hello

This is about my 99 S70 that I bought a couple of months ago. The car has been running great so far. But I have been noticing some oil on my garage floor where the car is parked. I went to the Volvo dealership to get the oil change done a couple of days ago and I asked them if they had noticed any oil leaks under the car. They said them have not. Today I noticed some oil on the garage floor again. I touched it with my hand and it was a bright reddish color. I also noticed my power steering is making some noise when I turn it. Could this be a power steering fluid leak.

 

Most likely, did you check the fluid level?

 

I agree with rspi. but I would add something regarding the fluid. We have a 2000 S70 so i am not sure if this applies to you.


My son took the car to one of those quick change places for an oil change. After a few months, he started talking about noise when he turned the steering wheel. When I looked inside the power steering reservoir I found a mix of red and green fluid. At first I thought they put anti-freeze in there, but after some research, I found info that said that Volvo spec'd dextron automatic transmission fluid (inclouding the owners manual) but they actually used synthetic (I forget it's designation - CH something). I bought 2 or 3 qts of Walmart SuperTech power steering fluid and flushed and refilled the system. Noise gone. Unfortunately, within several months the rack & pinion seals let go. The latter could be completely unrelated but it always sticks in the back of my mind.

The PS leaks are easy to find. Open the hood, look at the reservoir for a crack/leak, the reservoir to pump tube, the fittings at the pump. If all that is good, turn the wheels to each extreme and look at the rubber boots on the power steering pump and check for oil on the frame area. Note: IF you see a tear in the bellows you want to fix that ASAP or you will be replacing the rack & pinion. The fittings at the rack & pinion are on the driver side.

 

Mine leaks, it has since I purchased 55,000 miles ago. It leaks where the lines go into the rack. From what I have read, the seals that go on those connections are a common leak point.

I simply keep it topped off with ATF.

 

I was referring to repairing the bellows. They seem to trap the oil pretty good. When I had to replace the rack&pinion it was because of the seal failing and resulting leak was substantial. The passenger side boot had split; I didn't notice it. The dirt and water that collected in there caused the shaft to rust and between the 2 the seal completely failed.

For a small leak, I would not fix/replace the rack; it's a serious project. You can buy a lot of PS fluid for what that takes in time and money.