98 V70 Power Steering Service

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Feb 6, 2010
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The sled's been getting a lot of attention lately. She needed it! New TB, tensioner & idler pulleys, new gasket on WP, turbo wastegate adjustment (HUGE difference there), broken plastic on front air dam repaired, skid plate reinstalled, all cooling hoses replaced with OEM Volvo (except for heater hoses), coolant tank cap replaced and now that cap has cracked so it needs ANOTHER one, cleaned up dist. cap & rotor; no more misfire codes, new spark plugs, oil filter replaced, no more recurring PO-455 (gross evap leak), resoldered the ABS module once again and that light's been extinguished, reinstalled both front wheel mud flaps/guards...

Still not done though......

PS rack has been leaking like crazy for quite awhile now. Just been feeding it fluid. First factory rack went at 80k mi. Current mileage is about 211,000 mi. Both boots were badly torn and leaking fluid really made a mess down below. Read recently about ATP AT-205 reseal and it appears to be the REAL DEAL. Instead of swelling seals with petroleum distillates, it uses a plasticizer, a glycol ether, which "restores" the rubber, without over swelling it. Finally located it at one "old-school" parts store in town. They carry stuff I never see anywhere else.

Being a 98, the PS pump still uses either ATF or PS fluid. What's in there now is the cheap stuff. Since it's also time to flush the transmission, I bought extra Valvoline 100% syn. ATF to flush the PS with. Spec says it takes about a quart.

Removed as much of the old stuff as possible with a baster bulb, then used 1/4" ID clear tubing to suck the rest out. Stuffed a rag on top of the alternator to protect it since it's right below the PS return line fitting I needed to remove. In doing so, I quickly found myself with each end needing a hand and I needed another hand. I propped up the return line vertical to hold it and slid a piece of silicone tubing with a pincher on it to prevent the reservoir from leaking out. Yet I still drained about 70ml of old fluid out the bottom. So I wasn't able to suck it all out due to the reservoirs baffles. Then filled with new MaxLife ATF to the brim.

Jacked the front end up high enough to clear the front wheels and set her down on jack stands. Used about a 3/8" brass fitting to fit inside the return hose. Problem was I didn't have any 3/8" clear tubing, just 1/4". So I boiled some water, slid in the tubing end for about 30 sec and that softened it up enough to slide over the 3/8" fitting.

Ran the hose down to a glass jar. Didn't even need to start the car, just rotate the wheels from lock-to-lock. This also set up a siphon, which overflowed the glass jar onto the concrete! Quickly put the hose end into a plastic pan to contain the mess. The old fluid was dark, cloudy, brick red. The new is bright, clear, cherry red. Ran about 1.5qrts through the rack to ensure I had flushed enough, then added 45ml (1.5oz) of AT-205 to the reservoir and topped it off when I was done. Went lock-to-lock on the rack several times to distribute the 205 into the rack.

Now I had a FULL PS reservoir to deal with when it came time to reattach the rack return hose to it. Accomplished that task with minimal fluid loss.

Now came the REAL fun part....replacing both torn rack boots.

I started on the passenger side. Scored a line across the jamb nut and outer tie rod, cut off the boot and measured the distance between the shaft dia. reduction and the nut with a dial caliper. Noticed the OTR end boots were ripped. I didn't detect any slack or hear anything when shaking the wheels sideways. It felt tight.

The OTR nut easily came off, I counted the turns to remove the OTR, then slid the inner part of the torn boot off. No rust on the rack arm. The ITR moved easily, but I detected no play at all. The OTR ball joint boot was ripped open. There still was grease inside and the joint easily moved but there was no play in it.

I used boots ordered from AutohausAZ, made by PPS, I'd had on hand nearly a year. These were thick rubber, not thin plastic, and felt like a good part. The large end easily slid over the rack end at the housing, while the smaller ID was a good, tight fit over the ITR stud. They were stiff enough to hold the ITR end level. Reinstalled everything, counting turns and measuring, no worries. Firmly tied off both boot ends with large zip ties.

Same story on driver side. She sure looks nice in new black boots!

Time will tell if the AT-205 will work. No doubt the new boots will stop the leaks on the concrete, but I'll be able to tell via the reservoir dipstick.

Started up went for a drive. The moaning when cold was gone. Steering felt stiffer. Felt a bit of tugging when turning the first few times. Drove 60mph for about 4 miles and experienced no weird handling, pulling, etc. Felt just like it was before.

I do plan on replacing the OTR ends and will get an alignment afterwards. I'm curious to see if the leaking rack will stop or at least, slow to a drip. Fortunately, the refurber, Maval, has a lifetime warranty to the same owner, but I have to pay for the labor.

The sled leaks no engine oil, no auto ATF, and now, no more coolant. Thus the only leak is PS ATF.

BTW, I cleaned the leak on the concrete with newspaper, then cat litter to soak up the remaining, rubbed in with my hands. Then swept that up, sprinkled on more cat litter, then ground that into a fine powder using a brick. Let it sit overnight, then sweep up the excess.

I'm interested in hearing about others use of AT-205. Read quite a few posts here. Seems to be both a popular & effective product. One bottle is $10, so it's very reasonable.

Work continues on the sled: New brake pads & flushing the xnsmsn.
 
Originally Posted By: Mark_Walk
WOW....that is dedication. I guess every mile you get out of it is money saved!

I've learned quite a lot from wrenching on my cars over the years. Not just money saved, but knowledge gained & skills built. Previously, the longest I'd owned any car from new, was 14yrs. Now that the sled has passed 18, though with less mileage than the other one, many items are surfacing.

Boots rip, hoses collapse, rubber oxidizes, fluids shear & become oxidized losing their effectiveness.
 
Update:

I up'd the dose of AT-205 to 2-1/2ozs total after calling ATP for advice. They recommended 2-3oz for PS systems.

I CAN report that the leaking has really slowed down. I'm now watching the dipstick level as the new boots prevent any fluid from leaking onto the driveway. I've added nothing since my original post, save for 1oz (30mL) of 205.

The cold groaning when turning is now gone, the bit of air appears to have worked itself out, and the steering is working very well indeed.

Very glad all of that dirty work is in my rear-view mirror....
 
Update:

I've added no PS fluid since the last update. It continues to hold at the dipstick COLD mark. This is an EXCELLENT sign and very encouraging as to the use of AT-205 in PS rack leaks.
 
Originally Posted By: sleddriver
Boots rip, hoses collapse, rubber oxidizes, fluids shear & become oxidized losing their effectiveness.


Speaking of which, how many ATF drain/ fills have you done so far?
 
Just flushed the ATF after doing the PS service. I think this is the third or fourth fluid change, I'll have to look it up.
 
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