Volvo Steering Rack Failure (Steering Clunk)

Our 2013 XC60 has had a clunk in the steering wheel for maybe 3 months. It's been getting worse and recently I decided to replace the whole steering rack. The failure point is the plastic "adjuster" which takes up slop and applier tension to the metal rack inside the housing to allow it move freely. Well the cap failed which caused the rack to move radially relative to the housing, causing the clunk. Here's a thread with some info.
this can impact Xc60, S60 and V60.
www.swedespeed.com/threads/p3-steering-wheel-play.657849/

[@punkopunks]

Very valuable info here - sharing is much appreciated!

[@vbnautical5041]

I have a 2010 S80 v8 with a slow leak in the rack somewhere. I cant even see the rack from under the car, lol! Man I love my 2000 4Runner for these reasons.

[@andrewreed6155]

You were able to remove the rack without removing the heat shield? The heat shield was a major PITA when I did mine.

[@scottm5425]

JB Weld on the threads, clamp it up & let it cure. Then drill some holes in the side and hammer in steel pins to lock the cap in place.

[@GTurbski]

Actually not a bad idea. I think it could depend on how quickly you catch the cap failure. It's one of those things though, it takes probably 2 hours to get to it. Do you spend the money or diy a fix? Depends on the person and car. This is my wife's car...

[@lzh3131]

Well you really gave this some thought. I don’t think flying down the highway@ 85mph is going to cut it for me, but good thinking.👍

[@spannersautoandcomputerser1649]

having similar issue on my 2008 v70. Replaced worn tie rod assemblies only to find movement in rack....

[@roycoemar]

Did you find where to order the cap?

[@GTurbski]

Unfortunately no

[@lzh3131]

@@GTurbskiHave you contacted one of the companies that sell rebuilt racks?🤷‍♀️.

[@GTurbski]

@@lzh3131 actually no. That's a good idea though.

[@JohnGorny]

There are a multitude of reasons why that part was made the way it was. Could be safety and liability, environmental regulations for production, or the cost of production was prohibitive for another material with the tooling resources available. Planned obsolesence could be part of it too. There are concerns for this in how leaders run countries apart from profits. Not saying they are legit concerns, but there is some worry that people will get bored generally and cause social problems. How was it to replace overall? Pretty sure I have to do this for my P3 XC70 here soon. If my steering rack cap isnt damaged when i pull mine out, ill create a solid model of it so it can be reproduced from aluminum.

[@GTurbski]

I definitely agree. I think in the heat of the moment I maybe got carried away with words, I doubt this was a planned failure. Like you mentioned, more likely a cost situation. The swap wasn't hard.. It's just a lot of work. Something you may want to consider is the alignment of the subframe to the chassis. I think in the assembly plant there's a fixture of some sort which aligns the subframe perfectly to the chassis before bolting together. There are no alignment pins so the only way to know how it goes back together is to either outline the subframe before or guess. It's fairly critical though as the lower a arms bolt to the subframe and a misalignment would cause some serious wheel alignment issues.

[@JohnGorny]

That seems odd they wouldnt have locator pins if the location was critical. I am planning (i think) to do this job now but really dont want to. The movement on the rack to housing....question: Were you experiencing any knocking or ping at full lock over bumps or undulating surfaces like going up/down driveways? Dont think i can put mine off anymore, despite there being no play in the pinion gear like yours, Im nervous the darn thing will come apart at some point.

[@erikl2310]

I think it is supposed to be the weakest part so you don't damage the more expensive hardware in the steering rack, if the wheels are exposed to too much violence/force. But the problem seems to be that you can't find that part😬 i have the same problem, xc70 2014

[@simontist]

They wouldn't use a weaker material here for any reason other than cost. Probably shaved a few cents off the cost.

[@ccfmfg]

I don't think You should work on this car by Your self anymore. It's clearly been to much for You. I think You have PTSD. I think You need Help. I can't even count how many times You mentioned "the Raq" in this video. be positive. At least You came back from the middle east alive.

[@lzh3131]

Well Garrett, you had me with the first “F”! Thanks for taking the time to make this video. I was sitting drinking a beer, staring at this stupid f’n Volvo, contemplating this hot mess, and you made me feel better. Volvo really does some stupid f’n stuff. I’m buying a Lexus. I’ve had enough! Thanks for the rant!😂

[@mirzech]

I need a more than a red bull to do this job…

[@GTurbski]

You're not kidding... It was a bigger job than I anticipated. Damn thing is buried in there.

[@A4565-d9d]

Possible kit: Nut only: HLR00004

[@gerardjones7881]

thats the correct part, hard to source in the usa.

[@donmoore7785]

You toss the cap around, the threads are out of focus, and rant. I could not see bad threads, which is the whole point of the video. It bugs you to see such a failure. It bugs me to see poorly made videos.

[@GTurbski]

And this is how I improve. Thanks for the feedback.

[@lzh3131]

@@GTurbskiDon’t listen to that idiot, I liked your video. Man up, do the job…or break out your wallet and pay someone! You manned up..I’m breaking out the wallet! Still liked your video!