So a few days ago I decided to go see a couple of friends that live a bit out of the way (250 miles away) and I decide to drive. For the first 60 miles or so, the road is quite curvy, but my car was able to handle it quite well. About halfway there, I start to notice that my steering is getting quite rough and difficult to handle. Right away I knew there was a problem because I had never had such a rough time while steering. At this point I'm far a ways from my mechanic and any Volvo dealer to get the problem checked out. Fortunately the road here on out isn't too bad, with minor curving. However, even these turns become more and more difficult. Once I pulled into town, executing a 90 degree turn is near impossible and I almost run onto the sidewalk. I park somewhere and check out the power steering fluid reservoir, which is my initial suspicion. To my surprise, the tank is pretty much empty. I bought Lucas power steering leak stopper as an emergency replacement and after about 5 minutes of waiting for the fluid to circulate, I see the fluid beginning to drip slowly under the car. A pretty big leak is evident. I had known of a leak in the rack for a while now but I used the same product before and it seemed to have plugged the leak until now where it just got a whole lot worse. Anyways, on the way back, I had to use another entire bottle just to make sure I could steer safely. After a few days, they told me there was a pretty big leak and that the rack needed replacement. $1600 later, the leak seems to be gone, but my steering is still a little rough (though nowhere near as rough as before I discovered the reservoir empty). Does anyone know if this is normal during the first few days or weeks after that part is replaced?

 

It should not be empty, but if there are no signs of leaks then they may not have bled it correctly. Use ATF dex/mer III