rebuilt is what stopped it.

Good luck,

Paul