POWER STEERING FLUID IN 2003V70

lisaG · Post by **lisaG** » 07 Dec 2020, 16:42

Hi Everyone,

Hoping someone can help me figure out where to go here.
I have a groaning in my steering column and sure enough the power steering fluid is low.
I checked and the reservoir looks like its been replaced, fresh clamps and all the tubing looks good -
so i took a little dropper to see what color the fluid was so i could figure out what to put in there
and it was like a light orangey rust color, not super dirty, like an orange glow.

I read that some people were putting ATF in the power steering and that its red, but the recommended is green pentosisn.
The fluid is definitely not green, but could have been red.
I was hoping i could just figure out whats in there and add some because the flush is definitely out of my skill level.

This was a one-owner 2003 V70, that I got a couple months ago - I had my volvo guy go through it and power steering didn't come up,
just had this groaning start maybe a week ago. I'm out of state now and away from the Swedish Pit so I'm on my own. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Many Thanks!
Lisa

Post by **oragex** » 07 Dec 2020, 17:11

How low is the level ? I see quite often that red translucent and pretty viscous fluid at the junk yard. I don't think it's transmission fluid - it doesn't have the smell and it's too thick, light honey like. Still, to make it groan the level should be quite low, or one of the clamps not tight enough and sucking air. Low fluid may also mean it's leaking somewhere. Pentosin is about $20/qt and you need two for a flush. Do you see a brass pipe inside the reservoir right under the opening ? Sometimes this piece can drop inside, the reservoir was later upgraded. Groaning may also come from a rubber boot at the base of the steering column, right by the pedals

lisaG · Post by **lisaG** » 07 Dec 2020, 17:15

it is like a honey color and the level is pretty low. i dont have a turkey baster but i had to stick a dropper way down to even get a little bit. the clamps look tight but i will look again, no leaks that i've noticed. I think this is an after market reservoir. advance auto parts is telling me for the make to put ATF in there, which i see is a debate.

lisaG · Post by **lisaG** » 07 Dec 2020, 17:17

oh and what do you mean a rubber boot?
but i guess either way i need to top up the power steering fluid.

thanks!

Post by **oragex** » 08 Dec 2020, 07:11

So that's really low and I actually wonder why. If there's no fluid around under the reservoir or pump locations, the other possibility is a leaking return hose or worse a leaking steering rack which will require expensive replacement. The rack will usually leak inside the inner tie rod boots which are sealed so it may not be apparent right away. The level is usually measured on the small plastic pin attached to the reservoir cap. The instructions about transmission fluid were a mistake - Volvo even put this in the owner's manual. They also did put the wrong gross car weight, for some reason, so yes, they did such mistakes.

https://www.fcpeuro.com/products/hydrau ... 02-1-liter

For the noisy boot, it's inside the car, where the steering column goes into the floor, there is a large rubber boot that may squeak at the top, may try spraying it with a bit of WD40 right at the top (too much will smell)