Join Today
Results 1 to 18 of 18
  1. #1
    Senior Member
    This user has no status
    nobananas's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Posts
    3,111
    Thanks
    201
    Thanked 528 Times in 448 Posts

    Power steering rack differences

    Hi guys, haven't posted for a seriously long time (in fact I doubt there's anyone left on here now that I recognize !).
    The steering rack on my 850r is bleeding badly from the rack boot so need a new rack but non of my trade contacts can get one anymore.
    I noticed that there are two racks listed for 850's (TRW or SMI) with the TRW one being original fitment on the R which is the one I can't get.
    From what I've read the main differences between the TRW and the SMI is just the inner rack ends (which shouldn't matter). Anybody fitted an SMI rack in place of the TRW or know if there are any reason they can't be interchangeable (pipe connections etc) as I can probably get a SMI one.

    Thanks
    Old Car: 855 T5 in Grey and rust (dead and gone, well, most of it !
    Missus' ride: Citroen C4 coupe 1.6 HDi,
    Modifications: Nowt.....yet !
    Daily driver: 855 R in Black,
    Currently nursing a blown head gasket, new engine on its way !
    Recent addition: Freshly imported Honda Stepwagon,
    Slowly turning into a camper van !

  2. #2
    Senior Member
    This user has no status
    nottsgreent5's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2010
    Location
    nottingham
    Posts
    1,148
    Thanks
    335
    Thanked 259 Times in 193 Posts
    Dont know if its any help but when the rack went on my 850R i just fitted a rack off a 2.5na and its been fine ever since couldn't tell you if its a smi or trw rack but it fitted with no issues

  3. The Following User Says Thank You to nottsgreent5 For This Useful Post:

    nobananas (Thursday 12th January 2017)

  4. #3
    New Identity
    Back in an AWD....Oh the grip!
    Dangerous Dave's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    West Midlands
    Posts
    8,921
    Thanks
    2,491
    Thanked 2,582 Times in 2,051 Posts
    I think looking at this thread the answer is no (someone says the pipe angles are different)
    http://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthread.php?t=79902

    You can get rebuild kits for the TRW racks, I got one and rebuilt the one on my blue 850 AWD as it was losing lots of fluid (oddly my green 850 AWD has an SMI one fitted). If you're good with taking things apart then it's not too hard a job (I have a rebuild guide I can send you if you fancy doing it).

    This is the kit I got
    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Volvo-850-...A8G18ismrDrGnQ
    1996 Olive Green 850 AWD - Follow the Project - Forged rods, 19T, big blue injectors, 960 TB, 3.25" MAF, Ostrich, 608 binary, arduino data display, active exhaust control with Focus RS tips, 320mm front brake conversion.
    1996 Nautic Blue 850 AWD - Failed its MOT, now it's a donor for the green thing.
    2004 Sapphire Black S60 D5 - The new daily hack.

  5. The Following User Says Thank You to Dangerous Dave For This Useful Post:

    nobananas (Friday 13th January 2017)

  6. #4
    Senior Member
    This user has no status
    nobananas's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Posts
    3,111
    Thanks
    201
    Thanked 528 Times in 448 Posts
    Thanks for that Dave, just read through that post and there does seem to be possible issues with compatibility. Have seen the rebuild kits on ebay and don't think fitting one would be a problem. My only issue is that I'm a mechanic by trade and I can get 'ramp' time at work to swap the rack but not enough time to strip and rebuild the old one as well. I think I'm going to have to buy a second hand rack from somewhere, rebuild that one then fit it. (oh, if I do I may well grab your rebuild guide from you thanks )
    Old Car: 855 T5 in Grey and rust (dead and gone, well, most of it !
    Missus' ride: Citroen C4 coupe 1.6 HDi,
    Modifications: Nowt.....yet !
    Daily driver: 855 R in Black,
    Currently nursing a blown head gasket, new engine on its way !
    Recent addition: Freshly imported Honda Stepwagon,
    Slowly turning into a camper van !

  7. #5
    New Identity
    Back in an AWD....Oh the grip!
    Dangerous Dave's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    West Midlands
    Posts
    8,921
    Thanks
    2,491
    Thanked 2,582 Times in 2,051 Posts
    Sorry bud, I should have remembered you were a mechanic. Should be easy for you then mate

    As you can imagine it is a bit of a job just to get the thing off the car but the rebuild didn't take long (and I had to clean all the oil/crap off it first).
    1996 Olive Green 850 AWD - Follow the Project - Forged rods, 19T, big blue injectors, 960 TB, 3.25" MAF, Ostrich, 608 binary, arduino data display, active exhaust control with Focus RS tips, 320mm front brake conversion.
    1996 Nautic Blue 850 AWD - Failed its MOT, now it's a donor for the green thing.
    2004 Sapphire Black S60 D5 - The new daily hack.

