760 steering tie rods or rack?

[billofdurham]

Darrell,

Have the shop check and diagnose. If a new rack is needed you can fit it yourself on axle stands.

Bill.

[DeRail]

Little Update:

Have the car back from the garage, they said the front end is in top shape, nothing loose, the tie rod ends were in need of replacement, as the joints were bad. (When I yanked them off they were OEM Volvo ones, so not sure when the last time they were changed) Will have tire shop align ASAP. Slight problem though: if I'm approaching 0mph and lock the wheel left I get a strange sensation throughout the car, almost like something's binding up in the steering. I figure I'd get it aligned and see what happens, I'll check the fluid again tomorrow to make sure I don't have a leak and that it's still relatively clean from when I flushed it out.

Come to think of it, this pulsation happened after I changed the fluid. It's the camgear rack, is there any particular way that I should bleed it? Basically I replaced the fluid with a baster, kept the cap off as I turned on the engine and locked the wheel side to side about 10 times.

Also, the local pick-n-pull has 3 740's in, so I'm going to have myself a fun weekend

-Darrell

[billofdurham]

Volvo decided in 1989 that the normal method of bleeding the steering was not suitable for 1983 - 1989 200/700 models.

I posted the relevant TSB yesterday and you can find it here.

Bill.

[DeRail]

Well, I had a shop replace the tie rods back in late October as mentioned which tightened up the steering for awhile, probably up until about 2 weeks ago. I couldn't believe that the sucker was loose again.

When going over the steel grate that is present on some bridges, when holding the wheel straight, the front end wanders noticeably. Also, at highway speeds the front end is again wandering. With the snow in the road, I've noticed when I go over an uneven surface with the wheel straight and holding it, I get clunking. What I'm wondering is: could this be a sign that my front bushings are worn/wearing out? Reason I think it may be this is: my buddy has a late model GM with the infamous control arm bushing flaw, and thinking back to when I drove his car with worn out bushings, it was very similar to how mine is driving now.

When I had it over there for the repair, the garage said everything was tight as a drum; wondering if the winter has shaken things up in the front.

Thanks for the advice!
Darrell

[billofdurham]

Time to get down and dirty again.

We have had one of the worst cases of snowfall for many a year. Local authorities have ceased snow clearing due to cost and my front end has started rattling after the continuous pounding on the lumps of ice. Today the temps have been above freezing and the rattling hasn't been so noticeable. Rubber bushes do harden in cold conditions but, as our totally useless weather forecasters assure us that warmer weather is due to start tomorrow, unless things deteriorate over the Atlantic, I shall be checking the front end next week.

Bill.

[DeRail]

Time to get down and dirty again.

Agreed today would have been a nice day to do any repairs but this nice weather is going to disappear quickly from what the forecasters say. Snow to about 9" is in New England's forecast *sigh* here we go again

The part that will really stink is that if it does turn out to be the rack after all, I'll have to get the darned thing aligned after I drop in a new rack.

Is there anything in particular I should look for when looking at the bushings? I noticed the bushings on the stabilizer bar links are cracked. It's just crappy when I'm going down the highway and the front end is just floating around.

In March or so I'll be doing the two-year tune up regimen, can't believe it's been 2 years since owning the ole' brick. It's been a good ride so far

Thanks,
Darrell

[billofdurham]

All rubber bushings look cracked after some time, it depends on how badly they are cracked. I always start off pushing the part the bushings are in with my hand to see if I can get any movement. If they move under hand pressure they are well and truly shot. If there is no movement I get a bar in and see what that produces. There will be movement as the rubber compresses but you are looking for excess movement. I have seen them so badly worn you can look between the rubber and the mount. Not on any of my cars, I hasten to add.

Bill.