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The steering in my 87 240 wagon began to severely stick just off center in one direction when first driven in the morning, a problem both annoying and unsafe. After forcing it past the sticking point several times, it would free up for normal operation, until the next morning. I fixed the problem in two steps.
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FIRST - Change the fluid - Drawing out as much of the fluid as I could and replacing it with a high quality synthetic power steering oil, running the car to flush out more of the old oil and drawing out the fluid in the reservoir again, repeating several times.
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SECOND - Shock the hydraulics - After the sticky steering had broken loose in the morning and driving was safe, driving at about 25 mph, putting the car into neutral and racing the engine as I steered around several corners. Like magic, no more problems.
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My guess is the combination of new fluid and higher engine and steering pump speed with higher hydraulic oil flow rates loosened up whatever was sticking. This simple fix has now lasted for 2+ years with no new problems (so far). My Volvo mechanic tells me this trick is news to him, so I thought it might be worth sharing.
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