98 Volvo S70 steering and handling issues

martz010185 · Post by **martz010185** » 19 Mar 2007, 22:05

I have a 98 S70 non-turbo with 150,000 on it. I'm having some issues with steering and handling and I just wondered if anyone has some input.I just had a mechanic check it out, but he didn't have too much to say about it. First of all, when I drive, I need to usually adjust the wheel to keep the car straight on the road. Sometimes it seems to pull to the left, then other times the right. During turning, the steering feels pretty loose and not smooth like it should. On the highway, at higher speeds, the steering seems to vibrate a little, sometimes worse than others. When slowing down and applying the brake, the ride gets a bit bumpy, both at low and higher speeds. Also, when I make a normal turn to the left, I get some resistance in the left side, almost like a friction or fast bumping noise and feel, kind of like when you have a bad CV joint - but it's not that, I just had the axles replaced last year. The mechanic told me that he greased the upper strut plates and that they looked original to the car and might in time need replaced. He also said that the tires are wearing strangely, and he rotated them, but the problems are still there. He looked at the suspension components (how closely I don't know) and said everything else seems okay. I asked him about needing an alignment or a wheel balance, but he suggested I should buy some new tires and then have the alignment and wheel balance done afterwards. Does anyone have any suggestions or possible alternate solutions? Does power steering or the rack and pinion steering have anything to do with this? Thanks for any help!

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 19 Mar 2007, 23:11

pulling left and sometimes right, etc. is the ball joint issue...with new tires, I would think that the control arm (which the ball joints are attached to) is the solution. www.fcpgroton.com has these for not much $$....at 150K miles though, probably your whole suspension is shot...shocks, struts, mounts, spring seats, swaybar endlinks...others will chime in.

Post by **JRL** » 20 Mar 2007, 07:02

You probably need a new steering rack along with probably the rest of the front suspersion.
I have replaced several, they do go bad
You can buy a good aftermarket rack from www.fcpgroton.com for about $240 or so
They also come with the inner tie rods attached at this time your mechanic can determine if the outers (tie rods) need replacing too which now would be the time to do that along with the rack.
Also check your ball joints/control arms. One of these two (or both) are the cause of your wandering, regardless, replacing the rack will make it feel like a new car ( steering wise).

Post by **srnkanator** » 20 Mar 2007, 09:02

Sounds to me like your left front strut is worn. Where was the uneven wear, on the outside of your front tires? When my struts went I had outside tire wear (where the side wall meet the top) and had to hold the steering wheel a bit off center as well. Do you drive on rough road conditions? If one strut is bad you should also replace the other . . .

martz010185 · Post by **martz010185** » 20 Mar 2007, 17:06

If I would need a complete suspension re-do, is it possible for me to buy the parts and do it myself with help, or would this be too difficult?

Post by **srnkanator** » 20 Mar 2007, 17:57

I think it depends on your comfort level, and your wallet. If you search this forum and the repair database (especially the service manual) you'll get a gut check . . . what does your tool box hold? Do you have access to a lift or can you get under the body? If no, have you found an indy shop you trust? If yes, are you prepared for hours of work and alot of patience? Keep exhausting this forum, there are some dedicated, brilliant, and trust worthy members here. Did you try to move the cross bolt on the struts, as MIJ suggested? Looked at your control arms or ball joints? MIJ knows his stuff . . .

io · Post by io » 24 Mar 2007, 19:27

I was kind of glad to see this post. I am having exactly the same problem as Matthew on my '98 S70 T5 (133,000 miles). The steering is loose and the car seems to pull whatever way the road is tipped. The road is almost always tipped a bit to the right so I am constantly having to hold the wheel to the left. I thought it might be the steering rack and I had to get a new one anyway because mine was leaking fluid. I ordered and installed a rebuilt one from e-Europarts last fall (that was a tough job!). Fluid is no longer leaking however the steering and pulling problem is still the same. I hope that the rebuilt rack is OK. Did anybody have a problem with recieving a bad rebuilt rack?? I certainly don't want to go through having to change it again!!

I know that my left front spring seat is SHOT. It started clunking over the winter. I ordered new ones but all the snow we have here (east coast of Canada) has prevented me from getting into our garage to do the work. While I'm replacing the seat I'm going to give all the suspention components a through check (including the ball joints and control arms...Thanks MIJ!). I'm willing to bet my struts are probably gone too. I got the car used early last year and I think that the struts that are installed are the factory ones (she's hitting fairly hard).

I might mention as well that I replaced the spring seat on the right side last year, however, the cross shaped nut on the spring seat will not stay tight. I checked it a couple of times after I replaced the seat and every time it was loose. Does anybody know if this is an indication of a bad strut?

I searched and searched but I couldn't find anybody who had this same kind of issue. I'll let you guys know how it goes when the weather warms up (I'm not holding my breath) and I can get a good look at the suspension. Driving the car the way it handles now bothers the heck out of me. It feels really bad.

Thanks for the help,
Nick

Post by **JRL** » 24 Mar 2007, 20:15

When these things have over 125K miles you just have to bite the bullit and rebuild the ENTIRE front suspension, they don't last forever.
Some longer than others but ALL of them need to be rebuilt by 140K miles
(unless you live if FL)

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 24 Mar 2007, 20:24

You can wedge something in there or replace it with a flangelock nut, part #971100 (some don't have the X nut according to VADIS). Also, you'll have to compress the spring in order to take the X nut completely off.