Hitchhiking to class until 98 S70 power steering fixed

hamhead · Post by **hamhead** » 07 Nov 2016, 12:23

me again. when I mentioned to the garage that I would come by and pick up the S70 to try the stop leak option (see RetroF7 above), they said that wouldn't work because the leak is internal at the seals. Just want to double check with you all because Ozark Lee stated below that stop leak could address a seal leak?

To the problem; the seals on the end of the rack are bad if the bellows are full of fluid.... I have successfully fixed two racks that were leaking, potentially worse than yours, by filling the power steering with a "stop leak" product.

Did I describe this wrong to you all? Am I misinterpreting Ozark? Should I tell her I'm picking it up regardless?

Post by **scot850** » 07 Nov 2016, 13:50

I'm not sure what they are talking about. The seals I would be trying to re-seal are the ones that are found when you remove the gaiter either end of the rack where your oil is currently leaking into. Those seals may well respond to a stop leak product as Lee and others have suggested. Stop leak will un-likely work on sealing the gaiters as they are a dust shield and not a fluid seal.

Give it a go and good luck!

Neil.

hamhead · Post by **hamhead** » 22 Nov 2016, 09:50

Checked with son a few days later for a status update. He said Dad it ran great when I picked it up but after a few days it's started getting rough again. I told him I think that's related to more fluid leaking out after they had flushed everything which is also related to him not putting in the stop leak immediately upon pick-up as he was instructed. He then used the stop leak and he said while it's still a little rough, it's not getting worse and the level is the same. Would not logic dictate that if we can bleed out the leaked fluid it would put the car in the same state as when he picked up from the shop. Let me know if my logic is illogical.

ps: my son's logic going forward is if he doesn't follow instructions, he'll be taking the bus home for the holidays

enotslim · Post by **enotslim** » 30 Nov 2016, 19:23

I'm interested in your $750 estimate for replacing your rack. About two weeks ago the steering of my 1998 V70 T5 was noisy and a little stiff. My local Volvo-only shop saw a slow leak from the driver's side of the ps rack. They topped up the reservoir (with ATF - it's red) and told me to watch and top up as necessary since replacement is expensive. They said they usually don't replace noisy ps pumps cause they almost never fail - just noisy. Since then the leak has increased dramatically - about 6 drops per minute on our driveway. Today the shop found the new much faster leak from the passenger side of the rack. Fluid squirted through the cracked hood when they showed me. Their replacement estimate is $1,600 including new aftermarket rack ($600 parts) and lines, 6 hr labor and front end alignment. They said a rebuilt Volvo rack is $1,100. Does this sound close to OK? I will try some sort of stop leak starting the weekend but not hopeful as the leak is pretty fast.

Post by **kranz** » 01 Dec 2016, 00:54

I did a quick price check at eEuroparts for my 98 NA V70. They show a genuine VOLVO rack for $760 and a AE rebuilt rack for $250.

enotslim · Post by **enotslim** » 01 Dec 2016, 07:57

Quite a price difference thanks. I need to investigate this if the sealers don't work.

Practical questions:
Any thoughts comparing these products for sealing ps rack seals?
1. Valvoline Max Life Automatic Transmission Stop Leak
2. ATP AT-205 Re-Seal Stops Leaks
3. Lucas 10008 Power Steering Stop Leak

It seems 1 is a replacement for ATF while 2 and 3 are additives to ATF, correct?
The Lucas product seems to be "petroleum" based while the ATP product is not. I've read things implying that petroleum based products "swell" the seals and implying this is bad. "Avoid petroleum products". Is there a significant difference between petroleum and non-petroleum sealers? If so when are each of them useful and not useful?

If one doesn't work might another one be successful? Should they be tried in a specific order or does this not matter?

After success using one of these sealers (always the optimist) should I continue to use it, use it at intervals or revert to normal ATF in the ps reservoir until another leak develops?

Thanks.

Post by **abscate** » 01 Dec 2016, 08:22

I think both 850 LPT and JeffHicks are going through this at the moment - PM them and search threads for success stories with these products.

ATP has had good success with Rear Main Seals (RMS) leakage

Post by **sleddriver** » 01 Dec 2016, 12:11

AT-205 completely stopped my badly leaking rack. I thoroughly flushed the old fluid out, replaced with Maxlife ATF then added 205. Took about 3 or 4 days to work.

hamhead · Post by **hamhead** » 07 Dec 2016, 11:48

Sorry for the delay in my response. I need to set up some type of auto alert when their's been an update. - I'm sure it exists. I've yet to engage on the new rack. I'm waiting to see how well the stop leak does. It helped in the beginning but it seems to be getting rough again so I'm not optimistic.

Post by **E Showell** » 07 Dec 2016, 11:53

It did not help my badly leaking rack, but it has worked for others.

Hitchhiking to class until 98 S70 power steering fixed

Re: Hitchhiking to class until 98 S70 power steering fixed