'00 S70 GLT - SMI power steering rack tear down

[Gubernaculum]

My 2000 s70 GLT SE has blown out the passenger (right) side steering rack seal(s). My driveway is going to attract EPA agents soon. I tried a quart of LUCAS power steering stop leak with no success.

I'm not interested in crawling around on my back under this car any more (130k miles, and I've had and fixed in my driveway every classic problem in the book in the 30k I have had it). Approx $1000 for a rack + someone else's labor + alignment on a car worth $1500 is tough to swallow.

There is a brief "write up" about replacing the passenger side seals on the car, but the rack appears to be different than mine:
http://volvospeed.com/vs_forum/topic/15 ... -leak-fix/

Mine looks like this: See photos. For some reason some are sideways and some are upside down - sorry
If I could get the seals out I would try the $50 seal kit from pskits.com
Problem is, my rack is apparently an SMI unit and I can't figure out how to remove the end caps. I have a face pin spanner wrench (from my angle grinder) that fits the cap, but can't turn it (tight spot?). There is a slot in the top of the rack with some kind of pin/wire in it I can see with my phone (pic).

Any tricks to removing the end cap with the rack still on the car?

Alternatively, the car is on craigslist for $1000

[cn90]

Read the post by "Rabin":

http://v70r.com/forums/topic/32999-smi- ... t-in-situ/

[Gubernaculum]

Interesting - thanks for the link! I've googled the problem all day and didn't come across that link. You can see the wire in the second photo I posted (labeled "photo 4"). I guess I'll try to sneak a little flat-head screwdriver in there, pry it up, and yank it with pliers? I'll give it a shot tomorrow and let ya'll know how it goes.

[Gubernaculum]

No luck so far - I've been unable to pry up the wire. Not sure if my approach is wrong or if it's just too hard in the limited space. Any advice appreciated.

[precopster]

Be creative!!

It's a smooth shaft requiring a seal. Measure the diameter of the shaft and glue (with epoxy) a seal to the outer face of the end of the steering rack. Also you could find ways of bracing the seal to the rack with some thin sheeting metal strapped to the rack.

If the inner limit of the inner tie rod end doesn't fowl the external seal at full lock you have a winner!!

[RussB]

Subscribed...my '00's SMI rack is leaking on the passenger side as well. Not too bad though, yet

[Gubernaculum]

Update:
I was never able to remove the seal with the rack on the car, so I replaced the steering rack with a rebuilt replacement unit from rackdoctor. I did it in my garage alone, on jack stands. The job itself was the usual painful Volvo job: extensive use of extensions, wobble bits galore, skinned knuckles, oil drips to the face, and time spent inventing Swedish swear words.

Even with the rack out I don't really see how to remove the passenger side seal with the unit still on the car - but I don't want to muck around a lot with it due to having to send my core back.

Resources: I used the Haynes manual, Combined with the PDF of the foreign fellow who rebuilt his own rack (written for RHD 850 though). I have attempted to upload the PDF to this post for reference - note that I did not write it.

The job took me from 10am to 6pm. Shop time with a lift at a garage is supposedly 3-4 hours. I had degreased the engine as best as I could and put it on jack stands the night before.

