Volvo RWD 200 Forum

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240 CAM RACK---seals? 200

I just purchased an '87 245 and it "rattles" up front when driving on gravel at slower speeds and hitting bumps going slow...The alignment is perfect and I notice no problems when steering. We traced the clanging to the inner tie rod as it moves back and forth some...

1. should this inner tie rod be loose at all?

Also, when inspecting the rack/tie rods we took off the right hand boot and a bunch of fluid came out...does this indicated I need to replace the entire rack+rods? What damage/dangers can I be in if I only change the inner tie rods. Is some leakage normal or not? The ATF fluid was low although I have no idea when it was last checked. I will keep an eye on it now that it has been filled.

2. Is there somewhere that I can purchase a replacement seal found on the rack, underneath the boot so that I only need to replace the inner tie rods and that seal to prevent leaking and avoid replacing the entire rack?

3. Is there a forum on brickboard that explains each step/procedure/precautions necessary if I do have to replace the entire rack?

4. Thank you for any responses, I am a new member of this board and NEW VOLVO OWNER!!!

Thanks-

Jamie








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240 CAM RACK---seals? 200

Thank you very much to all for your help!!! I really appreciate it. Does anyone have any suggestions/ tips while my father with my help takes on this task?

Thanks again-

Jamie








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240 CAM RACK---seals? 200

First of all, get the Bentley manual for the 240 series. It's about $50 and worth every penny.

I bought a rebuilt rack from Jorgen for about $200, installed it last year, and have had no problems with it. As far as gotchas during the replacement, there are a few I ran into.

1) the yoke that connects the rack to the steering column is aluminum, and since the shaft on the rack is steel, you get the disimilar metals thing happening, sometimes resulting in corrosions. This can make getting the yoke off a real bear. It took me about a half hour of prying to get that sucker off. When you do get it off, check the condition of the splines on the yoke. If they're rotted out, replace the yoke. Notice that the pin you had to remove to get the yoke off rides on a flat spot on the rack's shaft. This is important for reassembly.

2) Save the copper washers. No washers came with my rebuilt rack. Normally, I like to replace them, but I didn't in this case.

3) Drain all of the old fluid out of the system. Most likely it's been in there since day 1 and has some junk in it. I poured a quart of trans fluid into the reservoir after I had the rack disconnected, while turning the power steering pump pulley to move it through. Of course, I had to remove the power steering pump belt to do this.

4) While you've got the rack out, put new outer tie rod ends on. Use the old rack and it's tie rod ends as a guide for positioning the new tie rod ends. Unless you're extremely lucky, you will have to take the car in for an alignment after this jobs done. But getting the tie rod ends lined up as close as possible to the old ones will make the differenc between a little shake while you're driving to the alignment shop, and a shake that'll make you think your cars coming apart.

5) Before installing the new rack, you have to make sure the rack is centered. When my rack arrived from Jorgen, the amount of exposed tie rod on either side of the boots was the same. This is NOT centered. Grab the shaft of the rack where the steering column attaches, and turn it until you have the same amount of rack movement on either side. That is, if you can turn the shaft 1.5 turns to the left until it bottoms out, you should be able to turn the shaft 1.5 turns to the right until it bottoms out.

6) After you've got the rack centered, have your dad or someone hop into the car and move the steering wheel to its centered position. If you move the rack near the steering column yoke, you should see that the flat spot on the rack's shaft matches the spot where the yoke's pin goes.

7) Make sure everything is clean, clean, clean. You don't want any crap contaminating the system.

8) After you get the rack mounted up, and hoses reattached, start pouring some trans fluid in the system. Bentley recommends moving the steering wheel back and forth to move the fluid through the system. I also spun the power steering pump by hand to move it (I still had the belt disconnected). Soon, you notice that the fluid level isn't dropping. After you put the power steering pump belt back on, start the engine and watch the fluid level. BEWARE: THE FLUID LEVEL IN THE RESERVOIR CAN EMPTY WITHIN SECONDS. Have your dad sit in the car, moving the steering wheel back and forth, while you monitor the level of the fluid in the reservoir with an open bottle of trans fluid in your hands, ready to pour.

The Bentley manual gives you a step by step for doing this job, and has more detailed information. Read it and a lot of the above junk will become clearer. Good luck.








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240 CAM RACK---seals? 200


Welcome to the "board"

How many miles on your car? Hate to say it, but IMO it sounds like it COULD be a bad rack. Don't hold me to this - Am I hedging here or what... I'd recommend having a Volvo specialist take a look at it and have him advise you. I had to replace my rack last fall with about 185k on it. Exhibited similar symptoms to what you describe. I know it will probably be expensive - $200-450 for a rebuilt rack plus labor if applicable - but it is a small price to pay for a safe car!

As Smitty said, I hope this doesn't deter you from enjoying your Volvo. 240's are great cars and will last a long, long time but they do need repairs along the way.








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240 CAM RACK---seals? 200

Congratulations on your purchase, and welcome to the ranks of Volvo owners!

I think it doesn't sound too godd for your steering rack. No, there should not be any looseness such as you describe. As a minimum thar inner tie rod end will require replacement, but the fluid inside your boot suggests that there is more afoot than just the tie rod. I know of no place which will sell just a seal for the rack, and with good reason - there's no way to tell how long it's gone without a good seal, and the innards are quite possibly contaminated. The good news is that rebuilt racks are available for about $400 from sources like IPD and FCP Groton. Replacing one is a messy but pretty straightforward bolt-up operation.

You might also look into replacing the big bushings at the rear of the front A-arms. These are pretty tired out by 100k miles (YMMV), and contribute a LOT to ride quality. Sway bar bushings can also cause rattles and bangs when they are worn.

Hope this doesn't throw you for a loop... or turn you off to Volvos. Invest in a Haynes or Bentley manual, and do lots of research here on the BB. You'll become intimate with your car and that's a good thing.








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240 CAM RACK---seals? 200

"The good news is that rebuilt racks are available for about $400 from sources like IPD and FCP Groton."

$194 from Jorgen Auto.

http://www.jorgenauto.com/rack-pinion/volvo.html
--
Volvo 240 Links








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240 CAM RACK---seals? 200

Per Michael's input, I stand corrected - happily so. I checked the web and FCP Groton has rebuilt racks for $339, less $150 core charge; net cost is $189 + s&h.







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