Passanger side steering rack leak

[Noamamir0123]

Hello guys I have a 1996 Volvo 940 with a steering rack leak near the tie rod at the passanger side.

Will I need a whole steering rack rebuild or can I replace the seal without taking it apart?

[Jimsiss]

You won’t be able to reseal this without the rack coming out. You might be able to get some power steering leak stop and mix it with the power steering fluid to rejuvenate the seals and stop the leaks.

I’ve just started stripping my original rack to reseal it and it’s not a job for the faint of heart. If you damage any of the sealing surfaces it’ll need machining and oversized seals fitting. The replacement “NOS” rack I bought from eBay was a badly refurbished old rack and it’s now pouring fluid out on full lock so needs replacing.

If you do want to reseal it yourself then you need to rotate that white plug in the end of the rack and look into the slot in the rack body for the end of a steel wire. This needs lifting and pulling out of the slot whilst rotating the plug. Once the wire is out the plug will come out and you can see the offending seal underneath.

Ideally you need to completely strip the rack and reseal the whole thing which requires removing the pinion where the steering column attaches. Once that is out the shaft will be able to slide out but you need to make notes of the rotations on the black plug, then make sure you realign the rack and pinion correctly otherwise you’ll have to try and realign the steering wheel on the column afterwards to get it to sit straight when the wheels are pointing straight.

[WUMPSTER]

classic sweed do them

https://www.classicswede.org/shop/74...g-7-900-series

[volvojj]

1. Second hand steering racks in Sweden:
https://www.bildelsbasen.se/en-se/pb..._direction=asc

2. Gasket set for steering rack on Skandix (enter your car model to select the correct one):
https://www.skandix.de/en/spare-part...ring-rack/673/

[Noamamir0123]

Originally Posted by volvojj

1. Second hand steering racks in Sweden:
https://www.bildelsbasen.se/en-se/pb..._direction=asc

2. Gasket set for steering rack on Skandix (enter your car model to select the correct one):
https://www.skandix.de/en/spare-part...ring-rack/673/

I’m not sure which type of rack I have it’s either cam or trw, need to pull out the rack to figure it out I guess

[volvojj]

Usually there is more than one option for selecting new/refurbished/second hand steering rack to fit your vehicle. Of course the best is if you find exact same as the one you have (from the same manufacturer with the exact serial numbers), but sometimes that is a challenge.

1. On the Skandix website:
- it can show you several steering racks compatible for your vehicle depending which ones they have in stock (for each of theym there are two numbers: 1/ product number which is the number of Skandix; and 2/ Reference/Reference Number which is the number of the part that fits your vehicle.
- These are all Skandix steering racks - first you need to choose your car model in the upper left corner, so it will narrow the search only to the ones compatible with your car:
https://www.skandix.de/en/spare-part...ring-rack/676/

2. On the Swedish website for second hand steering racks:
- Inspect the photos of the steering rack - what is the condition
- In many cases they will post the Serial/Reference number (of the part number or the manufacturer's product number - try to google it if it is compatible with your Volvo part number - you can find your Volvo part number on Skandix under "Reference" or "Reference number" once you select your car model.
- You can write an email to the sellers, they might be able to help

3. Sometimes local professional shops can do a good job in refurbishing steering racks (and sometimes NOT) - the best is if it is possible to learn if customers are satisfied with the refurbished product.