98 V70 PS Service

[sleddriver]

The sled's been getting a lot of attention lately. She needed it! New TB, tensioner & idler pulleys, new gasket on WP, turbo wastegate adjustment (HUGE difference there), broken plastic on front air dam repaired, skid plate reinstalled, all cooling hoses replaced with OEM Volvo (except for heater hoses), coolant tank cap replaced and now that cap has cracked so it needs ANOTHER one, cleaned up dist. cap & rotor; no more misfire codes, new spark plugs, oil filter replaced, no more recurring PO-455 (gross evap leak), resoldered the ABS module once again and that light's been extinguished, reinstalled both front wheel mud flaps/guards...

Still not done though......

PS rack has been leaking badly for quite awhile now. Just been feeding it fluid. First factory rack went at 80k mi. Current mileage is 212,414 mi. Both boots were badly torn and leaking fluid. Really made a mess down below. Read recently about ATP AT-205 reseal and it appears to be the REAL DEAL. Instead of swelling seals with petroleum distillates, it uses a plasticizer, a glycol ether, which "restores" the rubber, without over swelling it. Finally located it at one "old-school" parts store in town. They carry stuff I never see anywhere else. They also carry DuraGloss I use on the finish + AquaWax.

Being a 98, the PS pump still uses either ATF or PS fluid. What's in there now is the cheap stuff. Since it's also time to flush the transmission, I bought extra Valvoline MaxLife 100% syn. ATF to flush the PS with. Spec says it takes about a quart.

Removed as much of the old stuff as possible with a baster bulb, then used 1/4" ID clear tubing to suck the rest out. Stuffed a rag on top of the alternator to protect it since it's right below the PS return line fitting I needed to remove. In doing so, I quickly found myself with each end needing a hand and I needed another hand. I propped up the return line vertical to hold it and slid a piece of silicone tubing with a pincher on it to prevent the reservoir from leaking out. I put a small glass jar on top of the rag, on top of the alt, then removed the pincher clamp. Drained about 70ml of old fluid until the reservoir was empty! There was more in there than I realized. So I wasn't able to suck it all out due to the reservoirs baffles. Then filled with new MaxLife ATF to the brim.

Jacked the front end up high enough to clear the wheels and set her down on jack stands. Used about a 3/8" brass fitting to fit inside the PS return hose. Then discovered I didn't have any 3/8" clear tubing, just 1/4". So I boiled some water, slid in the tubing end for about 30 sec and that softened it up enough to slide over the 3/8" fitting. When cooled, it was very tight & leak free.

Ran the hose down to a glass jar. Didn't even need to start the car, just rotate the wheels from lock-to-lock. This also set up a siphon, which overflowed the glass jar onto the concrete! Quickly put the hose end into a plastic pan to contain the mess. The old fluid was dark, cloudy, brick red. The new is bright, clear, cherry red. Ran about 1.5qrts through the rack to ensure I had flushed enough clean fluid through it, so that it came out as clean as it went in.

Now I had a FULL PS reservoir to deal with when it came time to reattach the rack return hose to it. Accomplished that task with minimal fluid loss. Next, I added 75ml (2.5oz) of AT-205 to the reservoir and topped it off when I was done. Went lock-to-lock on the rack several times to distribute the 205 throughout the rack.

Now came the REAL fun part....replacing both torn rack boots.

I started on the passenger side. I didn't detect any looseness or hear anything when shaking the wheels sideways. It felt tight and smooth. Upon removing the wheel, I noticed the OTR end boot was ripped. Scored a line across the jamb nut and outer tie rod, cut off what remained of the boot and measured the distance between the shaft dia. reduction and the nut with a dial caliper.

The OTR easily came off. I counted the threads while turning, then slid the inner part of the torn boot off. No rust on the rack arm. Wiped it all down thoroughly. The ITR joint easily moved, but I detected no play at all. The OTR ball joint boot was ripped open. There still was grease inside and the joint easily moved but there was no play in it. Couldn't find any manufacturers name or numbers on it. The rebuilt rack came from Maval, so who knows? The boots they used were cheap & thin.

Replacement boots were ordered from AutohausAZ, made by PPS. These were thick rubber, not thin plastic, and felt like a good part. The large end easily slid over the rack end at the housing, while the smaller ID was a good, tight fit over the ITR stud. They were stiff enough to hold the ITR end level. Reinstalled everything, counting turns and measuring, no worries. Firmly tied off both boot ends with large zip ties.

Same story on driver side. She sure looks nice in new black boots!

Time will tell if the AT-205 will work. No doubt the new boots will stop the leaks on the concrete, but I'll be able to tell via the reservoir dipstick.

Started up went for a drive. The moaning when cold was gone. Steering felt stiffer. Felt a bit of tugging when turning the first few times. Drove 60mph for about 4 miles and experienced no weird handling, pulling, etc. Felt just like it was before.

I do plan on replacing the OTR ends and will get an alignment afterwards. I'm curious to see if the leaking rack will stop or at least, slow to a drip. Fortunately, the refurber, Maval, has a lifetime warranty to the same owner, but I have to pay for the labor.

BTW, I cleaned the leak on the concrete with newspaper, then cat litter to soak up the remaining, rubbed in with my hands. Then swept that up, sprinkled on more cat litter, then ground that into a fine powder using a brick. Let it sit overnight, then sweep up the excess.

UPDATE:

Since completing this job, I've closely monitored the PS fluid level at the COLD mark. It's been over a week now and I've added no fluid! Rather remarkable given how bad it leaked before. Though the reports on 205 were promising, my skeptical nature really wondered if it would work. Particularly in my case. I'll know more in a month and when the HOT weather sets in during Summer.

[mecheng]

Its worth its weight in gold. They state it can take up to 6hrs to work, but I noticed an immediate affect. Congrats.

[sleddriver]

Thank you! I'm still amazed at how well it's worked. I keep expecting to find a half-empty reservoir and puddles on the garage floor!

I'll be celebrating this evening with Tacos Al Pastor & Pineapple Margaritas!

Cheers & Beers!

[sleddriver]

UPDATE:
Checked PS fluid level cold and found it about 1mm above the end of the dipstick. Added about one ounce (30ml) or so to bring it back to the COLD mark. This is the first time I've had to 'top it off' since doing the flush back on May 5, 2016.

Very pleased with AT-205 Reseal!