Hello BB:

Happy 4th of July. Noticed that my 2002 V70 2.4T's (230K miles) power steering has lost some performance lately. It appears that the force required to turn the wheel oscillates (changes as a function of the steering angle). No signs of power steering fluid leaks, and reservoir fluid level has stayed topped off.

Any thoughts? Any known issues with these older V70's?

Thanks

Bernie

To elaborate a little further… My technique on my 95 850 it was pretty simple. It was fairly easy to access the lower steering u-joint with the car on the ground. So, with the car idling I sprayed the u-joint from various angles for a few minutes. The first time I did this I was blown away by the result! I then followed up with a second treatment a few weeks later. I used only the WD-40. No grease. The only drawback is you will probably need to repeat it after awhile. About a year later? Repeated it a few times until I sold the car. Easy and worked well for me!
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Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....

As WD-40 isn't a lubricant you would have had better luck with a proper grease.

Derek,

I realize it is just a cleaner. Did a good job cleaning up the crud, dried oil etc. on the u-joint and restoring normal steering function. Thought about following up with grease but would probably be counterproductive here in New England with all the crud, sand and salt on the roads here.

Jim
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Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....

Hi,

Just a suggestion but you might want to finish off the job with a squirt of Fluid Film lubricant as it dries to protect not to clean with a fragrance like WD-40.

Check it out, as it works surprisingly well from my experiences.
It is one of those real good things that has a price for what it’s worth over time.

https://www.fluid-film.com/

Phil

Hi Jim

WD-40: Overpriced and best for removing oil paint and tar from your hands. (solvent)


I cleaned the steering u-joints with my power washer and it got rid of a
an ugly coating of road tar and crud.
There's a danger of using grease without a boot, and have it attract road debris.

Bill

Agreed about the grease! Didn’t use it…

I was happy with the results I got from a can of WD-40 lying around the house. Easy Peary 👍

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Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....

Shoot, that sounds like worth crawling under the car (at my age) ... LOL, Will keep you posted.

Bernie

Happy 4th!

This sounds like a known Volvo high mileage problem! Question: Are you saying that the steering stiffens and loosens as you rotate the steering wheel? Also, does it ever “stick” momentarily?

I had those issues with both my 90 240 and 95 850. If that is your problem, then that indicates exterior corrosion and possible rust buildup on the outside of the steering shaft u-joints. Not familiar with the steering shaft design on your model but my guess is that is the same as the 850 and 240. Meaning that there is an upper and lower u-joint on the shaft.

Typically it is the lower one that connects to the steering rack that starts to seize up because of its exposure to road grime, salt etc. If this is your issue then a possible fix is to rotate your steering lock to lock for a few minutes while spraying the u-joint liberally with WD-40. A couple of treatments might be necessary. You can also follow up with moisture resistant grease if so inclined…
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Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....

I second Jim's suggestion that binding steering U-joints are a problem.

You can check easily with the front of the car up on on jackstands.
While you're at it check the ball joints, tie rod ends, etc for slop.

I asked a local pro mechanic what he does since there's no Zerk fittings on the u- joints. He cleans first with brake cleaner and then greases with wheel bearing
or Mobil-1 synthetic grease then wraps the joint with Saran (plastic) wrap.
That sounds creepy to me. But If you put grease it will quickly collect road crud
so maybe a better deal is to Grease and install a boot?
see here for universal u-joint boots:
https://www.mcmaster.com/products/universal-joint-boots/
Dunno how much hassle it would be to install.

Another thing is BZ's steering fluid is north of two decades old.
Has anyone tried flushing their P/S gear? I'd like to know what works.

BZ, please post back with your findings, and Happy 4th, Bill

Never did it myself but below is a basic guide to flushing and changing PS fluid. Not Volvo specific. Key point is draining (and watching!) the fluid by removing the low pressure hose from the pump. Removing the low pressure hose from the rack and draining there as well is probably more thorough. And don’t forget to bleed it when done!

I did convert my 850’s PS fluid to synthetic using the Turkey Baster method. Not as thorough as a flush and change but I never had a PS pump or rack issue with that car. So well worth it. Kept to 250k+. Unlike the 240 which needed a rack replacement…:(

https://www.wikihow.com/Flush-Power-Steering-Fluid

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Will I buy another Volvo??? We'll see....