So my poor 240 has had a loose steering rack problem for about a year now. There is definite play in the steering wheel. Also, at higher speeds, it will rattle back and forth. Braking at high speeds brings a rattle as well.

My local volvo shop says a replacement will be appromimately $700, which my dad is unwilling to spend unless absolutely necessary. (My dad wants to save the money to buy me a new car, though I am slightly unwilling to let my brick go)

Any idea if it is safe to continue driving with this steering rack? or should i try to get it fixed as soon as possible?

Safe? Sure... until it totally fails, which could be a year from now or tomorrow.

Are you sure it's the rack and not a bad U-joint in the steering column?

Check the U-bolts that hold the rack to the crossmember.

Check the tie rods and tie rod ends.

If it is indeed the rack that's bad, it's a pretty not-too-painful job to DIY.

Get a rebuilt rack (used is a big gamble), make a simple linear measurement across the dust shields (to hold the alignment), swap the racks, and adjust the the new tie-rods to the measurement you had above. If you go this route, we can give you some more pointers.

-Ryan


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Athens, Ohio
1987 245 DL 314k, Dog-mobile
1990 245 DL 134k M47, E-codes, GT Sway Bars, GT Braces
1991 745 GL 300k, Regina, 23/21mm Turbo Sway Bars

By what you describe I'm suffering the same symptoms, Keep me posted as to the outcome!

Cheers,
Matt

ps. Can anyone tell me how difficult a complete rack replace is?

Safe? No, not really. Although you seem to be getting by. Still....

I recall one of the regulars here had a steering problem and it turned out that the rack was fine but
the nuts which fasten it to the chassis had backed off a little. If that's happening with your car it would be a fairly easy fix, I would think.

If that is not the case I think Dan's advice would be well considered.
--
'80 DL 2 door, '89 DL Wagon

On our 92 245 I ran into similar issues. Turned out the power steering rack was loose on the cross member. There are two U-bolts that hold it to the cross member, it takes a 15mm socket to tighten up the nuts on those U-bolts from the bottom of the cross member. This may cure your problem so I would try tightening them first.

To check for this condition have someone in the car with it in park but idling, then have them turn the wheel back and forth. While this is going on, look at the ps rack from the driver side of the engine compartment with the hood up. If you see the center portion of the rack (where the steering column hooks in) move side to side, you found the problem.

Hope that is all you need cheap fix wise!

jorrell
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92 245 250K miles, IPD'd to the hilt, 06 XC70, 00 Eclipse custom Turbo setup...currently taking names and kicking reputations!

I went out and had a look. can't really see a noticable movement in it. I'm not sure if this helps, but at idle, turning the steering wheel left and right, there will be lots of play, and you can hear it as i click it from left to right. I haven't physcially gone under and tried to tighten it yet. Should i go ahead and do that, or try something else?

Eric,

Trying to tighten the nuts won't hurt anything, if they are easy to tighten, you found the problem. Note that you will have to drop the plastic splash guard to gain access to the nuts.

If the nuts are tight, then the problem could be one (or a combination) of the following:

1: Inner tie rod(s) worn out.
2: Outer tie rod(s) worn out.
3: Worn out ball joints at the base of the strut tower(s).
4: There are two U-joints in the steering column link to the rack, quite often, the lower one gets sloppy and will clunk.

One more question, is the PS rack leaking fluid out of one or both boots at its ends? If not, the rack itself is probably okay.

When it comes to the question "Is it safe to drive"? The answer is NO at least until you find the cause of the problem.

jorrell
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92 245 250K miles, IPD'd to the hilt, 06 XC70, 00 Eclipse custom Turbo setup...currently taking names and kicking reputations!

Any rattling around with the steering, IMO, is dangerous until figgered out. As I mentioned in another thread, I once grabbed a tie rod end after buying my 240 and hearing the usual clunking noise up front, and the tie rod came off in my hand! Had I been driving down the highway the car likely would have rolled as the steering would have been uncontrolable.

I'll go check it out soon. I think the steering rack got loose becasue i had warped brake rotors which my brother had been driving on (he's not too car-handy, so had no idea this was going on). The shudder might haveloosened the rack. i'll go check it out and let you know. Thanks

You can get a rebuilt rack for around $200 and replace it yourself or get one from the junk yard even cheaper.

If it is not leaking at the seals inside the boots you can get away with replacing the inner tie rods if that is where the play is? Jack it up and see if you can tell if the inner or outer tie rod ends have excess play in them.
Dan