Power steering lines rusted out. Puked fluid. Replace only lines?

[GreenMagicMan]

We have a 2005 Volvo V50 T5

Can you just replace the lines only ?
The rack is evaluated as good as is pump.
I can buy lines only. Can that be done with subframe and rack in car?
How fiddly / possible / impossible is this to do?

[GreenMagicMan]

Also, anyone happen to know with this Volvo - with an electric steering pump in the front bumper - if I can simply pull the PS pump fuse and drive this around. Like, say 70 - 200 miles to drive it to my home and where all my tools are?

I read this is okay to do, but not sure if going 100-200 miles would damage something or not. It could be driven on mostly straight-ish highways without tons of turns generally.

I am leaning heavily to buying two new PS hoses / lines and doing the job with the rack in and not dropping the subframe.
I have disconnected pressurized fuel lines at the fuel injectors and other spots down the line on a Ford Econoline van that have pressure circlip quick connects. They are fiddly to get out but easy to snap in. It appears that one of the pressure fittings for Volvo is like that. I read a post where a guy sawed off the hose about 4mm from the end to expose the (stuck / sticking) inner circlip and the hose then just released. Wondering about strategy like that could work. It was for a V70 car here:
https://www.swedespeed.com/threads/guid ... nt.433873/

Thanks for shedding any light. I am away on trip and the car grenaded it's PS fluid and I'm trying to get the parts / strategy all lined up before trying to tackle this tomorrow and Saturday.

[GreenMagicMan]

Problem metal lines on steering rack rotted access

rack junkyard IMG_2680 copy.jpg (916.12 KiB) Viewed 2107 times

So I just put the car on jack stands.
There is one line that piggybacks on top of the steering rack. It comes with a new / replacement rack pre-installed.
One line looks ok. The one that connects higher up on the back of the steering column rotted away enough to leak tons of fluid out suddenly.

So. Here's my issue. As there are two metal lines installed on the rack they have 4 bolts in points. I can access 3 out of 4 of the spots under the car. Guess which one I can't? Naturally the leaky one.
It's the metal part that terminates almost at the middle of the car.
The issue is the subframe is completely in the way. I took the passenger side wheel off. I can see it thru a narrow opening and hit all the bolt in spots with PB Blaster.
I cannot see how I can access this bolt in spot. The subframe and the sway bar are blocking it all completely from bottom and behind and in front. There is also a heat shield there too in the way.

Anyone ever attempt this in car? Could the heat shield be removed (somehow)? I can only see one bolt in spot for it. The clearance down there is atrocious for repairs.

So if a $8 metal line rots away the 'Fix' is to disconnect suspension members, drop the subframe and replace the entire rack just to replace a rotted line??

[volvolugnut]

There are several posts about replacing the PS hoses on early P2 cars with belt drive PS pump. It is hard but not impossible. Crows foot wrenches and U joint extensions seem to be needed if I remember.
I do not know the impact of the electric pump.
volvolugnut

[GreenMagicMan]

Thanks. I had seen somewhere crows foot wrenches - had to look those up. Don't have any but may buy or borrow.

I'm thinking to pursue removing the PS rack heat shield - looks to be 2 or 3 small bolts max.
I'm wondering if I might be able to access that problematic circled PS line bolted in spot that way.
Then I was thinking of dropping the whole subframe. not disconnecting the LBJ or axles and maybe seeing if I could get away creating enough space to lower it a little without even undoing the tied rod ends (?). Not sure if rack's tie rods ends might flex enough just to lower the sub frame 2-3-5 inches. or maybe unbolt the rack from the subframe and hold PS rack up with tie downs that might still allow me to lower that (damn) subframe out of the way.
Only other thing might have been remove sway bar, but that apparently requires the subframe removed anyway...
Last night in the dark I decided to give up on this. But when I watched a S40 replacing the rack video a lot of the components I thought had to be removed didn't seem needed and the job seemed maybe doable.

