foamy power steering fluid

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I also had the same issue, I was very worried that I would have to replace my steering column on my 2002 S60. I also developed a belt whine noise. I took my car to my local mechanic and they found that the return hose had split near the attachment site so as the pump was trying to return fluid from the steering, it was sucking in air into the reservoir. The belt whining was due to the leaking fluid dripping on my serpentine belt which ended up being replaced as well. They replaced the hose applied a bit of degreaser for the power steering fluid that had sprayed all over, drained and replace the fluid in the reservoir and now all my problems have been fixed. No more grinding and no more whining!

[jwela19]

I read the forum on foamy power steering fluid, which was also brown in color. My good friend, who turned me onto this forum, replaced the fluid and it seemed to work - there was no noise when turning the wheel. That lasted for about 5 days and now the noise is back, though not as bad as it was. I will probably have to take it into the repair shop and I want to know what to expect if possible.

[gregorymatthews]

I had the same problem with my 2002 V70, 225k miles.

It was apparent that the reservoir was leaking. I've attached a photo of what that
reservoir looked like. The symptoms were as described: a low moan when turning,
foamy power steering fluid, some minor drips on the garage floor. Mine progressively
got worse over the course of a few weeks, even after topping off the PS fluid.

Leaky power steering reservoir

photo-1.JPG (39.96 KiB) Viewed 7653 times

Replacing the reservoir was simple, it took about 45 minutes. I spent $122 for the
reservoir, fluid (photo attached, as it is the OEM fluid direct from Volvo) and clamps.
It was definitely more expensive at the Volvo dealer, but NAPA didn't have it and I
was getting anxious.

Volvo OEM power steering oil

photo.JPG (34.82 KiB) Viewed 7653 times

After installation I drove around for a bit and had to bring the fluid level all the way
back up again. I may end up replacing the fluid at some time, but am just happy now
that the moans and squeals have gone away.

[quitequick]

I had the exact same problem a year ago on my '04.

Within the PS reservoir, there is a small tube that directs the return fluid to the bottom of the container. It just snaps into place, and my had come off, so that the stream of return fluid was hitting the surface of the fluid already there and churning it up.

I removed the reservoir, cleaned it inside and out, and snapped the tube back into place. After 14 months, no problem (knock wood).

I just fixed my 2001 V70 T5 power steering fluid reservoir in the same way.

To add some more to skibo's description...
There is a rubber steering fluid return pipe which connects onto a plastic tube at the top of the reservoir tank. Within that plastic tube there is a brass pipe/tube which protrudes into the tank. Within the tank there is a plastic elbow tube that is supposed to fit over the brass pipe inside the tank and direct the returned fluid away from the rubber fluid outlet pipe at the base of the reservoir. In my tank, this plastic elbow tube was disconnected and rattling around in the tank, serving no purpose. Without it the fluid returns too close to the outlet and gets foamy; you get air in the fluid and then the steering moans and groans.

The reason why the elbow pipe was rattling about was because the brass pipe, for some reason, had worked itself further out of the tank (towards the fire wall) than it should be. It is the brass pipe that holds the elbow pipe inside tank in the correct position. So, I held the rattling elbow pipe in place (fished it out with a screwdriver) over the stump of the brass pipe inside the tank and pushed the brass pipe (from outside the tank) fully back inside the elbow pipe. Hey presto, the elbow pipe is secure, the fluid is directed through it and away from the fluid outlet, there is no foam and so the steering does not moan and all is well again. It will probably work itself loose again over time, but its a 2 minute job to fix it.

You can do this job with reservoir tank full and in place in the car. However, you will have to remove the top fluid return pipe, which probably has a factory clip on it. I had to destroy the clip to get it off but I replaced it with a plain jubilee clip. No oil came out of the pipe when I disconnected it so long as I didn't let it dangle down.

I had this problem for about 3 years. Took it to a garage who kindly replaced the steering pump at great cost which, of course, did not fix it. Had I read this forum earlier I could have saved myself years of grief and lot of money! Thanks to all.

[ryantin]

I just had the same reservoir-tube issue on my 2000xc. I basted the fluid out and fished out the tube with a screw driver and my fingers. I had to remove the upper (return) line to push the brass piece back in, there is nothing to stop it from sliding out. I thought the plastic piece that came off was broken, but actually it is cut at an angle. I continued the baster-flush for about two more quarts and everything sounds/feels terrific. This is a great place to start if your steering groans.

[Esto99]

Thank you - Thank you.

I just bought a 2004 V70 R, my dream car and after having a wheel alignment the PS started to groan.

Saw that the fluid was red (ATF!!!) and not Pentosin - I flushed it thinking that was the problem. Nope - took it to the dealer - they added some fluid and that was all. Groan came back as I drove away.

I was so bummed out. I have two other Volvos and I checked the reservoirs and swapped caps too. Then I noticed that the V70R has a brass nozzle and the other two have a plastic fitting. After searching and searching I finally came across this thread and low and behold the plastic piece had fallen off. Took a bit of time to fix it - big fingers. But now all is good in my volvo yard. This site is awesome!

[quitequick]

Since my last post about pushing the brass pipe back into place, the problem re-occurred. The brass pipe had worked itself out again. It went back in easily enough but its probably time for a new reservoir tank.

A word of caution - remember to refit the fluid return pipe. I didn't. You can guess what happened!

[IVIUSTANG]

I suggest anyone having problems with the 2001-2004 reservoir to simply replace it with the 2005-2007 reservoir. It has design improvements which have eliminated these issues.

Jesse

[JimLev]

You can get the same Pentosin CH11S at a VW dealer for 1/2 the price Volvo charges.

[CliffJFraser]

Wow, you guys just saved me $250 for a steering pump. Did the 2 min fix remounting the elbow pipe and she is quiet as a mouse - no more foamy ATF.