So yeah two different dealerships owned by the same people tell me two different things.

1. My Power Steering is going out. It was very hard to turn the wheel this morning and it was making all sorts of noise.

So I checked the fluid level and it was LOW.

2. So I call my local dealership and ask them what they recommend. Auto Transmission Fluid that is DEXRON III or higher. Ok cool, so I bought some at Advanced Auto Parts. They said to use this to top it off.

Thank god I didn't put it in there.

3. I call another dealership which is actually closer to me and I ask them. What made me think to call them I don't know. However they told me that it was a certain synthetic oil that was used in this model and later and that ATF shouldn't be used.

However they did tell me in older models that ATF can be used, just not in my case.

At least I got the correct stuff, might cost more. However it is nice to know that your using the right thing and not the wrong thing.

 

Yes yours uses the newer stuff.
Did you finally get the right stuff?

 

Yeah I ordered it over the phone and drove 10 minutes to pick it up at the dealership.

 

OK cool I am going to get a list together soon of aftermarket fluids that are compatible to the volvo fluid.

 

Good idea.

Oh yeah car feels brand new with that fluid in there now.

Hopefully there isn't a leak.

 

If the bottle was almost empty you have a leak somewhere.
Check the 2 hoses out of the front of the pump and the hoses at the bottle. (Common leaks)

 

Ok I will check them. Hopefully I didn't loose much if any that I put in.

 

Ok TECH I checked it. It is down some since I put the oil in the container.

1. Is this normal? Like as it would settle into the system and look low? I filled it near to the top right over the top hose nub that is in the inside the container.

2. I checked the hoses and I didn't see anything leaking from them at that moment in time. Is it possible it only leaks when the car is running? They are dirty though and that could be from over flow and or possible leaking.

If they are leaking, how much am I looking at to have a dealership fix the problem? Or about how much am I looking at having a reputable shop fix it?

Thanks

 

I would try to clean the area by the bottle and pump and check again.
The rubber hose that goes to the pump with a normal screw clamp try to tighten it. Also look under the car for wetness.

If it is just one of the hoses you might be able to fix it for really cheap. Worse case the steering rack is bad. That is pretty expensive.

But check all the hoses first. You might be able to get it all fixed your self in 30 minutes including cleaning it.

It usually won't settle unless the bottle was fully empty.

 

I did spill some, so it did leak down to the under carriage. So any leakage I did see underneath is probably from me spilling some.

Which is the hose to the pump? top or bottom hose?

 

It is dark out, so can't do anything now. I guess I will find out in a few hours when I leave for work at 3:45am.

 

The bottom hose goes to the bottom port in the pump. One is metal and one is rubber at the pump tighten the clamp on the rubber one.

 

Easily accessable via the top of the engine bay?

 

Yes the pump it right up top.The hoses come out the front of the pump.

 

Yeah I just went out with a flashlight to locate it. Seems easy enough. I did look into the resivior and it doesn't look like it lost anymore.

1. I assume this cold be because the car isn't running. So it isn't leaking.

2. It isn't leaking in the first place and it just settled into the system.

However tomorrow I will tighten the clamps some.

 

So I do have a leak somewhere. I can't tell where from, but the fluid level is significantly down again and making it hard to turn the wheel either way.

How much am I looking at to get this fixed?

 

If it is a steering rack it is like $350.00 to $375.00 just for the part.
http://www.fcpgroton.com/category-ex...66/by_year/49/

Then I think the labor is like 3 to 4 hours.
Here is another brand of fluid you can use see pic.


[IMG]local://upfiles/853/CB065F97DF834CD08FE10EF3E4B29A3D.jpg[/IMG]

 

Yeah they was $1,400 for a rack, they aren't in stock and they aren't even in the U.S. it has to be specially ordered and it will take some time.

How wonderful.

So I am looking at probably trading the car in on a used car. Looking at some today.

 

Just get a used rack. I had the job done for $500 including the rack.

But if you gonna trade it in, you parting anything?

 

http://www.fcpgroton.com/category-ex...66/by_year/49/