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Replace the Steering Column Coupling Shield?

3K views 12 replies 5 participants last post by  mattlach 
#1 · (Edited)
Hey,

I love my V70, but one thing that is driving me absolutely nuts is that the rubber in the coupling shield down near the U-joint on the steering column has gotten old and dried out, and it makes a horrible dry rubber-on-rubber grinding sound when the outside of the U-joint and the inside of the coupling shield rub together as the wheel is turned.

I have tried lubing it with all kinds of lubes to fix the issue, first with silicone oil, then with silicon grease, and last with Jet Lube. IN some cases it helped for anywhere from a day to two weeks. In some caes it didn't help at all. The awful noise always comes back.

Here is a view from inside the drivers side footwell:

Auto part Suspension part Suspension Bearing


And the diagram and parts listing:

White Line Material property Font


Looks like it should be fairly easy to pop out the old one, and pop in the new one...

...except for the fact that I have to get them off and on the column :p

So, Can I loosen the screws just north of the u-joint and thus separate the column, and get enough space to slip the old shield off, and a new one in? Or would this require more drastic surgery?

Appreciate any recommendations!

--Matt
 
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#2 ·
Theres a bearing in there that has likely seized. Your eon the right track, just disconnect the U joint upper tang and take the pieces out from there.
 
#3 · (Edited)
Oh cool. Thank you. Where is the bearing? Inside the universal joint assembly? Or on the shield side? From just looking at the parts it is not apparent where it would be.

I'm trying to figure out which parts I should replace for this.

Auto part Tool


I found a picture of the universal joint part. Is the bearing inside that round metal colored part so that it spins freely and doesn't rub against the dust shield?
 
#4 ·
Looks like I'd need to loosen the black bolt on top, and then a bolt underneath the dust shield, and that entire U-joint should come out.

I've never messed with steering before though. Any pitfalls I should be aware of? I'd imagine I'd want to keep the wheels and the steering wheel straight throughout, and maybe even do an alignment after?

Any other gotchas to look out for?

Many thanks,
Matt
 
#6 · (Edited)
I think what SB is saying is that there's a bearing inside the rubber boot, which you can see in the pic on Skandix: http://www.skandix.de/en/spare-part...ing-rack/rubber-boot-steering-column/1037134/

The silver section in the middle of the piece you posted rides inside the bearing.

You should be able to undo the bolt where the column connects to the upper shaft of the U-joint, slide it off, and then pry the donut/boot up over the top of the u-joint. Don't touch the splined part that connects to the steering rack.
 
#7 · (Edited)
Oh, that is interesting.

I've stuck my finger between the column and the boot when I was troubleshooting and to try to lube it, and there isn't a bearing there on mine. Just smooth rubber.

I wonder if someone at some point before I owned the car installed a subpar aftermarket rubber boot.

Thank you for that!

Do you know how that boot attaches? Does it just press in? Or do I need to remove that plastic ring around the outside in order to get it out?

Well, the ring is cheap enough. I might just buy it even if I don't need it, just in case it breaks during removal.
 
#11 ·
On my 1998 V70R the bush had sized to the shaft with rust and worn the rubber, and it would not stay in place.I needed a new(second hand)rubber bellows.
I believe as a service modification Volvo fit the later type with a needle roller bearings in there.
 
#12 ·
Alright,

So I ordered the parts back in December, and then proceeded to never continue this job, because I live a part of the country that has winter, and I don't have a garage.

I ordered both the surround and the rubber boot. The surround was cheap enough. I figured it's old brittle plastic at this point, so if I damage the existing one prying it out, I'll want a replacement.

It's starting to look nice out again, and I'm hoping I get to this job this weekend.

I have a few more questions for those in the know though.

1.) I'm guessing the bolt I need to remove is the one I've put my red arrow on in the picture below?

Auto part Tire Suspension Wire Vehicle brake


(Please excuse all the red silicon lube, when I was troubleshooting where that god awful noise was coming from, I put that **** everywhere...)


Once loose I guess I pull the wheel up a little until there is enough clearance to squeeze the old boot and surround off of the column and then install the new ones, and tighten it down again?

2.) Is there anyhthing I need to be aware of that I could mess up in this process? There must be wires going to the air bag, I' guessing I don't want to accidentally tug on those too hard.

Appreciate any input.

Thanks,
Matt
 
#13 ·
Alright,

So I ordered the parts back in December, and then proceeded to never continue this job, because I live a part of the country that has winter, and I don't have a garage.

I ordered both the surround and the rubber boot. The surround was cheap enough. I figured it's old brittle plastic at this point, so if I damage the existing one prying it out, I'll want a replacement.

It's starting to look nice out again, and I'm hoping I get to this job this weekend.

I have a few more questions for those in the know though.

1.) I'm guessing the bolt I need to remove is the one I've put my red arrow on in the picture below?

View attachment 60085

(Please excuse all the red silicon lube, when I was troubleshooting where that god awful noise was coming from, I put that **** everywhere...)


Once loose I guess I pull the wheel up a little until there is enough clearance to squeeze the old boot and surround off of the column and then install the new ones, and tighten it down again?

2.) Is there anyhthing I need to be aware of that I could mess up in this process? There must be wires going to the air bag, I' guessing I don't want to accidentally tug on those too hard.

Appreciate any input.

Thanks,
Matt
Just to bump this again for more exposure, I would appreciate any input as regards the above.

I'm used to finding tutorial videos on YouTube or posts in forums, but for this one my google searches are failing me.

I ordered a p80 S/V/C70 Haynes manual on Amazon which I am hoping will be helpful. It is for the RHD model though, so maybe not...
 
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