1998 S70 T5 - Steering rack leaking?

babelfish · Post by **babelfish** » 31 Aug 2014, 19:40

Here's an image:

That's power steering fluid, and the puddle you see in the license plate I slid in is from about a minute after I shut the car off. I'm pretty confident the steering rack is leaking based on the location of the drip, but if someone can confirm for me, that'd be nice. I did the turkey baster thing this morning after hearing some noise develop last night, only drained and filled the reservoir three times because I was short on fluid, but I was using the Valvoline Max-Life, and it doesn't seem to have stopped the leak so far. Given how bad the leak is, I'm guessing nothing is going to be stopping it.

On a related note, is there any source for decent rebuilt racks these days? FCP used to have them, but these days they only have a crappy aftermarket rack or the new OEM rack for $1k.

And one more question. The indie mechanic I'd like to have replace this is far enough away that the system may run totally dry before I get there -- he's about ten miles away, and ran my reservoir from the fill line to just about dry in five miles today. If the rack is gone anyway, is there any reason to worry about that drive? Will it just get harder to steer, or if the power steering system runs dry, will I be in actual danger?

babelfish · Post by **babelfish** » 31 Aug 2014, 19:56

Oh, and if the rack does need replacing (guessing it does, again, based on location and volume of the leak), what else should be done at the same time? Rear motor mount is apparently a good choice, I understand.

Post by **scot850** » 31 Aug 2014, 20:04

There has been a running thread on steering racks in the last couple of days.

When I checked for that an OE Volvo rack was around $650 + shipping from Tasca for a FWD. There were mentions of other aftermarket brands that were cheaper, but you won't find me using them as I run AWD and take it to the dealer to install. That way I have a 2 year parts and labor warranty, and I don't want to pay to install it twice, which is more than the difference in fitting a cheap unit twice!

I would be careful running the pump dry as you could seize it. If you know you are running it for 10 miles, but it drains in 5, stop and fill every 3!

Finally, choice will also be if you plan to keep the car, then go OE rebuilt unit, if you plan to move it in the near future, take your chances with aftermarket rebuilt

Good luck,

Neil.

babelfish · Post by **babelfish** » 31 Aug 2014, 20:09

http://shop.rackdoctor.net/1998-2000-Vo ... -25496.htm

Anybody have experience with these guys? Rebuilt OEM rack, found the link on Volvospeed. Price seems great.

My other option for replacement is used. My indy has a Volvo junkyard, and would probably be able to get me a good-condition used rack for cheap. Any opinions on that option?

Edit: Just found the other thread. Consensus seems to be that the cheap remans are not the way to go.

Post by **erikv11** » 31 Aug 2014, 20:44

Yep, if the price seems too good to be true then ...

Jorgen rebuilds the racks themselves in their shop in Ann Arbor. I talked to one of their shop people on the phone they knew right away about Volvo racks, TRW vs SMI, etc. The parts they use seem to be decent quality, I am happy with the rebuild I bought from them. They cut the price for me by a few $ because I told them I already had quality inner tie rods so I didn't want the ones they were going to put on (rebuilt racks come with inner tie rods). I would at least call and get a price quote from Jorgen, I suspect it will be somewhere in between rackdoktor and Tasca. Find out if your rack is TRW or SMI.

Remember, the $635 rack from Tasca is also rebuilt, we just don't know by whom ...

babelfish · Post by **babelfish** » 31 Aug 2014, 20:52

Thanks, Erik. I'll give Jorgen a call on Tuesday (damned holiday). I just put new tie rods on in June, so I definitely don't need them, and I know which rack I've got. It's going to hurt paying for an alignment again, though!

And are we agreeing, then, that the location/volume of the leak is a pretty sure bet I'm going to need a new rack?

Post by **erikv11** » 31 Aug 2014, 21:07

You gotta look at the source, from your other post it does seem the problem could be the lines and not the rack. Failure of the rack is more common out the ends, or sometimes in the main gear (which would give the kind of leak residue you have).

babelfish · Post by **babelfish** » 31 Aug 2014, 22:13

Yeah, the plan is to get it out to my parents' house tomorrow (right around the corner from the indy I prefer) to get it up on ramps and have a look. It'd be nice if it was a line instead of the rack!

Post by **anjill182** » 01 Sep 2014, 00:19

Try lucas power steering leak stop. I've had good luck with it.

babelfish · Post by **babelfish** » 01 Sep 2014, 09:09

I'll pick some up today, but I'm not hopeful. I'd comfortably call this leak "gushing." On the bright side, if the Lucas stuff did work, I'd have also managed to flush the system by just leaking it all out!