A few tips/nuggets from my 2000 s70 glt se (turbo):
-My volvo rack was about 3 (steering wheel) turns lock to lock. Make sure your wheel is centered, and the rack is centered, when you put it back on - that way you have equal turning ability each direction. This would be hard to mess up but man would that suck.
-You can remove the ball joint without use of a pickle fork/balljoint separator, as noted in the PDF... but don't be a dummy about it. Unscrew the balljoint nut 2-3 MM and LEAVE THE NUT ON, then put the jack under the balljoint and jack it up. I jacked it up until it started to take weight off the jackstand on that side, then backed down a bit, then I had to hit the spindle with a hammer and extension. If you take the nut ALL THE WAY off, when the balljoint breaks loose out of the spindle, the axle assembly will slam down with all the force of the compressed spring, bounce off the jack, and chop off your leg.
-Several steps in the tear down would be easier if you know this: The grand plan with the rack replacement is after the car is on jackstands, to SUPPORT THE ENGINE (not mentioned in the haynes manual) in this case with a jack under the transmission, and LOWER THE SUBFRAME particularly at the rear. The rack is sandwiched to the subframe below, as well as the rear engine mount above.
-During teardown, if you are having trouble pushing the steering shaft universal joint up off the pinion (like I did), just remove the retaining bolt (13mm nut and 10mm bolt head - damn swedes) and it will slide out when you lower the subframe.
-Better yet, on disassembly if you want better access to the tubing connections on the rack, the steering shaft universal, as well as the rear engine mount bolt (blocked by the sway bar damn Swedes), try this general plan of attack instead: 1. remove the 5 nuts holding the rack to the subframe but keep the bolt in the engine mount. 2. Lower the subframe slowly making sure you're not caught on something. 3. NOW you have more room to disconnect tubing, reach the steering shaft universal, and rear engine mount since the rack is suspended in the air above the subframe.
-On my car, in addition to the 5 nuts securing the rack (15mm I think, 2 on each side and 1 in center), there was a bracket (single 17 or 18mm nut I think damn Swedes), located just to the right of the pinion gear - remove the nut since this bracket will have to come out, too.
-Sliding the rack out the right side of the vehicle: This wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Rotate the top of the rack toward the rear of the car. Make sure all the power steering line supports have been removed so they can be manipulated around.
-The bolts that hold the rack to the subframe (the paired 2 on the left and 2 on the right, not the one in the center) are pressed in from the top. After you remove the nut if you tap them up and out it will make it easier to remove the rack since the bolts will not catch on things any more. I didn't realize this, but when I installed the rack I left the bolts out and had no trouble putting them in after sliding the rack into place.
-Sticking point: During installation, aligning the steering shaft splines was probably the most frustrating part for me. Clean and lube the splines of the universal joint and rack before installation. With the subframe still lowered and you on your back, bench press the rack up into the universal joint, then hold it there and put the bolt in the rear engine mount to hold the rack in the air, then raise the subframe and bolt the rack to the subframe. If you bolt the rack to the subframe first, you'll never get that universal to align as you jack up the subframe.
-Sticking point: removing and installing the fluid connections on the rack. One was 19mm, and I think the other was 17mm or so. I had to use a variety of open ended wrenches, flarenut crow-foot on wobble extension, etc, switch back and forth, turning it 1/20th of a turn at a time. This was a pain - if anybody has a better way please share for posterity.

That's my tips. I hope someone in the future searching about volvo s70 steering rack replacement or installation or removal will find them and have a slightly easier time.

[alfred8708]

My 2000 s70 GLT SE has blown out the passenger (right) side steering rack seal(s). My driveway is going to attract EPA agents soon. I tried a quart of LUCAS power steering stop leak with no success.

I'm not interested in crawling around on my back under this car any more (130k miles, and I've had and fixed in my driveway every classic problem in the book in the 30k I have had it). Approx $1000 for a rack + someone else's labor + alignment on a car worth $1500 is tough to swallow.

There is a brief "write up" about replacing the passenger side seals on the car, but the rack appears to be different than mine:
http://volvospeed.com/vs_forum/topic/15 ... -leak-fix/

Mine looks like this: See photos. For some reason some are sideways and some are upside down - sorry
If I could get the seals out I would try the $50 seal kit from pskits.com
Problem is, my rack is apparently an SMI unit and I can't figure out how to remove the end caps. I have a face pin spanner wrench (from my angle grinder) that fits the cap, but can't turn it (tight spot?). There is a slot in the top of the rack with some kind of pin/wire in it I can see with my phone (pic).

Any tricks to removing the end cap with the rack still on the car?

Alternatively, the car is on craigslist for $1000

how the hell do you unscrew the outer ring with two holes in it? has a v70 awd -03 but looks the same as your pictures

[FireFox31]

The question of how to remove the SMI rack right end was answered in 2020. At 5:40 in the video, it shows how to turn the end pictured above until the wire pops out of a hole, then turn the end the other way to feed it out. With the wire removed, the end and seals can be removed.

The SMI rack on my 2000 V70 is leaking at the right side. I'm going to pull back the boot and have a look at this. Since the SMI rebuild kit is available for $46, I might just try this.

[V50M66]

The question of how to remove the SMI rack right end was answered in 2020. At 5:40 in the video, it shows how to turn the end pictured above until the wire pops out of a hole, then turn the end the other way to feed it out. With the wire removed, the end and seals can be removed.

The SMI rack on my 2000 V70 is leaking at the right side. I'm going to pull back the boot and have a look at this. Since the SMI rebuild kit is available for $46, I might just try this.

Did you ever end up trying this? That pskits link seems to be dead now. Which kit should I use instead?