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Good evening,
I had starting problems the other day and had my car towed to my house. Tow truck driver put the front wheel straight and engaged the steering wheel lock thereafter proceeded to tow my car with the rear wheels hoisted up and the front wheels on the road. When I got my car started and took it for a drive I notice a big lump in the steering every time I pass this one spot which is almost exactly when I have the wheels all straight, very possible the very spot the wheels were locked at during the tow. It was worse the first couple of times i passed the spot but it is still there. I jacked both wheels up and I don't feel it, I let the car down and there it is. I haven't tried just to jack up one wheel yet. I had a look at the suspension and steering parts but I can't see anything obvious. It still tracks good btw. Any ideas of what it can be and could it be unsafe to drive?
Thanks!
John
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God day everyone,
After fixing the brakes and working on the no start issue I needed a car break. We drove the car for a couple of days and now I don't feel it anymore, time heals! But in all seriousness I got the insurance involved and gonna get it checked by a shop, I got sick of working in the cold. We'll see if they find anything.
Thanks for your time and ideas!
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Maybe the suspension has settled down.
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Hi Benzo,
Sure you have, yet check the large U-bolts that secures the steering rack to the engine support member.
The securing hardware (nuts and washers accessible under the engine support member) can come loose over time. Lifting and towing your Volvo 240 by the front wheels may have exacerbated the problem.
How are the inner and outer tie rods? Any of these item failing can worsen quickly by the harshness with which auto towing companies operate.
Yet, systemically, inspect the entire steering system. Verify no broken bushings at the A-Arm and strut mounts and at the stabilizer bar anchors. Verify the two large bolts that secure the engine support member to the unibody are tight.
I guess you have a lot of stuff to work through. If bleeding brakes, use something like the Motiv power bleeder. Using the brake pedal to pump out the old fluid is folly. Though see the suggestions to place a 2 x 4 under the brake pedal to limit travel. Even a new brake master cylinder can fail should the piston travel to far forward in the bore. I've done this a few times myself.
Just be careful. Brakes are important, sort of!
Just a guess on your steering.. Hope that helps.
Buttermilk MacDuff.
--
Jonathan Harshman Winters III: The Mightiest, Greatest, & Most Powerful North American Comedian & Comedic Actor in Perpetuity
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Hi, benzo. When you say that your car has a no-start issue, do you mean that it cranks but doesn't fire up? My '89 245 had a no-start problem after sitting for a good 5 months or so. It was running when I last parked it. It was not a battery issue since I replaced it, nor a 25A fused one either. Since it cranked, I didn't think it was an ignition issue. I was busy and didn't really had the time to trouble-shoot the problem, though I figured it might be a fuel issue. I had made a post a few months back on the no-start and have been meaning to post an update. Your current situation reminded me a bit about my experience.
When I had my wagon towed to a Volvo shop, the tow truck towed my car by the rear wheels. I originally asked for a flatbed but they didn't have one at the time. In hindsight. I'm sorta glad it was a regular tow truck because a flatbed would have had difficulty positioning itself to get my wagon out from where it was parked. The tow driver was amazing in his maneuvering skills, I must say. Your post about having the front wheels locked reminded me that I didn't leave the key in the ignition to free the steering wheel. So my car was towed rear end and with the front wheels posslsibly locked. Should I be concerned about damage to the steering unit? I do remember that I put the car in neutral even though the driver said it didn't need to be. I thought the 240 being RWD should be towed from the rear. This is not so? Thus far, no weirdness in steering.
My car was fixed at the shop, but I totally got hosed. I'm still a bit miffed about it all, and maybe that's why I haven't posted my update yet. According to the shop, my no-start was due to a bad ECU and they said it somehow shorted the fuel pump. So they replaced the ECU, fuel pump, fuel filter, and FP relay. If you go to yelp and type in Berton Volvo Alhambra, you can easily find my review.
I hope your issue is a simple one. Check your FP relay if you think it might be fuel related.
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81242DLB21FCA, Chris Mullet, Machine Man:
I have not yet been able to check your suggestions, I've been busy trying to fix my no start issue. Something I forgot to mention was that right after the tow driver dropped the car off and I got it to start, I pulled into the garage and the brakes was gone. I floored the brake pedal, thought I was going to go through the wall but after pumping a couple of times I got some brake power back and the car stopped. The brakes was not perfect before but not even close to that bad. I found that the left front caliper was leaking quite a bit onto the rim. Coincidence that they fail right after towing along with that I now have this lump in the steering? Seems fishy to me but also I don't see what could have happened that created these symptoms.
I'm taking a day off from car work but I'll be on it again Saturday, hurray.
Have a good night guys,
John
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Fix the brakes first, without brakes the other problems are secondary.
Dan
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Pick one problem, like brakes, and pursue it. You may find its cause is also affecting other things.
Just a crazy thought:
The front brake lines run across the back side of the cross member.
The steering rack is mounted on the cross member.
If the engine is moving around it might pull on the wiring.
Loose cross member?
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Hello again.
I'm just as curious about the tow driver using the steering column lock to hold the wheels straight.
It's my understanding, that in its design, it's only an anti thief device. Not made to resist forces from the other direction.
Just a guess, it is possible the pin mushed up an area around the hole it engages into. Could be a clearance issue but seems you might feel it twice in full lock to lock turning.
I like the idea of lifting the car on the A arms and moving the wheels back and forth. Turning or pushing the wheels might let you feel or hear the lumpy bump.
It might make a faint noise, in the car, around the lock if it's there.
It's a shame they didn't "carry" the car like the "better" tow outfits do. They avoid the "reversed strain" on front ends, let alone using the anti thief pin. He should have tied the wheel to the door or hooked the brake pedal.
Maybe, Some auto transmissions cannot be towed backwards or at all! I don't know the answer to that!
So he got lazy to save the possiblity of transmission damage.
If one thinks about it, cars are not made to roll down the road that way.
It's like being dragged by you feet to get your head down the street when you are suppose to walk on your feet.
Not a natural thing, as things go.
Phil
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If you can jack the front wheels up from under the control arms rather than lifting it by the chassis and letting he wheels "dangle", you can more effectively investigate the problem with the front end components in a near-to-normal driving position. As was mentioned though, you may need the resistance provided by tire/road contact - or maybe a couple assistants trying to hold the wheels straight as you turn the steering wheel back and forth.
With the wheels on the ground, if you turn the steering wheel in either direction one complete revolution from center/straight, do you feel the lump again as the steering wheel approaches the 360 deg point, or does the lump only occur at the point where the front wheels are pointed straight ahead? I'm trying to help you determine if the problem is in the steering column, like a buggered up steering lock or u-joint, or if the problem is in the front wheel components.
--
Current rides: 2005 Volvo S80 2.5T, 2003 Volvo V70 2.4NA, 1973 Volvo 1800ES (getting ever closer to road worthiness)
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I can't understand how towing by the rear would have any effect on the front. It is possible that it's a coincidence. Regardless, it happened.
Testing with the wheels off the ground was good. The steering needs some resistance to show the problem. Do try jacking up one wheel at a time to hopefully isolate it to one side. Can you feel the lump in the end links (holding link while someone turns the steering wheel).
Other possibilities:
Steering column and steering lock.
Steering shaft joints.
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