  8. #6
    Senior Member
    This user has no status
    nobananas's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Posts
    3,111
    Thanks
    201
    Thanked 528 Times in 448 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Dangerous Dave View Post
    Sorry bud, I should have remembered you were a mechanic. Should be easy for you then mate

    As you can imagine it is a bit of a job just to get the thing off the car but the rebuild didn't take long (and I had to clean all the oil/crap off it first).
    Never had to rebuild a rack before (never needed to !). Always something new to learn/c*ck up !
    Old Car: 855 T5 in Grey and rust (dead and gone, well, most of it !
    Missus' ride: Citroen C4 coupe 1.6 HDi,
    Modifications: Nowt.....yet !
    Daily driver: 855 R in Black,
    Currently nursing a blown head gasket, new engine on its way !
    Recent addition: Freshly imported Honda Stepwagon,
    Slowly turning into a camper van !

  9. #7
    Senior Member
    trying hard to look busy!
    jdavis's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire
    Posts
    2,491
    Thanks
    1,050
    Thanked 579 Times in 486 Posts
    When mine went the garage ended up having to get mine reconditioned as the parts suppliers kept sending the wrong one.
    It's a 5 Cylinder Orchestra!
    R.I.P. Kyebosh (Alan) you're memory lives on!

  10. #8
    Senior Member
    This user has no status
    nobananas's Avatar
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Posts
    3,111
    Thanks
    201
    Thanked 528 Times in 448 Posts
    Thought I would just post the results of my rack search (may be of use to someone as 850 parts start to dry up !).

    I emailed the guys at Norfolk Volvo Spares who have always been helpful to see if I could get the correct rack secondhand so I could rebuild it prior to fitting. They informed me that currently they had none BUT when they had previously sold 850 racks they had been just that, a rack from an 850 and they were unaware that there were different ones and nobody had returned one because it didn't fit !

    I had a look on ECP at a rack for a 2.5 petrol 850 and that was a different part number to the one listed for the R. For reference (and please understand I am in no way recommending ECP or their products personally they are just one of several suppliers we use at work) the R (or T5) rack is ECP part number 603660170 (just plug the number into the search box on their website) and completely unavailable from both them and other trade suppliers we use.
    The rack I decided to risk (which was special order and non-returnable !) was ECP number 603660140. This rack also ended up being TRW.

    I fitted the new rack yesterday and on side by side comparison the main differences were that my old rack was of all alloy construction (including all the mountings and the engine mount). The new rack had an alloy casing for the pinion housing with a steel tube pressed into making up the remained of the rack housing.
    The passenger side rack mounting flange and the engine mount were welded steel brackets on the new rack rather than cast alloy like on the old
    . Despite the differences everything fitted perfectly including the hydraulic pipe connections and splined UJ clamp, no modifying, bending or forcing was required.

    Sorry, bit long winded but I thought it might be useful !
    Old Car: 855 T5 in Grey and rust (dead and gone, well, most of it !
    Missus' ride: Citroen C4 coupe 1.6 HDi,
    Modifications: Nowt.....yet !
    Daily driver: 855 R in Black,
    Currently nursing a blown head gasket, new engine on its way !
    Recent addition: Freshly imported Honda Stepwagon,
    Slowly turning into a camper van !

  11. The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to nobananas For This Useful Post:

    LeeT5 (Tuesday 14th February 2017),MoleT-5R (Saturday 11th February 2017)

  12. #9
    New Identity
    Back in an AWD....Oh the grip!
    Dangerous Dave's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    West Midlands
    Posts
    8,921
    Thanks
    2,491
    Thanked 2,582 Times in 2,051 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by nobananas View Post
    Thought I would just post the results of my rack search (may be of use to someone as 850 parts start to dry up !).

    I emailed the guys at Norfolk Volvo Spares who have always been helpful to see if I could get the correct rack secondhand so I could rebuild it prior to fitting. They informed me that currently they had none BUT when they had previously sold 850 racks they had been just that, a rack from an 850 and they were unaware that there were different ones and nobody had returned one because it didn't fit !

