1990 Volvo 740 GL wagon. Non-turbo. 186,000 miles. Had fuel leak. Diagnosed as degraded banjo fitting. Replaced. Pulled away from shop, turned right, and had shuddering and noise. Turned left. Same thing.
Steering rack replaced in March. It was the third in a row. That mechanic doesn’t want to see the car again. The first two racks - or the mechanic, (doubtful - “best” in town) - failed immediately. (I’m burnt out on this. Everything, really. This is my only car, and there is no one to assist). It took from October to March to get the rack squared away, and I haven’t driven the car more than a 1,000 miles since then, and there was no groaning/rubbing sound when turning the wheel, and no shudder. Suddenly, this new 3rd rack fails after a fuel filter and banjo fitting is replaced. What kind of coincidence could this be? The shudder and the groaning/rubbing sound are far worse than before the first rack was installed. In park, the mechanics pointed out that the whole front part of the car was shaking now.
I read this thread Did mechanic break my rack and pinion? Wondered about lift damage. Initially, I made sure that the car went on the ramp lift, but how the car was handled this morning, I don’t know. But also, in order to replace the banjo fitting, the fuel relay fuse had to be pulled for safety. The shop had to have the part sent overnight, so they told me they pushed the car out to the lot. It would be dangerous to turn the ignition key on if the fuel relay fuse was replaced, as the fuel filter and fitting had been removed.
I realized that the windows were down. They also could not have pushed the car unless they turned on the ignition. I was told today that the windows were up, and the car was locked up overnight. There is no money for a new 4th rack, anyway. Given the new rack, chances of it failing are slim. The power steering pump was not replaced by the original mechanic, and has not been replaced. Fluid level has not budged an iota since the 3rd installation. The rack had to be replaced in order for the mechanic to get to - my mind just went blank - a rusted part, or would have broken in order to… I’m sorry - but the fluid kept dropping out suddenly. Please do what you can with this dithering information in terms of speculating what the hell happened. Apologies. I can’t sleep trying to figure this out, and it looks like I may have no car at all.
Pull lower valance (under steering wheel). Check for loose bolts on support beam(black metal runs right to left. You may want someone to shake wheel while you take a good look. Not usually a 740 problem except on high mileage cars.Also,new bolts are needed to secure the steering rack to the frame so they won’t loosen up in the future, This is a link for volvo steering rack problems: https://www.volvoclub.org.uk/faq/Steering.html
Car shakes how?
When turning wheel?
I am unsure how your 3 racks failed?
No boost? Leaks? Mechanical stiffness/ rubbing/grinding?
Is rack mount failed? Rack is loose?
27 year old Volvo being used as daily transportation. Failed 3 racks, mechanic doesn’t want to work on it anymore.
I think its time for a newer car. Sorry, but this needs to get parked. There is a solution but it will take time and money to find it. More difficult problems like this will crop up. And they will also take time to find and fix, because it IS a 27 year old car. Sorry
Not once the demon rust starts.
I look at a Volvo once that had both strut towers rotted out. No hope for that one. As a matter of fact, whoever looks at the OP’s Volvo might check for this. It was about fifteen or so years ago that I came across this.
The car was shaking while in the bay on the floor. As to the rack failures - the usual possibilities: that both aftermarket racks were bad; that the air wasn’t bled from the lines; wrong fluid… Boots filled with fluid first two times. Not now. No grinding. Rack is solid. The tie rod on the left was replaced. (I’m having difficulty navigating this page. When I reply, I don’t see where the thread has gone).
Thank you. If I had a tip-top vehicle for every time I was told to junk my other vehicles… The first two racks failed immediately. The parts company paid for the replacements. The third rack did not fail immediately - different manufacturer. I cannot afford another care unless you know of one that doesn’t have all the tech stuff on the dash for $700, and I sure will be watching for one. If I have no car. I am stuck. No one for “rides.” Cab fare to grocery store, doctors, would eat up money fast. But bottom line is, I’m asking for speculation on what might have happened, while the car was at the garage, because there wasn’t any front-end-related problem before I took it in.
Thank you. So far, a new, or late model vehicle, which I cannot obtain anyway, would have cost more in upkeep, even with this. It’s times like this that I wince when I hear plugs to donate used cars to public radio, knowing full well that many of them are in better shape than any cars I’ve ever owned, but its not public radio’s fault that I have been consistently less well-heeled, and I’ve had great luck with my $350 to $1500 vehicles. Anyway - I wonder what happened at the garage - if anything. The brutal fact is that I can no longer afford to own a car. I can’t even afford to keep a pet. But things could be a halluva lot worse - I think. Hey, I’m not dead yet.
I was being tongue in cheek! Real “aficionados” will rebuild all the sheet metal as well and up creating a whole new car! Unless it’s an expensive classic, that’s all money down the tube.
A lot of my industrial consulting work deals with when to replace a piece of equipment, and the economics of repairs as well as safety and environmental considerations drive the process. No one gets sentimental over industrial equipment.
Since 1958 I have sent 4 cars to the crusher that could not be economically repaired and were unsaleable to a third party.
I understand. Funny enough, I was telling the story about a car that that I sold to a fellow for $50 in 1996. It as his only option. I know I cannot afford to keep this car, or probably any car on the road. But I at least have to keep this one so I can get anywhere important. If the undercarriage drops out entirely, at least it would happen in town. So much for road trips. But I’ll cut the violins. If the power steering fluid pump is the culprit, then that would be worth one more attempt, I think. Cancel that. How do I discontinue this thread. PS I just drove the car and it isn’t making the sound or the shudder. Anyway - I’m “closing” my post. Thank you for your assistance.
I’m sorry, but I don’t know what you mean by “stuff on the dash for $700” . . . ?!
I think you could get a fairly reliable mid-sized domestic car from the early to mid-2000s for under $2500, if that’s any help. Parts will be a lot easier to source, the car will be a lot newer, more fuel efficient and probably safer
Saver thn a 1990 Volvo? Anyway - “stuff” on the dash means the modern technology that flashes, distracts, etc. I do not have $2500, $2000, $1000. But thank you for the thought.
I don’t think it’s delusions of grandeur, as much as a polite way of suggesting that no further comments are needed. But I don’t want to put words in his or her mouth.
I just had to replace a steering pump 3 times. The first 2 pumps were remanufactured Cardone, both were bad right out of the box. Returned them, gave up and bought a used salvage yard pump, problem solved. I don’t know who makes this Volvo rack but if they’re remanufactured, it wouldn’t surprise me if they’re defective 4 times in a row.
