I've read every thread I can on here about V70 steering problems and mine seems a bit different.

The sound comes from the driver's side, and is random. Some days it does it, some days it doesn't, but it seems more so in the heat.

When you turn the wheel, while stopped or moving, the driver's side steering makes a weird creeking noise, kinda like something is sticking, but it's not. When I jack up the car and life the wheel off the ground and turn the wheel back and forth (well, when someone else does it), the sound comes from the strut mount, but instead of it creeking it's almost like a buzzing noise. The steering still works fine though.

When he was turning the wheel, I stuck my head under the car where the main power steering joints are, and it doesn't sound like the noise is coming from the rack, but it's really hard to tell since it could just be resonating from the strut mount area but might be originating somewhere else.

The funny thing about this is one day I'll start the car and it will not do it at all. The next day it will. The hotter it is, the more apparent it is, but again, maybe 3 out or 5 times I start the car it does it. The other thing is it does it either the entire time or not at all. It will not just start doing it after driving it for a while. If it's not doing it when I first start the car, it doesn't do it at all until maybe the next time I drive it.

I have no leaks, the power steering fluid is full and the cap is tight. The only thing I can think of is maybe some air got into the system somehow. I did put some of that stop leak stuff in 6 months ago so maybe in the heat it produces air pockets, I don't know. A friend of mine says that's the kind of noise it makes with air in the system when it's random like that.

Any ideas?

 

Maybe it is the balljoint or outer tie rod making the noise?

 

Yeah but why would it only do it sometimes and not all the time? If it was that wouldn't it make the noise all the time?

 

Not always. But also if it is one of those I listed above it usually makes like a door creaking noise.

 

Hummerguy, check your power steering bottle, make sure tube is not broken. Mine was broken and every time vehicle warmed up it was making the noise because fluid airated.
Tech pointed me in right direction, i bought new reservoir and that took care of the problem.

 

I checked the resevoir and it's fine. It was replaced already once from a recall or something. I drained it and it's good. I refilled it with Mobil 3309 ATF fluid that Volvo's use and it hasn't made the noise yet. The old fluid was dirty as well. Maybe this will do the trick. I drove it 50 miles today with no noise, but it's only 66 degrees outside rather then 95 when it would do it. Hopefully the fuild did the trick!