Leaking steering gear

[XC70_OVERLANDER]

I am pretty sure everyone suffered a leaking steering gear. But what to do. What a your experiences with
A) renewed steering gear
B) new OEM steering box
C) anti leak fluids like LecWec or a similar product eg Liquid Molly?

The steering works fine but I have to top it up pretty often. Because I am short on bucks and don’t want to open a Patreon (wich would be great to support an XC70 in Europe ) I am trying the LecWec fluid first. If that won’t help I’ll try to get a renewed OEM steering gear.

And y’all: a lift is coming soon. Nothing special in the US but in Germany it would be a mile stone if everything works out as planned.

 

[Corrie]

I am pretty sure everyone suffered a leaking steering gear. But what to do. What a your experiences with
A) renewed steering gear
B) new OEM steering box
C) anti leak fluids like LecWec or a similar product eg Liquid Molly?

The steering works fine but I have to top it up pretty often. Because I am short on bucks and don’t want to open a Patreon (wich would be great to support an XC70 in Europe ) I am trying the LecWec fluid first. If that won’t help I’ll try to get a renewed OEM steering gear.

And y’all: a lift is coming soon. Nothing special in the US but in Germany it would be a mile stone if everything works out as planned.

I expect many many pics of the lift when it’s done. :D

 

[smritte]

What you need to do, depends on where the leak is. It also depends on what type of steering assembly you have, gear box or rack and pinion. Some people call rack and pinion gear boxes but I'm going to go under the assumption you have a standard gear box and pitman arm.
You didn't indicate exactly what/where the leak is either.

The common spot on a gear box is the sector shaft seal due to age and the extra side force we put on them with the tires we run and off road driving. Most gear box's have a bushing right above the sector seal. Its common for that bushing to wear. If that's the case, a new seal is only a temporary fix. Any kind of stop leak will only fix it by swelling seals and putting goop in the leak, most likely causing more issues down the road.

My experience over the years with remanufactured gear box's has been horrible. New factory ones are very expensive but, will net you about the same milage you already saw. There's a place out here that I'm sending my Cruiser gear box to. One of the things they do is mill the case and install a bearing for the sector shaft, eliminating the bushing issue.
On my 04 TJ I wore the bushing out before I hit 50k miles. My 2000 Cherokee went 150k but the side force was enough to not only wear the shaft but crack the unibody. Most of my off-road toys started leaking there around/over 100k.

Other places that are common are case seals but depending on your vehicle build and driving, the sector could be close to worn as it is.

 

[kunstmilch]

I agree with smritte. The value in a reman just isn't there, for whatever reason they tend to be crap. Spend the money, it will last a long time, have a warrantee and the use value makes it pennies over time.

 

[Shakes355]

I tend to agree with Smritte but Euro stuff is tough, because Maval and ZF/Bosch all do their own remans and are OE suppliers. I assume this is for the Volvo, but the sprinter (Mercedes) should be a similar situation.

I spent a number of years in a Volvo shop and the cost difference on new and reman stuff is significant. Like 3x the price sometimes. Last I remember Maval racks were in the $500 range and OE Volvo boxed units were between $1200 and $1900 (there were some options for speed assist steering).

So that's not anything to sneeze at, for sure. In my experience Maval is a good reman brand but all reman units should be expected to have a maximum of 50% the lifespan of a factory replacement. Stay away from BBB Ind. and A1 Cardone (if they're even available). Bosch stuff can be a hit or miss. They are better with Euro stuff.

 

[MazeVX]

So from my experience with European stuff, remanufactured parts, especially the "Austausch Teile" that some offer are as good as new factory parts and often better than aftermarket stuff.
Remember we are talking about Volvo, things go a little different over here sometimes.

 

[El-Dracho]

Before I would think about buying a new steering gear, I recommend checking WHERE it is leaking. The fluid must drip out somewhere if you always have to refill it. So clean everything properly and then inspect it carefully. And then know WHAT exactly is broken. Maybe it is just a minor repair or a bigger issue, who knows.

And then you can decide whether it makes more sense to order spare parts and repair it or overhaul the steering gear yourself, remove and give away for overhaul, buy a replacement steering gear as Mathias has suggested or a new original.

Good luck and let us know please how it progresses and if you need any help!

 

[XC70_OVERLANDER]

I am pretty sure everyone suffered a leaking steering gear. But what to do. What a your experiences with
A) renewed steering gear
B) new OEM steering box
C) anti leak fluids like LecWec or a similar product eg Liquid Molly?

