Convert 245 to manual steering

I have an 81 245. If I pull the manual steering rack and associated
parts from an 80 242, will it bolt right in to my car so that I can
dump the power steering? I notice the input shaft on the rack is 19mm
on my car and 14mm on the 80 but I thought I would grab the universal
and other parts from the donor car.

I am currently using the p.s. rack with the pump removed. I filled it
with grease to lubricate it due to the now missing power steering
fluid. I am thinking the manual rack will be better.

 

Just make sure you get the whole shaft (2 universal joints) that's
inside the engine compartment, as that's longer on a car with manual
steering. Also make sure you have all the mounting hardware from the
donor car.

--
Mike F.
Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

Replace tt with t (twice!) and remove parentheses to email me directly.
(But I check the newsgroup more often than this email address.)

 

What's it like to steer without the pump? Do you do anything to avoid any
resistance from the hydraulic system still attached? I was considering just
removing the belt from mine rather than fix the leak.

 

It can be done, but a power rack without power is much stiffer than a manual
rack. Personally I like power and would just get a replacement rack, if you
don't mind manual then look for a real manual rack.

 

Thanks for the reply, I like the power too but not keen on fixing the oil
leak. They are also downright dangerous with a motor which might stall, like
with power brakes. I'd rather have an old (pre power steer/brakes/auto) car
than a "modern" one when it gets old.

 

In addition, PS racks always have some play when used as a manual rack
because the assist valve still deflects. I definitely second that - replace
with a manual rack if you don't want PS.

Mike

 

Again thanks fellas, can I ask another... it goes fine for a few weeks then
dumps about a reserviour full from the end of the rack away from the
steering box all at once. (it's a 1980 265). Is it likely to need more than
seals, and are they hard to replace?

 

How's it dangerous? I drove mine for a while when the belt came off before I
got a chance to fix it and while it was stiff in parking lots and such it
was fine on the road. I had a truck for a while with manual everything and
the brakes were just as stiff as a power braked car with a bad booster or
stalled engine, had to put most of my weight on the pedal to stop,
particularly with a load.

 

Dunno, I've never tried, I'd probably just look for a "new" rack from a
junkyard, though you always run the risk of a leaky one from there too.

 

I guess it's mainly because you are expecting a certain resistance,
specially the brakes which are very light on this car. Usually the first
indication it has stalled is you can't steer or brake as effectively and
that, coupled with the surprise, is just the time you needed to stop or make
a turn. The volvo is not so bad but big fords for instance, really need more
strength than most people have to steer or brake when power fails.

 

I have been driving my 245 with the power steering pump removed for
almost a month. I had some zerk fittings brazed into the banjo
fittings so I could pump some grease into the rack to lubricate it in
place of the missing power steering fluid. It works, it is not really
easy when parking. At speeds over 20 mph it feels better than with
power assist. However, I did pick up a manual steering rack yesterday
from a yard and plan to fit it some time in the future.

 

Resealing a rack is an involved process requiring some special tools.
Volvo had dozens of different racks, made by several different vendors,
and so there are lots of different seal kits. Add in the fact that
racks may have been swapped from a different car, then just getting the
correct seal kit can be a challenge! There were some detail changes to
the steering column in 1979, any rack from that year or newer fits any
other car in that range, provided you get all the mounting hardware.
Also, the dealer sells a mounting hardware kit that consists of every
piece of hardware to mount any rack.

--
Mike F.
Thornhill (near Toronto), Ont.

Replace tt with t (twice!) and remove parentheses to email me directly.
(But I check the newsgroup more often than this email address.)

 

If you leave the pump hooked up the resistance will be greater than
disconnecting it. See other reply (from Apple Computer) for more
details.