    I had a look on ECP at a rack for a 2.5 petrol 850 and that was a different part number to the one listed for the R. For reference (and please understand I am in no way recommending ECP or their products personally they are just one of several suppliers we use at work) the R (or T5) rack is ECP part number 603660170 (just plug the number into the search box on their website) and completely unavailable from both them and other trade suppliers we use.
    The rack I decided to risk (which was special order and non-returnable !) was ECP number 603660140. This rack also ended up being TRW.

    I fitted the new rack yesterday and on side by side comparison the main differences were that my old rack was of all alloy construction (including all the mountings and the engine mount). The new rack had an alloy casing for the pinion housing with a steel tube pressed into making up the remained of the rack housing.
    The passenger side rack mounting flange and the engine mount were welded steel brackets on the new rack rather than cast alloy like on the old
    . Despite the differences everything fitted perfectly including the hydraulic pipe connections and splined UJ clamp, no modifying, bending or forcing was required.

    Sorry, bit long winded but I thought it might be useful !
    Happy ending then

    Thanks for the parts info. As you say, parts are getting hard to come by, I had a bit of trouble sourcing a standard M56 gearbox for my V70!
    1996 Olive Green 850 AWD - Follow the Project - Forged rods, 19T, big blue injectors, 960 TB, 3.25" MAF, Ostrich, 608 binary, arduino data display, active exhaust control with Focus RS tips, 320mm front brake conversion.
    1996 Nautic Blue 850 AWD - Failed its MOT, now it's a donor for the green thing.
    2004 Sapphire Black S60 D5 - The new daily hack.

  13. #10
    Gearbox Killer
    Proving the power of the
    15g....13.4@104.3mph
    MoleT-5R's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Mid-Wales
    Posts
    5,624
    Thanks
    2,798
    Thanked 2,673 Times in 1,797 Posts
    There are many racks using this 2 part construction, it keeps down costs in tooling etc and can allow more than one to be cast at a time, we do the same with meriva and fiat power steering racks at Castalum where I work. The hydraulic pressure is only required in a small area of the steering rack so the aluminium cast area can be reduced considerably and a metal tube construction used for the rest, reducing production costs..... that probably doesn't get passed on to the poor motorist though, if going by some of the prices I've seen....glad you've got it sorted and thanks for the info.

    Current Volvo's 1995 854 Gul T-5R 1996 855 Olive T-5R 1997 855 Olive AWD 1999 V70R AWD and 2005 XC90 D5 AWD
    Previous Volvo's 1987 745 gle 1989 745 GL 1995 855 Olive GLE 2001 V70 p2
    My Ebay Items http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/quik.connection

  14. #11
    Senior Member
    trying hard to look busy!
    jdavis's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2008
    Location
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire
    Posts
    2,491
    Thanks
    1,050
    Thanked 579 Times in 486 Posts
    Mines currently being repaired again. Guessing by the difficulties in sourcing a replacement last year it's a trw rack on my 850 t5. Hopefully should be sorted next week
    It's a 5 Cylinder Orchestra!
    R.I.P. Kyebosh (Alan) you're memory lives on!

  15. #12
    Gearbox Killer
    Proving the power of the
    15g....13.4@104.3mph
    MoleT-5R's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Mid-Wales
    Posts
    5,624
    Thanks
    2,798
    Thanked 2,673 Times in 1,797 Posts
    I'm hoping to refurb my racks with a seal kit from ebay or pfs, should be a simple enough job if I'm able to get it apart easily

    Current Volvo's 1995 854 Gul T-5R 1996 855 Olive T-5R 1997 855 Olive AWD 1999 V70R AWD and 2005 XC90 D5 AWD
    Previous Volvo's 1987 745 gle 1989 745 GL 1995 855 Olive GLE 2001 V70 p2
    My Ebay Items http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/quik.connection

  16. #13
    New Identity
    Back in an AWD....Oh the grip!
    Dangerous Dave's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    West Midlands
    Posts
    8,921
    Thanks
    2,491
    Thanked 2,582 Times in 2,051 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by MoleT-5R View Post
    I'm hoping to refurb my racks with a seal kit from ebay or pfs, should be a simple enough job if I'm able to get it apart easily
    I found it quite easy, just messy due to all the fluid.
    1996 Olive Green 850 AWD - Follow the Project - Forged rods, 19T, big blue injectors, 960 TB, 3.25" MAF, Ostrich, 608 binary, arduino data display, active exhaust control with Focus RS tips, 320mm front brake conversion.
    1996 Nautic Blue 850 AWD - Failed its MOT, now it's a donor for the green thing.
    2004 Sapphire Black S60 D5 - The new daily hack.

