Out of the blue, the steering on my 92 240 wagon began to feel a bit stiff yesterday. There is 159,000 on the odometer.

Is it the rack, the power steering or something else?
Thanks in advance...

-joe

Thanks for you help...I need to add that this came on with no warning and the stiffness is barely noticeable. The felt different steering when I parked the car last night than it did yesterday morning when I left the house. In fact I would say I parked it went inside for an hour and then it happened. Any dangers of this thing locking up all of sudden? Or can I just expect gradually increasing stiffness?

A clue to the lower steering column U-Joint is when, after turning a street corner, the car wants to stay in the turn and you have to manually return the steering wheel to center.
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Bruce Young
'93 940-NA (current) — 240s (one V8) — 140s — 122s — since '63.

Do you have any leaks from the P/S reservoir, or from the fitting on the hose? Any noises from the pump OR the rack when you turn the wheel lock-to-lock?

Dumb question, but is the drive belt for the P/S pump tensioned properly? How is the accessory bushing? Sometimes, when these get old, they actually change the geometry of belt which can cause the bearings in your accessories (P/S, A/C compressor, alternator) to wear out prematurely.

FWIW, my rack pooped out at right around the same mileage (150-something thousand).

I vote for the lower steering column u-joint. Soak it in oil, see if that helps.
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Rob Bareiss, New London CT ::: Roterande Fläkt Och Drivremmar!

The age old question, the chicken or the egg? If your power steering rack binds then your steering will be stiff and heavy. If your p/s pump is not putting out enough pressure then your steering will be stiff and heavy, so which one is it? The best way to diagnose it is with the correct guage hooked up to monitor the p/s pressure. If it is withing spec then you know to look elsewhere for your problem. Problem is though that most shops do not have one and all the necessary fittings to adapt it to all of the Volvos. You need to make sure that there is nothing else in the system that is binding like strut bearing plates, or the little U-joints in the steering couplers. If all of that checks ok then look at the pump, you can turn it all the way to look and see if you hear the characteristic sound of the pump whining when it is turned to lock position. A dead pump will not give you that noise. You can also pinch off the return line right where it comes back to the reservoir, if the pump makes a growling, almost screaming noise then you can assume that it is probably making enough pressure. At this point there is nothing else left in the system other than the rack. Does you power assist come and go or is it just dead? If it comes and goes that is inidicitive of a bad rack and if it comes and goes that is most typically a rack. But, make sure that you rule out all of the other things before you condemn a rack or pump.



Mark

When the rack failed in ours, it was stiffer in one direction than the other... this is a 100% guarantee that its a rack problem. No matter what the symptoms, if you replace the rack, make CERTAIN that you flush the hydraulic system with fresh fluid first! Put the return hose into a catch bucket and the suction hose into a bucket of fresh fluid... start the car, let it idle until the fresh bucket is empty and the empty bucket is full of trash. If you don't do this, the new rack won't last long and it's warranty will be voided!

jorrell

ps. 2 years ago, the dealer cost on a remanned rack was $260.