[GreenMagicMan]

For those interested (future readers):

IN FACT, the two lines can be accessed without dropping the subframe. It is very tight and getting a wrench on it is almost blind from the angle.
-I had to remove the exhaust bracket / hanger right in the middle of the car after the flex pipe and pre cat.
-Took off driver wheel for access to the lines terminating into the rack by the steering column shaft connection.
-I broke off one PS rack heat shield 10mm bolt head. I then bent the shield up as far as I could (only about 2" and it hits the ceiling). But this is enough to just barely get an open box wrench into the middle fitting which faces down. You have to really angle yourself around to see the area being blocked by the sway bar and sub frame, but you can just catch a view of the mount point.

ALSO - w.t.h. is this wrench size. It's not 11mm or 12mm. between those. A 7/16" is just a bit too small. So I took an angle grinder to my 7/16" open wrench and widened it slightly. now a very snug fit. I test fit it on the spare rack we bought to get the right sizing. Don't have to remove too much but otherwise it won't fit.

I may have succeeded in loosening it... but I could be stripping it. I cannot see it's progress it's only blind feel.
More later tonight.

[GreenMagicMan]

I dropped the whole subframe. The irony here is that I cut off both ends of the leaking line close to the attach points. I was then able to press on a 6 point 7/8" SAE socket and remove the threaded connectors that remained in the steering rack.
I was / am planning on swapping in the replacement rack anyway, but wanted to see if I could break them free.

I am not able to use a slightly enlarged 7/8" wrench to undo the PS metal line connectors without starting to round out the bolt in spot.

Minor snag getting the quick release split apart to the rear oxygen sensor. That wiring is in the way to pivot the rack out. It's also preventing lowering the subframe very low close to ground level which would also make the steering column connector portion of the rack be able to pivot forward to slide the rack out the passenger side - to then clear the driver side tie rod out from being trapped behind the sway bar.
probably stopping soon for the night which means I can't work on this until coming Thursday.

Removing the pressure and return lines that run to the power steering pump were the hardest things to undo in this job. The internal O rings were really stuck in there and access wasn't great to boot. Also the 10mm was pain to remove that holds the cover that holds the steel ends into the upper portion of the steering rack.

[GreenMagicMan]

I pulled the old rack out today. I measured the tie rod end lengths carefully on the older rack and adjusted the tie rod ends on the replacement rack.

I DON'T Understand the alignment of the subframe. There appears to be so much slop in all the bolt in points. The Subframe can easily slide around several mm. I would say.
I put the rear 21mm bolts in first and only loosely installed the (2) 13mm bolts behind the 21mm bolt on those little rear brackets.
Then I put the forward 15mm upper bolts in. The subframe alignment was off. So jiggering around with multiple jacks and a ratchet strap to pull the subframe forward... I got the steering shaft lined up and in the car, and the driver side upper front 15mm bolt in loosely pretty easily.
But I cannot seem to get the passenger side front upper 15mm bolt to go in well. The holes are lined up, and you can see the dirt marks where the subframe pressed up before - it's in that spot. But the 15mm bolt is not centered nor is it lined up perpendicular to the frame. it's skewed a bit off angle / slight diagonal position. It's also not wanting to turn except with difficulty and nothing is pressing it or holding back on it.

?? what to do here ??

[precisionguesswork]

Back it out, wire brush the threads. Chase the threads with a tap&die use some blue thread lock on the threads. A little goes a long way.
Turn the bolt counter clockwise until you feel the threads jump. Now start and threading it in. If it gets really tight, back it out a few turns and the proceed. You may need a breaker bar or impact wrench.

[GreenMagicMan]

Thanks, that's generally what I'm going to try - and also swapping bolts into the 'bad' / passenger side.
I think the 'bad' bolt is damaged enough and rusty enough that it very likely warrants replacement on it's own forget about mandatory replacement each time by Volvo spec.
It may not be worth me trying to jam this back in. If I do try... it will go on driver side, and I'm going to likely have to angle grind off the first two rings on the bolt tip as they are noticeable damaged.