The steering works fine but I have to top it up pretty often. Because I am short on bucks and don’t want to open a Patreon (wich would be great to support an XC70 in Europe ) I am trying the LecWec fluid first. If that won’t help I’ll try to get a renewed OEM steering gear.

And y’all: a lift is coming soon. Nothing special in the US but in Germany it would be a mile stone if everything works out as planned.

I expect many many pics of the lift when it’s done. :D

Oh yeah. Trust me. Only 25mm but I guess that’s everything possible in Germany for a xc70. Another reason to move somewhere else.

 

[XC70_OVERLANDER]

What you need to do, depends on where the leak is. It also depends on what type of steering assembly you have, gear box or rack and pinion. Some people call rack and pinion gear boxes but I'm going to go under the assumption you have a standard gear box and pitman arm.
You didn't indicate exactly what/where the leak is either.

The common spot on a gear box is the sector shaft seal due to age and the extra side force we put on them with the tires we run and off road driving. Most gear box's have a bushing right above the sector seal. Its common for that bushing to wear. If that's the case, a new seal is only a temporary fix. Any kind of stop leak will only fix it by swelling seals and putting goop in the leak, most likely causing more issues down the road.

My experience over the years with remanufactured gear box's has been horrible. New factory ones are very expensive but, will net you about the same milage you already saw. There's a place out here that I'm sending my Cruiser gear box to. One of the things they do is mill the case and install a bearing for the sector shaft, eliminating the bushing issue.
On my 04 TJ I wore the bushing out before I hit 50k miles. My 2000 Cherokee went 150k but the side force was enough to not only wear the shaft but crack the unibody. Most of my off-road toys started leaking there around/over 100k.

Other places that are common are case seals but depending on your vehicle build and driving, the sector could be close to worn as it is.

Cheers for the answer. I checked if there are repair Kit s for the location. The leek is at the entry of the steering rod.

 

[smritte]

I check if there are repair its at the entry of the steering rod.

if its where the steering shaft goes into the box, it will either be serviced externally or the whole gearbox needs to be torn down. If your high mileage, seals tend to have the same life expectancy, weigh in the cost of another unit. I prefer to just replace or rebuild and not have to worry for another 100k.

 

[XC70_OVERLANDER]

Before I would think about buying a new steering gear, I recommend checking WHERE it is leaking. The fluid must drip out somewhere if you always have to refill it. So clean everything properly and then inspect it carefully. And then know WHAT exactly is broken. Maybe it is just a minor repair or a bigger issue, who knows.

And then you can decide whether it makes more sense to order spare parts and repair it or overhaul the steering gear yourself, remove and give away for overhaul, buy a replacement steering gear as Mathias has suggested or a new original.

Good luck and let us know please how it progresses and if you need any help!

Cheers, Björn. I already located the leek. No chance to repair it. The last one before changing the system is LecWec. Read numerous reviews about its effect. If that won't work out I will take a renewed (2 years warranty) OEM steering gear because Volvo stopped producing spare parts for older Volvo (that would open a new discussion). Therefore a renewed OEM part is the way to for (saying it without experience)

 

[MazeVX]

Cheers, Björn. I already located the leek. No chance to repair it. The last one before changing the system is LecWec. Read numerous reviews about its effect. If that won't work out I will take a renewed (2 years warranty) OEM steering gear because Volvo stopped producing spare parts for older Volvo (that would open a new discussion). Therefore a renewed OEM part is the way to for (saying it without experience)

They have to provide 10 years of service after the official production end date. That's the law... Since they invested lots of money into very questionable polestar... ‍♂ I guess you will be fine with the rem component.

 

[XC70_OVERLANDER]

Cheers, Björn. I already located the leek. No chance to repair it. The last one before changing the system is LecWec. Read numerous reviews about its effect. If that won't work out I will take a renewed (2 years warranty) OEM steering gear because Volvo stopped producing spare parts for older Volvo (that would open a new discussion). Therefore a renewed OEM part is the way to for (saying it without experience)

They have to provide 10 years of service after the official production end date. That's the law... Since they invested lots of money into very questionable polestar... ‍♂ I guess you will be fine with the rem component.

Because my xc70 is the last production year of the real 5 Zylinder engines made by the Swedish Volvo in 2007 the ten years are over ☹

And the new Chinese owner isn’t interested in the old Volvos. They don’t wanna see them on the roads anymore. For most of the parts you have to be super lucky and well connected to get spare OEM parts. But as you said. There are some brands that are producing the same quality for way less money.