V70 with notchy steering

schnellcgw · Post by **schnellcgw** » 20 Jul 2011, 13:53

HI all! We have a 2002 V70 T5 (automatic) that is exhibiting power steering weirdness we can not readily resolve; maybe you could (please) help?!

Symptom - starting from any steering wheel location (straight, off to left, off to right) the "power" element of power steering works great for a quarter turn of steering wheel in either direction, and then all power assistance goes away, consistently.

Info-
Car has 150,000 miles
PS fluid is full, with CHF11s
Pump does not whine
Fluid level is stable; no leaks

Questions-
1) does this car, being a turbo, have the early version speed sensitive steering?
2) does it sound to you like this is the SSS going into the default 'no assist condition'?
3) any idea where to measure current/signal/etc to isolate the root cause/failed component?

I am frustrated. Wife is REALLY frustrated. All thoughts appreciated.

I know it would be easy enough to solve by buying a newer model R, but that is a little out of scope at the moment.

Regards,
CW

Post by **JRL** » 21 Jul 2011, 06:18

Does it come back after it goes thru that position?
If aso I think I may have the answer for you

Post by **DGM** » 22 Jul 2011, 18:50

One cause can be the u-joint between the steering rack and the steering column. We are using calcium on road during the winter time, this part is more affected in Canada. It is changed frequently for the symptoms you have described with success.

It is the lower u-joint. The process involved removing a 13 mm bolt from inside near the rubber boot, removing the boot to uncover the hole and last the 10mm bolt on the other side. It is normally rusted and required some loose nut lubricant. You can also access it by under with a combination of extensions and swivel. Take care not to strip the bolt head. It is much easier to remove by the inside.

But before make sure your steering system isn't binding somewhere. You should have a good pump, belt, tensioner.

: General view of the u-joint; ujoint.jpg (19.78 KiB) Viewed 5044 times

schnellcgw · Post by **schnellcgw** » 25 Jul 2011, 11:02

Thanks for the replies. Sorry I was out of range over the weekend.

If one turns the wheel, you'll get 60-90 degrees of powered rotation, and then effort increases. The effort remains high until you stop turning, and then you'll get another 60-90 degrees rotation of 'power' and then effort increases again. In either direction.

It does not appear to be affected by the location one starts or ends rotating.

Belt and tensioner both have less than 10K mi on them.

I will investigate the U-joint situation - sounds a lot cheaper than a rack.

I had been thinking it must be the rack or the pump, and was favoring the pump, since it seems to cut in and out - almost like it is starving and then getting enough fluid again (a common problem with 944's, which have a filter built into the reservoir- Volvo's do not appear to have a filter in the reservoir as far as I can tell). Any thoughts on pump diagnostic/eval strategies?

JRL - did you have something else in mind? I am dying to hear it!

CW

Post by **JRL** » 25 Jul 2011, 11:27

I was going to also say the above said joint/shaft that connects the column to the rack
but that sounds more like a rack
I first would flush out all the fluid and refill making sure there is NO AIR in the system

schnellcgw · Post by **schnellcgw** » 25 Jul 2011, 11:50

Oh crud - forgot to mention it, but we did flush the RED ATF

out that came with the car (!) about six months ago and it seemed to get better for a time (didn't mean to be withholding information!!) after replacing with CHF11S. I suppose it is logical that I should try that again before taking any drastic measures.

I had come across a VERY elaborate bleeding procedure for some volvos (somtheing about disconnecting tie rods, slowly turning wheel side/side with engine off, then starting engine and repeating, and about 12 other steps.), but I think this was for newer ZF equipped SS units. Is there any trick to bleeding this? Just the normal lock-to-lock a few times?

Also, any ideas if the 2002 T5 has (older, non-ZF version) speed sensitive steering? It sure feels like it is kicking in & out?

Thanks
CW

Post by **JRL** » 25 Jul 2011, 13:21

Lock to lock on a lift (or at least the front wheels off the ground)

schnellcgw · Post by **schnellcgw** » 26 Jul 2011, 09:11

So, after the discussion yesterday, I drove the car and really paid attention to when the notchiness occurred- I think you all are right on track; it occurs when the wheel is straight ahead and 180 degrees from there (when the word Volvo is upside-down).

This makes me very suspicious of the steering u-joint. Is this a dealer only part? I was surprised not to see it on IPD or AutoHausAZ..?

Thanks
CW

Post by **DGM** » 27 Jul 2011, 06:27

http://www.swedishautoparts.com/V70/vol ... parts.html

Part # 3409939

Post by **jalex19100** » 04 Feb 2013, 10:12

For others who find this thread later on, and have this issue:

I had a similar issue, when my Volvo logo on the steering wheel was vertical. I msg'd schnellcgw, and CW says they used Wurth HHS-K (HHS-2000) on the joint and it freed up quite a bit. I couldn't get mine to improve with PBlaster or Deep Creep, so I replaced my lower steering sleeve (which has the u-joint) and it's been fine since then. There are a couple of other threads on the forum (search for "sticky steering"). One thread mentions using "Fuid Film" to protect it from going bad. I need to get some HHS...

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... 2&p=257362

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =1&t=18279

https://www.matthewsvolvosite.com/forums ... =9&t=41060