After chasing the U-Joint culprit, finding and replacing the lower u-joint, then locating the upper shaft and u-joint (in the pouring rain-I really thought the u-joint fix made the most sense) and replacing it, all to no avail. Same nasty grab at 45 degrees off center to the right and left, and even seemed to get tighter with replacement of the u-joints. Fortunately, I was dealing with a good gear box rebuilder that tried to assist over the phone long distance. They produced the direct match rack and pinion - the cam style, as opposed to the ZF style they initially provided. Just installed it this past saturday, and what a difference the correct part makes. Smooth as silk steering, no shudder or pull. When I replaced the first rack, I noticed it was slightly different but still bolted up with no difficulty. I also replaced the lower ball joints - one was bad. With a complete four wheel alignment, all is good. That Volvo steering and road feel is back. The rack company was referred by members of the brickboard - Jorgen automotive. Good company. As for the U joint parts - Volvo no longer carries a new upper shaft/U-joint, so junkyards are it. The 940 and 960 also use the same part. If the u-joint doesn't grab or bind in your hand, it isn't the problem - plain and simple. Thanks for all the help. The Coupe rides again.

Another vote for Jorgen.

The rebuilt rack supplied by FCP was an Atlantic Enterprises unit and leaked (hemorrhaged) from the seal where the steering shaft goes in. Pump was nearly dry after just 300 highway miles. FCP refunded my money and I replaced it with a Jorgen unit ordered directly from them. No problems since.
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Bob: son's XC70, dtr's '94-940, my 81GL, 83-DL, 89-745(V8) and 98-S90. Also 77-MGB and some old motorcycles.

Jorgen steering rack company are truly great. They stand behind their product with a limited lifetime warranty. We deduced that the left hand inner tie rod was prematurely bad. they sent both styles of cam inner tie rods, to make certain the repair could take place. A very simple swap. Solid steering again.
Now, to replace the starter with faulty solenoid - heck, it has a good 200k on it. But first - to remove the frozen upper through bolt. I spent many an hour trying to release its hold. Broke a perfectly good 3/8 swivel. And realized the 1/2" breaker bar with two feet extension length, plus removing the crossbar bolts to allow a straight shot at the bolt will be what comes next. What a stupid pain - a simple removal of a starter should not cost one their sanity. But the front end is good again!

Jorgens is tops: I have two of their flawless rebuilt racks.
Steve
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See the 700/900 "FAQ" at the menu bar top screen left side.

One year and three quarters later, the left inner tie rod has failed on the rebuilt rack and pinion, with a nasty pulling to the left on braking. I can feel the failed tie rod by grasping it and feeling the give. And on top of that, the bottom seal of the rack and pinion is leaking! I will be getting in touch with Jorgens - I think this is a premature failure.

Strange. A year ago I replaced the original CAM rack in my '92 (the steel lines had rust pinholes) with a ZF rack from an '87 I got from a junkyard. The ZF lines were very rusty and crusty, but I painted them with POR-15 and crossed my fingers. A tierod was also bent inside the boot, so I had to straighten it. It felt just like the old rack before the leaking started. Still working great and not leaking. At first I thought the ZF steering felt lighter than the CAM, but that was an illusion because I'd been driving without any fluid.
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1992 745 approaching 500k km

I've been replacing tie rods at an alarming rate on our fleet of 8 recently -- the part you refer to as "inner tie rod." In each case, the lock washer is factory peened, so these are all 25-35 year old ball joints, not shoddy aftermarket failures. None of these recent failures have a boot failure to blame them on. Have only one Jorgen (or for that matter anyone's) re-manufactured rack, a ZF, which has had no reason for complaint after 4 years.

"...the bottom seal of the rack and pinion..."

Are you referring to the pressure hose connection or some other seal?

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Art Benstein near Baltimore

Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?