  17. #14
    Gearbox Killer
    Proving the power of the
    15g....13.4@104.3mph
    MoleT-5R's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Mid-Wales
    Posts
    5,624
    Thanks
    2,798
    Thanked 2,673 Times in 1,797 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Dangerous Dave View Post
    I found it quite easy, just messy due to all the fluid.
    lol....I'm expecting that, as I work with hydraulics at work and have had many hydraulic showers, even though I though I'd released all the pressures with in, something still surprises you and makes a mess

    Current Volvo's 1995 854 Gul T-5R 1996 855 Olive T-5R 1997 855 Olive AWD 1999 V70R AWD and 2005 XC90 D5 AWD
    Previous Volvo's 1987 745 gle 1989 745 GL 1995 855 Olive GLE 2001 V70 p2
    My Ebay Items http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/quik.connection

  18. #15
    New Identity
    Back in an AWD....Oh the grip!
    Dangerous Dave's Avatar
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    West Midlands
    Posts
    8,921
    Thanks
    2,491
    Thanked 2,582 Times in 2,051 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by MoleT-5R View Post
    lol....I'm expecting that, as I work with hydraulics at work and have had many hydraulic showers, even though I though I'd released all the pressures with in, something still surprises you and makes a mess
    Indeed, I got a face full of brake fluid before Christmas, was bleeding the clutch slave, the bleed pipe I was using got blocked and as the pressure built up it exploded in my face as I was looking down right above it. Fortunately I was OK after some rinsing
    1996 Olive Green 850 AWD - Follow the Project - Forged rods, 19T, big blue injectors, 960 TB, 3.25" MAF, Ostrich, 608 binary, arduino data display, active exhaust control with Focus RS tips, 320mm front brake conversion.
    1996 Nautic Blue 850 AWD - Failed its MOT, now it's a donor for the green thing.
    2004 Sapphire Black S60 D5 - The new daily hack.

  19. #16
    Gearbox Killer
    Proving the power of the
    15g....13.4@104.3mph
    MoleT-5R's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Mid-Wales
    Posts
    5,624
    Thanks
    2,798
    Thanked 2,673 Times in 1,797 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Dangerous Dave View Post
    Indeed, I got a face full of brake fluid before Christmas, was bleeding the clutch slave, the bleed pipe I was using got blocked and as the pressure built up it exploded in my face as I was looking down right above it. Fortunately I was OK after some rinsing
    where was your P.P.E. safety goggles must be mandatory these days, working on cars or arguing the need for parts with the misses......lol

    Current Volvo's 1995 854 Gul T-5R 1996 855 Olive T-5R 1997 855 Olive AWD 1999 V70R AWD and 2005 XC90 D5 AWD
    Previous Volvo's 1987 745 gle 1989 745 GL 1995 855 Olive GLE 2001 V70 p2
    My Ebay Items http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/quik.connection

  20. #17
    Senior Member
    All the ladies love it
    sideways!
    Doingitsideways's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2012
    Location
    Manchester
    Posts
    3,014
    Thanks
    2,186
    Thanked 1,955 Times in 1,332 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by MoleT-5R View Post
    ... or arguing the need for parts with the misses...
    Name:  Riot-Shield.jpg
Views: 0
Size:  104.5 KB

  21. #18
    Gearbox Killer
    Proving the power of the
    15g....13.4@104.3mph
    MoleT-5R's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2011
    Location
    Mid-Wales
    Posts
    5,624
    Thanks
    2,798
    Thanked 2,673 Times in 1,797 Posts
    Quote Originally Posted by Doingitsideways View Post
    Name:  Riot-Shield.jpg
Views: 0
Size:  104.5 KB
    That picture reminds me of when my stepson did his basic training with the welsh guards, they had to go and be an angry mob for the riot police to practice on, a though it was great getting paid to chuck rocks and stuff at the police, I know he would of done it for free, if the had asked.

    Current Volvo's 1995 854 Gul T-5R 1996 855 Olive T-5R 1997 855 Olive AWD 1999 V70R AWD and 2005 XC90 D5 AWD
    Previous Volvo's 1987 745 gle 1989 745 GL 1995 855 Olive GLE 2001 V70 p2
    My Ebay Items http://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/quik.connection


 

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  
This website uses cookies
We use cookies to store session information to facilitate remembering your login information, to allow you to save website preferences, to personalise content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyse our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners.
     
ipv6 ready