1997 850 steering hangs at slow speeds

moses3 · Post by **moses3** » 06 Apr 2023, 10:36

My 850 is having an issue when I make tight turns at slow speeds, such as u-turns & into tight parking spots. The wheel kind of hangs up and it feels like it's catching.

I believe the issue started after I used "Winter" mode.

Recently the issue occurred in a parking lot when I went to park. After I finished shopping and got back in my car, driving 10mph, the steering wheel went to the left and sort of went limp. I had to fight the steering wheel to keep the car straight and get out of the parking lot. When the car hit 30mph, the issue went away and steering returned to normal. I took her up to 70mph, no problem.

Looking online I found another person with an 850 and the same issue who says they resolved the matter by turning Winter mode on and off a few times. I've tried this and the issue hasn't gone away.

I also found a BMW owner who had the same issue and resolved it by a deep code clearing, not just clearing active faults, but also errors that have yet to register as faults.

Thoughts?

WhatAmIDoing · Post by **WhatAmIDoing** » 06 Apr 2023, 12:34

I had a sort of similar issue in my 99 S70 AWD, but that was due to a front end collision causing binding in the steering rack.

Post by **Clemens** » 06 Apr 2023, 13:18

Is the fluid level where it should be? If not, this could be the cause.

Also: Try to replace the PS fluid while using a turkey baster (however you spell that) to remove as much old ATF out of the PS reservoir and then top off with fresh fluid. Drive for a while and repeat.

moses3 · Post by **moses3** » 06 Apr 2023, 15:39

Clemens wrote: 06 Apr 2023, 13:18 Is the fluid level where it should be? If not, this could be the cause.

Also: Try to replace the PS fluid while using a turkey baster (however you spell that) to remove as much old ATF out of the PS reservoir and then top off with fresh fluid. Drive for a while and repeat.

I've sucked out the PS fluid twice and replaced it, however, I wonder if maybe I overfilled it a little, I will report back and let you know.

moses3 · Post by **moses3** » 06 Apr 2023, 15:50

WhatAmIDoing wrote: 06 Apr 2023, 12:34 I had a sort of similar issue in my 99 S70 AWD, but that was due to a front end collision causing binding in the steering rack.

That might be the issue here, I suspect they may have hit a curb or something, there is damaged plastic guards in the wheel well on the driver's side.

Post by **abscate** » 06 Apr 2023, 18:46

There is no electrical connection on p80 Volvo steering. Binding or other issues are serious and the car should be removed from service

moses3 · Post by **moses3** » 06 Apr 2023, 20:26

abscate wrote: 06 Apr 2023, 18:46 There is no electrical connection on p80 Volvo steering. Binding or other issues are serious and the car should be removed from service

Thank you! Where do you recommend I start looking for problems?

Post by **abscate** » 07 Apr 2023, 02:50

Get the front end up on jackstands and turn the wheel from lock to lock feeling for weirdness in the rack. Have some one do it while you watch underneath , inspecting ball joints and tie rod ends for ease of movement. If there was a big side impact the rack could be bent. That’s a nasty job