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Power Steering "Wobble"

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#41 ·
Have your tie rods checked!


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#42 ·
roverhockey said:
Have your tie rods checked!

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Click to expand...
I've done the wheel wobble test (rocking the wheels at the 3 and 9 o'clock position) and there was no play. However, when attempting to remove the tie rods to modify my deflection limiters, I noticed the inner tie rods were... Uh... Soft and limp and unable to support the outer tie rods.

I already have replacement tie rods (TRW inners, Lemforder outers) but I haven't found the time to replace them yet.
 
#43 ·
I have a similar problem on my 2001 v70,
After a left turn or sweeping bend straitening the wheel is stiff and jerky.
No problem after right turns or bends.
Very noticeable on left-hand bends is a vibration like a wheel badly out of balance (all wheels checked twice and tracking)
This problem appeared soon after I had a lower right ball joint replaced.

Also get a vibration going straight about 70 - 80 mph just like a wheel out of balance.

Any suggestions anyone? Thanks
 
Discussion starter · #44 ·
mpe said:
I have a similar problem on my 2001 v70,
After a left turn or sweeping bend straitening the wheel is stiff and jerky.
No problem after right turns or bends.
Very noticeable on left-hand bends is a vibration like a wheel badly out of balance (all wheels checked twice and tracking)
This problem appeared soon after I had a lower right ball joint replaced.

Also get a vibration going straight about 70 - 80 mph just like a wheel out of balance.

Any suggestions anyone? Thanks
Click to expand...
There are many potential issues.

You could have a defective ball joint, in very rare instances when it happens the joint gets dry and does very strange things.

You could have a variable assist rack with a problem.

You could have another issue in the suspension, i.e. shocks and shock mounts are bad and even though they won't mess with the alignment being kept in place while it's being checked on the alignment machine, it can still cause issues while driving at speed as it can't keep the car stable.
 
#45 ·
My wobble is still going strong, and I've still got a hard right pull. Interestingly enough though, my right front tire that was wearing extremely quickly before seems to be wearing evenly since I got new tires + alignment. We'll see how that plays out in the longer term though. I'm only about 5k in since replacing the whole set.
 
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#46 ·
mpe said:
Also get a vibration going straight about 70 - 80 mph just like a wheel out of balance.
Click to expand...
I've also noticed this around 120kph (75mph) on both my summer and winter tires. Seems unlikely that both are out of balance but who knows.

As for your stiff steering, try lubricating the U joint on the steering column
 
Discussion starter · #47 ·
How light is the steering on your cars? My car is super light, lighter than any other XC I've driven, and I'm wondering if that may be a symptom.

I don't have the vibrations ya'll have, though if any of the cars talked about have Poly control arm bushings, take a careful look at that front bushing. In my experience the front bushing appears to be in good shape, but prying on it reveals that it's eating itself on the inside and can cause wobbles. I don't like poly control arm bushings for this reason because it's such an easy fault to overlook.
 
#48 ·
If the continuum goes:

- very light
- light
- medium light
- medium
- medium heavy
- heavy
- very heavy

I'd say mine is "medium-light". When it was last in the shop, I drove a Hyundai sonata. It's about the dullest ****ing car ever, but I found its steering in sport mode very satisfying. I would call it's sport steering "medium-heavy"
 
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Discussion starter · #49 ·
Hmm, I guess we need some point of comparisons.

Turning the wheel with the car not moving:
Very heavy - no power steering kind of heavy
Very light - no resistance to turning at all.

I would say most XCs incline the medium-heavy direction. Feedback on that thought?
 
#50 ·
I've only driven a couple (mine, and my mothers p3) but i would say both are in the medium-light to medium range imo. If be curious to hear what consensus is though. Perhaps either my vehicle or my "arm scale" is off ;-)
 
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Discussion starter · #51 · (Edited)
Haha, new rule: those joining the conversation need to provide the following information.

1. The color/condition of their power steering fluid
2. The condition of the suspension
3. How much weight you can bench press
 
#53 ·
ProlixArgon said:
Haha, new rule: those joining the conversation need to provide the following information.

1. The color/condition of their power steering fluid
2. The condition of the suspension
3. How much weight you can bench press
Click to expand...
1. Green/Yellow
2. Great
3.
Image
...about that :D

I can one finger the wheel if the vehicle is moving. I have to parallel park almost daily and I'd say the steering is light/medium.
 
Discussion starter · #54 ·
/\ Wise guy.



If the holidays driving of the c30 doesn't reveal any love (I'm not optimistic at this point), I will put a rack in my car just to further this discussion along. The debate I'm having with myself is whether to fetch a low mileage rack or just pay up front and get a rebuilt rack. There is approximately a $200-300 price difference between the two, but I'm not very excited about spending the time required to change the rack...

A: It would suck a lot to spend the money for a reman rack for it not to address the problem.

B: it would suck a lot to change the rack to get a replication of a similar problem for another warn rack.

Sent from my LGUS991 using Tapatalk
 
#56 ·
ProlixArgon said:
My 2006 Xc70 has an odd, for lack of a better word, wobble, in the power steering. When taking long gradual turns where I'm holding the steering wheel at around a 30 degree angle (center being at 9 or 3 o'clock) the power steering tightens and loosens kind of like the fluid pressures aren't being maintained.

My first thought was power steering fluid, but the system is freshly flushed.

The next thing I though I would try is to change the power steering pump, yet after replacement it behaved the same way.

I wouldn't think it would be belt tension because that would cause a belt squeak as the belt slipped.

I'm pretty puzzled. Has anyone else experienced this or have an idea of the cure?

Note: as I write this I begin to wonder if I have a variable assist power steering rack and perhaps that could be at fault. I'm doubtful my car has one though. It's a pretty base model.
Click to expand...
I know this is an old thread, but I have a 2004 XC70 with the same exact symptoms. Did you ever figure out what the issue was?
 
#58 ·
XC70ONR said:
I know this is an old thread, but I have a 2004 XC70 with the same exact symptoms. Did you ever figure out what the issue was?
Click to expand...
I had the same symptoms, except it was bad to the point of feeling unsafe. Like, going around a loop to merge on to the highway and having to death grip the steering wheel to handle the wobbly pulsations.

In my case, it was the rack.
 
Discussion starter · #59 ·
XC70ONR said:
I know this is an old thread, but I have a 2004 XC70 with the same exact symptoms. Did you ever figure out what the issue was?
Click to expand...
Yes, a replacement power steering rack was the only cure. A part that at this point is virtually not available unless you find a NOS item somewhere. P2 parts like this are rapidly disappearing as they pass the 20 year age mark.
 
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