Steering pulling after using lots of lock

Post by **Ali** » 05 Nov 2005 02:56 pm

If I do a low speed manouvre with lots of lock when i straighen up to drive off afterwards the car pulls in that direction for about 10seconds before it return to normal. Was told it could be the spring tops but stripped it apart today and they don't look particularly bad. If anyone can spot anything wrong from the pictures:

Also when removing the strut top it looks like one side has been rubbing more than the other (can see its sat at an angle in the first photo)
cheers
Ali

Post by **classicswede** » 05 Nov 2005 07:17 pm

Do the spring tops rotate freely? Do the feel a bit notchy? It could be the bearings on the top spring cup.

Dai

Post by **Ali** » 05 Nov 2005 07:30 pm

Yeah they rotate quite freely, stripped the lot down and cleaned out the bearing and regreased it but it does feel a bit wobbly, phoned up our local car parts place but they said they don't do anything for the glt and that i'd have to go to Volvo for the parts! Phoned Volvo but they didn't answer their phones! Put it all back together and drove it round still pulls exactly the same and does it in both directions but to the left more strongly. Surely the spring top and damper top bit should be parallel but they definately aren't as you can see in the first picture. That made me thing it was warped springs???
cheers
Ali

Post by **pettaw** » 05 Nov 2005 07:44 pm

It'll be the top spring mounts or the bushings that are worn, causing the strut to be in the wrong position. Has the spring seat got a hairline crack in it, if you can see through all the rust LOL? Either that or the rubber mounts have gone soft or the bearings in the top cap are worn.

Post by **Ali** » 05 Nov 2005 08:46 pm

Im pretty sure the spring top didnt have a crack in it as I cleaned it up with a wire brush and then painted it so I would have thought that would have highlighted it. I suspect the bearings now as it was a bit rattly and in a bad way before I cleaned it up. Ive only done the one side though, if the problem lay purely on the other side would it still cause the pulling in both directions, just trying to judge whether its safe to make a long journey tomorrow

cheers
Ali

Post by **classicswede** » 06 Nov 2005 12:05 am

The best way to bcheck for free play is to pull on things with a long bar. The springs look to be sitting as normal.
Thinking about your problem it would seem to most likely be down to tracking. If the tracking is ok make sure the track rod ends are screwed on equal amounts. I remember many year ago a well known company adjusted the tracking on one side only resulting in a simiar problem.

Dai

Post by **Ronnie** » 09 Nov 2005 10:10 pm

Would I be stating the obvious if I asked you to check the steering dampener (assuming you got manual steering)?

Failing that, what about your steering rack?

I had the same problem in the past on a GLT. But it was a long time ago and can't remember the exact cause except that it was steering related.

Good luck with it

Post by **Ali** » 13 Nov 2005 02:28 pm

Well after changing the bearing and rubber bush above it on one side along with swapping my 340 lowering springs onto the 360 (same height but actually stiffer!) the car still pulls to both sides exactly the same making me thing the problem is in the steering not the suspension. Tried to change the other side today and when chipping the rust off ended up putting a screwdriver through the shock absorber housing and because mine is the old style the shockabsorber isnt a seperate unit and its now leaking out! Any ideas what parts of the steering could cause this pull? Ive checked the lot but can't find anything obvious,
cheers
Ali

Post by **Ronnie** » 13 Nov 2005 06:45 pm

Might be your steering rack. I thick my solution was to repack my dodgey rack with grease. The proper solution would have been to fit a recon unit. Seem to remember the volvo part cost hundreds of pounds (no surprise there then).