87 240 Dl Power Steering Issue

[gmac3231]

My 16 year old son recently purchased a 87 240 DL. It has been quite the fun project for us to work on together. I am a backyard hack at best but seem to get most things worked out over time. 2 issues currently at hand: 1) At cold start, the dash lights all come on and there is no power steering. The belts all turn at a speed that allows my to stop them by hand. After a mile or so of driving, the power steering kicks in and all the dash lights return to normal. I thought this may be a Alternator issue but had that tested at autozone and they said all was good. What could I be missing? 2: what is the deal with the ac in these vehicles. In Arizona it is close to hellish hot right now at 115. The ac only puts out about 60 air. Just not cool enough. Any thoughts and ideas are appreciated.......

[jimmy57]

Maybe the harmonic balancer is slipping and not spinning alternator nor power steering fast enough for them to work as they should.
If the a/c has been refilled with the current refrigerant, r134a, with only a parts store adapter kit then it won't be better than that. Volvo kit included a better evaporator to make it cool better. The other choice would be to remove expansion valve and dial in the outlet fitting allen adjuster 1/4 of a turn to 3/8 turn.

[JDL54]

What do you mean by "The belts all turn at a speed that allows my to stop them by hand"? I am sure this sounds crazier than you meant it to.
Assuming that your power steering fluid is full and not leaking, my first thought goes to a slipping PS belt. After you drive a short distance in heats up and gets a little better grip and then works. If this id the case that won't last because the belt is getting worn down. Does the belt show noticeable wear? Though thwere is not much to grip, can you spin the PS pulley by hand when the car is shut off? Does it sit deep in the groove? Is it glazed looking? If so replace and tighten. You could have a bad PS pump, but I have not experienced that on any of the three 240s I have owned. I have had a problem on all three that initially appears to be a power steering problem, but I don't recall that it particularly went away after a mile or so. You still may want to check it out. The steering column has a U-Joint in it. That U=joint periodically seems to tighten up for lack of lubricant. There are no fittings on it, but I have always been successfull at eliminating that problem by spraying the Ujoint heavil;y with WD 40, silicone spray, or the equivalent. I believe it is positioned in what appears to bew an aluminum yoke. You will probably need to spray it from above and below, and having the front end off the ground, while moving the steering wheel from lock to lock will help get the lubricant into the joint. It isn't a permanant fix, but seems to last a year or two between treatments....allows for longer term father son bonding if nothing else.