Xc90 - jerky power steering issue

[Robbiecookie101]

Hey chaps

I'm a proud new owner of 2005 2.4 Auto XC90 diesel with 139000 on the clock.

Generally the car seems to be in very good condition for it's age. My only gripe is that on long sweeping corners/roundabouts the power steering will all of a sudden go really light? - so for example, say the wheel is at the 9pm or 3pm position, after a few seconds it will go extremely light instead of a constant feeling in the steering wheel? this in turn causes me to slightly oversteer for a second.

I only notice this on long sweeping turns/roundabouts. General town driving is completely fine and there's no noticeable noises/clunks from the steering or suspension.

Hopefully the above makes sense, but I can try to capture it on video if it doesn't

Having done my very best to search this forum for similar posts I think there's possibly 3 potential fixes?

1. change power steering fluid
2. change tyres / get an alignment
3. replace the steering rack

I plan to change the power steering fluid this weekend anyway just to rule that out but I'm wondering whether anybody else has had a similar problem which was totally eradicated just by changing the fluid or tyres/alignment or did you have to go through the pain of changing the rack?

In my case, if it's the rack I will most likely just put up with it!

Cheers lads
Cookie

[Clan]

Originally Posted by Robbiecookie101

Hey chaps

I'm a proud new owner of 2005 2.4 Auto XC90 diesel with 139000 on the clock.

Generally the car seems to be in very good condition for it's age. My only gripe is that on long sweeping corners/roundabouts the power steering will all of a sudden go really light? - so for example, say the wheel is at the 9pm or 3pm position, after a few seconds it will go extremely light instead of a constant feeling in the steering wheel? this in turn causes me to slightly oversteer for a second.

I only notice this on long sweeping turns/roundabouts. General town driving is completely fine and there's no noticeable noises/clunks from the steering or suspension.

Hopefully the above makes sense, but I can try to capture it on video if it doesn't

Having done my very best to search this forum for similar posts I think there's possibly 3 potential fixes?

1. change power steering fluid
2. change tyres / get an alignment
3. replace the steering rack

I plan to change the power steering fluid this weekend anyway just to rule that out but I'm wondering whether anybody else has had a similar problem which was totally eradicated just by changing the fluid or tyres/alignment or did you have to go through the pain of changing the rack?

In my case, if it's the rack I will most likely just put up with it!

Cheers lads
Cookie

Its worth getting the pump output checked , vovo have a pressure guage tool to check the 120 bar max pressure under load . But yes , this problem is usually the Rack .

[TruckbusUK]

Morning, first thing to try should be the steering fluid, it should be light green to deep green, certainly not black, also take care as the Volvo system doesnt use powersteering fluid/ATF, but CHF11S hydraulic fluid, make sure you you use the correct stuff.

SirRobb(member - cheshired5) has a useful you-tube vid if you are unsure on how to do it.

also a 4 wheel alignment will never go wrong regardless, TBH 2 wheel alignment is a waste of time on these cars IMO. Check all the suspension/ball joints etc first to save having to redo the tracking again later should something need replaced.

The Hunter alignment website will give you the name of your local garage using the kit ....

enjoy

[2Diesels]

I too am suffering this issue, when I first drove the car it felt like it was trying to kill you, improving slightly when warm. I flushed out the red atf someone had put in using the proper CHF until I was getting clean green fluid out of it. Made absolutely no difference, but £20 & half an hour was worth a try. I had new tyres fitted last night as the old ones were a right queer old shape & mix if tread patterns & it has improved it vastly, but hasn’t cured it. I’ve been looking at rack prices etc. and came across a solenoid which fits to the rack on certain models, I wondered if it was worth trying next (assuming mine has one) failing that I’ll just bite the bullet & put a rack in it.

[Robbiecookie101]

Originally Posted by 2Diesels

I too am suffering this issue, when I first drove the car it felt like it was trying to kill you, improving slightly when warm. I flushed out the red atf someone had put in using the proper CHF until I was getting clean green fluid out of it. Made absolutely no difference, but £20 & half an hour was worth a try. I had new tyres fitted last night as the old ones were a right queer old shape & mix if tread patterns & it has improved it vastly, but hasn’t cured it. I’ve been looking at rack prices etc. and came across a solenoid which fits to the rack on certain models, I wondered if it was worth trying next (assuming mine has one) failing that I’ll just bite the bullet & put a rack in it.

Hi mate,

sorry that your motor is also suffering the same issue. Have you ever had your motor scanned with VIDA DICE? Just wondering whether there could be a code for whatever it is that is up with both of our cars

I haven't yet had mine scanned but I plan to get it done if the problem doesn't go away with new power steering fluid although the fluid that is in there is green so I don't think it's going to help much

Cheers!
Cookie

[2Diesels]

Nah there’s no steering related codes been stored, I don’t suppose there’s much in the steering that can cause codes. Mine definitely feels hydraulic & I get slightly more assistance one way than the other, so to me it’s valves in the rack, but like I said I’m willing to try the speed related assist solenoid if mine is equipped.
As clan said it might be worth pressure testing the pump, but the type of fault I’ve got doesn’t feel like a pump pressure thing.
I would certainly risk £20 on a couple of litres of fluid before I condemned anything, it’s a fluid that gets neglected, especially if you have no leaks or issues & your car is getting on a bit, so it’s worth a stab, you might get lucky

[2Diesels]

Drain the reservoir, pop the return hose ( the small bore one at the back) off at the reservoir end & push a length of 10mm o/d pipe into it leading to a drainage tub/bucket or whatever, plug the hose tail on the reservoir or you will make a mess.........I forgot to do this & did exactly that, top the reservoir up with new fluid, jack the front wheels off the ground & turn the steering lock to lock without the engine running, keeping the level topped up until nice clean, green fluid comes out. It’s better to use transparent pipe then it’s easier to see.

[gmonag]

If you drive the front wheels onto a couple of glossy magazines (Good Housekeeping works well!) the wheels will turn easily. No need to jack up the car.

[Robbiecookie101]

Hey guys,

So I changed the Power Steering fluid this morning (thanks to 2Diesels & gmonag for their guidance on this). The good news is that this appears to have dramastically improved my issue. The bad news is that the problem is still there, albeit no where near as bad.

Does this tell me anything? Could it mean the rack isn't at fault here?

Would it be worthwhile doing another fluid change in a couple of weeks time to get any remaining old fluid out of the system? I reckon I put in a total of 800ml of new fluid so I probably got most of the old stuff out anyway right?

I also looked more closely at my tyres, the inside shoulder of the front nearside and rear offside tyres are very badly worn, could a bad set of tyres/bad alignment really cause such a jolty feel in the steering wheel?

I have the car booked in with a local volvo specialists in a couple of weeks time, so I will definately have them perform a thorough check of the entire vehicle but is there anything else I can look to rule out between now and then?

Thanks lads for the help and advice so far
Cookie!

[2Diesels]

That’s good that you at least gained something from it, might be worth another flush, but I suspect that’s as good as you’ll get. I flushed mine on Sunday & it was no different, Tuesday I put 4 new tyres on it & that made a noticeable difference, it’s still there but almost liveable with, like I said the dangerous feeling has gone away but it is still nervous.