Steering rack & pinion hard to turn

randyman · Post by **randyman** » 12 Apr 2010, 13:49

My 2002 S60 AWD began to be harder and harder to physically steer. I could not find any outword faults such as low fluid level, binding strut bearings, noisy pump, etc. It has a long hard winter in the Buffalo, NY area where I reside. I talked to a Volvo Dealer Parts Dept. clerk who stated these racks were flying off his shelf. I thought this was the problem. Prior to ordering a replacement unit, I sprayed down all the attachment points with penetrating oil. I got up the next morning and started my drive and noticed the difficult steering was gone. Thought about it, and concluded the small universal flex joint on the steering column shaft was dry and stiff from salt corrosion. The oil freed it up. I packed some greese around it for the future. Very cheap fix.

jda2000 · Post by **jda2000** » 13 Apr 2010, 13:11

Randyman, great job.

that's what I like, cheap quick fixes.

randyman · Post by **randyman** » 26 Nov 2010, 15:33

Alright,there is snow on the ground and a dead deer in the garage, winter is officially here in the Buffalo, NY area. I thought I would repost this to remind folks it it not always time to replace the rack & pinion unit in a knee jerk manor during this lousy weather when the steering get very stiff. I also had a jeep wrangler that did the same thing.

chasemonster · Post by **chasemonster** » 05 May 2011, 22:07

Could you tell me where this is located so that I can try the same thing. I just started having the same problem today at very low speeds out of the blue. No leaks from what I can see and the fluid is full...

klarson · Post by **klarson** » 28 Mar 2012, 06:04

Spraying the universal joint with PB Blaster was a huge win! I let it sit overnight and now I can turn the wheel with one finger. This is a great maintenance item to keep in the back of your head.

Fantastic and thanks for the help!

CountryBum-kin · Post by **CountryBum-kin** » 28 Mar 2012, 20:34

PB Blaster is some great stuff. I had the same issue early last year. Sprayed the universal at knuckle at the rack at the column, at the floor. It took a while before things loosened up, but there have been no issues since.