V70 Steering Rack replacement: some questions

[Radler]

Since the fluid has escaped the only solution is to replace the rack.
As abscate mentioned use the bridge to hold the engine/transmission; they stay in place while you drop the subframe. The bare subframe isn't heavy, just awkward; two people can handle it easily, or a floor jack with a board across can help hold it in place going back. Some people remove the rear bolts but just loosen the front ones and let the cradle drop far enough to get the rack off, less suspension bits to deal with. Drop it a little first to get access to the nuts on the hard lines, take care here, they are soft. (...)

Thanks for the advice. In the videos I've watch people don't drop the subframe, they take out the rear bolts and loosen the front one to make it sway and give access to the rack. Hopefully that works.

[Radler]

Neither the OP, the owner has said nor the mechanic has told them where and how the fluid loss occurred on the rack. Should get a second opinion before throwing parts at a problem that has not been fully diagnosed. Not sure if the PW has O-Rings and if so could it have been sheared during installation of the pump?

The failure happened while my friend was driving on the highway, so yes it's not easy to point exactly at where the fluid poured. I only know what the mechanic told him, that is; the rack poured all the fluid out and it must be replaced. I guess refilling the system, jacking the car and checking again on my own wouldn't hurt.

Not sure about Germany but here in the States there are laws protecting the consumer on auto repairs. Shops must provide a diagnosis and a quote before work can begin. Can't just say you need a rack without providing a reason.

I am not German myself, and I am not too keen on German mechanics anyway. Years ago I decided that I would never again step on a workshop and that I'd attempt to do everything myself, not matter what. Really glad if they can connect a diagnose device and play smart asses, but completely lost if you bring in a car without an OBD2 port. And, in general, always go for overkill solutions replacing a whole system when maybe only one part is damaged.

If this is the case, I can not tell.

[scot850]

I have tried to follow what happened here but I am confused (normal). So you have not established where the failure has occurred and where the fluid has leaked from?

As has been suggested the first thing I would do is jack the car on stands. Then crawl under the car and clean off any oily residue with brake cleaner so it will be easier to identify where a leak may be. Then refill the system and run the car turning the wheel side to side and see where the fluid leaks from. There are not many places for leaks to come from so even placing a large piece of carboard under the car will help to identify where the fluid is hitting the ground.

Then, crawl back under the car and follow the leak back to where the origin is. Then you will know which area needs to be addressed. It may not be the rack but a failed steering fluid pipe.

I do struggle to understand what a repair shop could have done to cause the rack to fail from changing the pump. It is a simple task and other than not bleeding the system there is little they can have done to cause issues elsewhere in the system unless the original pump bearing had failed and passed small pieces into the pump. Then the repair shop was at fault if they did not flushing the system, but the other side is the damage may already have been done.

Finding the source of the leak may help identify the cause and what needs repair.

There is a way to identify if the car has the SMI or TRW rack, but that assumes it is the original rack in the first place. It could be a crappy remanufactured or new built part. SMI racks often have the embossed on the bottom of the rack on the round column. TRW used to be embossed on the side of that area. There are pictures out on the internet showing this.

Like Abscate said, you can use either brand, but just have to use the correct inner and outer tie rods.

I have just finished a rear main oil seal replacement on a 98 V70 NA. I had the advantage of an ex-Volvo mechanic doing the majority of the work and using his and my tools on a hoist I have. We used an engine brace support above the engine and then dropped the subframe to get the automatic trans out. Easily done by 2 people.

Your reading about only partially dropping the subframe is doable. Just make sure nothing is straining anything connecting the engine, so support it.

Good Luck!

Neil.

[foggydogg]

That semi-drop is exactly what I meant. There have been some who tried to remove the rack without disturbing the subframe bolts, but that strikes me as cruel and unusual.
Since all the fluid fled the system don't clutch at straws, replace the rack.

[scot850]

You have to know where the leak is to ensure you have the parts for the repair. It may not have been the rack that failed, but I wouldn't be surprised if it has. As you are planning to rent a hoist and do the repair, as you mentioned, you want to ensure the minimal chance you have everything you need to complete the job.

Neil.

[MoVolvos]

.
Looking at the two videos the rack is pretty straight forward and not too many places for catastrophic fluid loss in the rack itself. Since it's a pump replacement it could be just a hose or high pressure line.

Even with the fluid gone it's not like a motor which can seize. If a motor lost all its oil from a pan damage you wouldn't change the motor without a diagnosis. If the driver shut the car down after hitting something and stopped as the oil leaked out the motor, it would most likely be okay. Find the source of the leak before going further. If it needs a rack then change it. Don't amputate the limb because of a broken bone.
.

[Radler]

I'll talk to my friend tomorrow and suggest taking a look onto the leak on jacks before attempting any repair, since I haven't seen the car nor was I present when the mechanic explained the problem with the rack. I'll keep you updated and will post some pictures if possible. Thank you all for the help!

[Radler]

So today we finally found a moment to take a look into it. We put some steering fluid in the reservoir and moved the steering from side to side. The fluid is coming out through the dust cover on the right side (passenger side in Europe). The blue arrow in the attached picture indicates more exactly where the liquid is pouring; likely because the dust cover may be broken there.

Now the question is the following: should we straight away replace the rack or could we try to repair it with a gasket kit like the one sold by Skandix? I've watched some videos of people servicing racks and sure it is not an easy job, and it also requires taking the rack out, but that kit costs like 80€. Does any of you have experience with these kits?

In some other forums I've also read people suggesting the use of an oil thickener additive on the steering fluid as a common alternative, but this leak seems too big for that.

Additionally, I noticed a metallic sound coming from the steering pump. My friend said that this noise was gone when the workshop replaced the old one, but that it appeared again when the rack broke down. It is not the typical steering pump squeak, but more like a metallic vibration or a bad bearing on the pump. It sounds similar to when a car has bad valve lifters. This makes me think the new pump may be damaged from driving without fluid, or maybe it just sounds like this because the steering fluid reservoir is empty.

[scot850]

I think the LHS on LHD cars is fairly easy to do without removing the rack. The RHS is a rack out job from what I have read due to lack of good access.

Like you say, there are kits out there to repair them. In this case it looks like the RH main seal has blown out.

As to whether to repair or replace, that depends on if there is anywhere in Europe you can get a decent rebuilt unit and what it costs.

Replacing the seals may well work, it just depends on how confident you are to do it.

A replacement rack should have a warranty.

Neil.

[cuhfs]

May be worthwhile, if you can, to power wash the underside of car before doing the rack. You can expect lots of crud falling into your eyes if doing it at ground level and not on a full car lift. Messy and unpleasant job to do in a driveway. Good luck.