Heavy steering , where to start ?

[AlfieXC70]

Hi all, following on from a previous post I posted in the AWD section, thought it might fit better here .

So had the car a couple of weeks now and really like it so far.

The only thing I am not happy with is how heavy the steering feels when manoeuvring at slow speed.
Eg reversing into a space , 3 point turn etc requires lots of effort both arms working the wheel .

I feel it shouldn't be this difficult , this is first AWD car for me and Auto , so expected it to be different but this feels to much.

So far I have checked tyre pressures , all ok , seem to have a slow puncture front left so will keep topping up and get this sorted asap.
Fluid level is full in reservoir.

I read somewhere that if you give the steering joint a good spray with WD40 that's fixes a lot of heavy steering issues, however removed undertray to try to locate this joint and can't see it ? Any ideas how to reach it ?
The video I saw online it looked easy but think it was a different model.

What else should I be doing ?

PS I have no real concerns when normal Driving to knocks or bangs and steering smooth, just slow manoeuvring.

Thanks all hopefully I can fix this as it's the only thing spoiling my Volvo experience at the moment 👍

[GrahamBrown1]

What colour is the fluid? it should be a healthy green colour.

It’s a hydraulic system, next time your in the car in neutral obviously not moving it will be heavy but give the car some revs and see if this makes a difference.

[AlfieXC70]

Originally Posted by GrahamBrown1

What colour is the fluid? it should be a healthy green colour.

It’s a hydraulic system, next time your in the car in neutral obviously not moving it will be heavy but give the car some revs and see if this makes a difference.

Thank you for your reply,
So just taken a sample with a syringe , I would say it's a healthy orangy colour , ( maybe a different type ? )

Also tried reving in neutral , and the steering got noticibly lighter at higher revs ,
So what would this indicate ?
PS previous owner serviced car every year , currently on 137000,
Thank you 👍

[GrahamBrown1]

I would change the fluid first, it should be green tho used fluid would discolour obviously but no orange. Orange/red would indicate the wrong fluid has been used at some point such as ATF. Ideally the system wants flushing with Volvo fluid or CHF which is available in the likes of Halfords.

That’s what I would do first. From the test I would say you have signs of pump wear. But a fluid flush that isn’t expensive can give you noticeable improvements. That’s what I would do if it were mine.

[AlfieXC70]

Originally Posted by GrahamBrown1

I would change the fluid first, it should be green tho used fluid would discolour obviously but no orange. Orange/red would indicate the wrong fluid has been used at some point such as ATF. Ideally the system wants flushing with Volvo fluid or CHF which is available in the likes of Halfords.

That’s what I would do first. From the test I would say you have signs of pump wear. But a fluid flush that isn’t expensive can give you noticeable improvements. That’s what I would do if it were mine.

That's really helpful thanks, the oil definately looks fresh so maybe as you say wrong type used ,
I'll look into flush and how to do it, makes sense to try that first.

Just been having a look at PS pump cost to change , really hope it is not that, expensive start to my ownership otherwise , fingers crossed 🤞

Are there any particular pumps to recommend , had a look on Eurocar parts and seem to range from £200_£400
What would a garage charge to fit this ?

Just preparing myself for the worse
Thanks

[Pidgeonpost]

Originally Posted by AlfieXC70

Thank you for your reply,
So just taken a sample with a syringe , I would say it's a healthy orangy colour , ( maybe a different type ? )

Also tried reving in neutral , and the steering got noticibly lighter at higher revs ,
So what would this indicate ?
PS previous owner serviced car every year , currently on 137000,
Thank you 👍

Interesting timing. I've just today done a refresh of the fluid in our V70 as the steering felt a little heavy, though perhaps not as heavy as yours sounds. Check your handbook, but unless the XC70 is different I'm pretty sure the fluid should be green when in good condition. Mine was only vaguely green. I put 1 litre of fluid through the syphoning process, and will do another refresh in a day or two. There are a couple of helpful videos on YouTube - look for SiRobb (though he demos on a P2) and 'volvosweden' who does the biz on his XC 70.
*EDIT* As Graham says, the fluid is readily available. I got 2 litres of CHF11S ordered online from Halfords, delivered next day by DPD for just over £21. Cheaper than a pump as a jumping off point.

[AlfieXC70]

Originally Posted by Pidgeonpost

Interesting timing. I've just today done a refresh of the fluid in our V70 as the steering felt a little heavy, though perhaps not as heavy as yours sounds. Check your handbook, but unless the XC70 is different I'm pretty sure the fluid should be green when in good condition. Mine was only vaguely green. I put 1 litre of fluid through the syphoning process, and will do another refresh in a day or two. There are a couple of helpful videos on YouTube - look for SiRobb (though he demos on a P2) and 'volvosweden' who does the biz on his XC 70.
*EDIT* As Graham says, the fluid is readily available. I got 2 litres of CHF11S ordered online from Halfords, delivered next day by DPD for just over £21. Cheaper than a pump as a jumping off point.

Thanks, I just watched the Volvosweden video you suggested, Very satisfying 😄,

I will give this a go I think as advised to try first above , think it's in my realms of capability , we'll see 🤞

[AlfieXC70]

Trying to work out how much he used to do this flush , as it seems to be about £22 a litre , looks like he used 4 bottles .

Any idea how much the system actually holds ?

[GrahamBrown1]

The system doesn’t hold much under 2 litres if I remember right. a through job would be 3 or 4 litres and considering your fluid is suspect I would probs go for at least 3.

[Pidgeonpost]

Originally Posted by AlfieXC70

Trying to work out how much he used to do this flush , as it seems to be about £22 a litre , looks like he used 4 bottles .

Any idea how much the system actually holds ?

Yes, you can pay more than that for genuine Volvo fluid. But there are other brands - I've used Pentosin in the past, but this time around I went for the Halfords deal. Just over £21 for 2 litres. It's 'Comma' brand, which is reputable and been around for years, but more importantly it's CHF11S - the correct spec. Plenty of people will say that they would use nothing but Volvo's own fluid, and good on 'em, but in our house 'times is 'ard' as they say. .

There's more info on this thread >>>

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=168999