Hello
I am just in the process of restoring my 1971 Volvo 1800E. It's back on the road but the steering has too much play in it. I've heard that steering parts are hard to find. Can anyone out there give me some advice on this? Thanks
Scott

Good morning, Scott.

Have you tried to pinpoint the source of the looseness? There are a lot of steering components to look at, and hazarding a guess for advise will be tough. It'll also depend on your definition of looseness - some have defined it as a wandering of the front end or poor stability, which may just be alignment.

There are a few sources for new parts - VP-Autoparts (https://vp-autoparts.com/) or Vintage Import Parts (http://www.vintageimportparts.com/) are two good bets. Vintage Import offers the advantage of being able to ship from Canada, though in the end the price and speed is probably a wash and VP-Autoparts could carry a larger inventory (and will ship to you from Sweden if their US site doesn't have the part in stock). For used parts (and knowledgeable service) you could try John Paulsen in Springbank - if you don't have his number already I can give it to you.

The steering boxes on these cars are not particularly sophisticated, and they do require adjustment every once in a while. They should be relatively tight on center and loose towards the left & right. An adjustment from a skilled hand may be enough to set you right (again I'd recommend John). The idler arms on our cars can get pretty floppy as well and this will cause a looseness, particularly in the right wheel toe. Both of the steering links or the drag link have joints at each end that can wear out, the control arm bushings and ball joints wear out, and even the bushings between halves of the steering column can wear out.

If you can define your looseness a little, or if you can crawl around under your car for a bit, let us know and maybe something will jump out at us.

Matt

Thanks Matt
I do have John Paulsen's number but I just found it. I'll do a little more research into the exact nature of the problem before I call him. There is about 2 inches of play in the steering wheel. Once the play is taken up, the car steers well and corners easily. I appreciate the parts sources you have given me and will keep them on file. I have recently been corresponding with classicvolvorestoration.com. The owner (E.T.Carlin) is based in Sweden and gets his parts there. Apparently he has a warehouse in the US. He seems to be able to find a wide range of parts.
I'll keep you informed of my progress. Thanks again for the help.
Scott

Hi Scott, I’m in Calgary too and have a ‘71 1800E.

More sources for parts, which I have used are:

http://www.irollmotors.com/oscom/

https://www.ipdusa.com/catalog.asp?categorycrumbs=

I’ve also used the 2 suppliers Matt mentioned , all are good. IPD somewhat limited, as they focus on later models. Iroll, very good, the owner Mike Dudek, is a noted expert in 1800’s.

There’s an excellent forum dedicated to 1800s, with a vast amount of knowledge.
Also one in the UK.

https://groups.io/g/1800list

You’ll have to apply for that one , everyone gets accepted.

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/forumdisplay.php?f=9

The 1800 sub forum there covers the amazon/122 as well, as they share many parts with the 1800.

If you’re looking for info on adjusting the steering box I can walk you through that once you’ve confirmed all suspension parts are in good shape.

Any question on this or other topics, I’d be happy to help.

Maybe get together in the future, once the pandemic winds down.

Craig.

Wow. Thanks Craig. It's great to find another 1800E out there. I've been working hard on the steering and have found two problem areas. One was the steering box had no oil in it. I filled it up with SAE 80 and much of it leaked out again. I think there's a seal gone. The other problem is that the bushing in the steering column seems to be worn and that is what is giving it the play. In the research I've done so far, I have not found any significant steering parts for sale out there. Any suggestions on how to fix this, other than shimming it?
I think it would be great to get together once the pandemic has settled down. I live in Okotoks and the car drives well on the highway, so I can bring it to wherever you are. My email is swooding@telus.net in case you want to correspond more directly.
Thanks for the help.
Scott

In regard to the steering column, I haven't had one apart, so not familiar. Heres a link to a thread on the subject from the Volvo UK forum, might help.

https://www.volvoforums.org.uk/showthre ... lumn+loose

Here's a link to the 1800E parts book, where you can look up any part. Takes a while to download. you should be able to find an exploded diagram of the steering column, and check that your column has all the required parts. There is also a service manual for the 1800E available on that site if you don't have one.

http://volvo1800pictures.com/document/S ... 0views.pdf

For the steering box there are seals and a few other steering box parts available. Replacement of seals requires removal of the box and removal of the pitman arm, for which you'll require the appropriate puller. If the bushings are worn and you need to replace the bushings , they need to be reamed to size at a machine shop. If the cam and roller in the box are excessively worn then its not worth rebuilding.

Check out the Iroll motors website.

http://irollmot.ipower.com/oscom/advanc ... e1&x=0&y=0

Steering box requires HYPOID gear oil. Same as used in the differential.

Thanks again Craig. I joined the Volvo Forum and posted my question. I have a copy of the 1971 1800E service manual and also a British produced Autobook for the Volvo 1800. It has an excellent breakdown of the steering parts - except for the problem I seem to have. It does show a very detailed diagram of the steering box, so I will use this to disassemble it. It looks like the lower seal is gone for sure. The play in the column seems to come from the coupling between the upper and lower parts of the steering column, but I have no idea how to adjust this.
Meanwhile I am installing new front brake hoses and rear brake pads this week and adjusting the parking brake. I just put a new master cylinder on, so the brakes should be in great shape by the end of the week.
Cheers
Scott

HI Scott , is this the piece that has the play in it?

http://irollmot.ipower.com/oscom/produc ... 03501db22b

I interpreted your description that the play was under the dash.

If this is the part, it can't be adjusted , it can only be replaced, unless the bolts holding the 2 halves together are loose. In which case you can tighten the bolts.

The seals are metric and locally available if you've got a bearing supply house. Your pitman arm seal is clearly shot. Once the arm is off, they're not hard to change. Then the play is adjusted by the backlash adjuster on the top. A standard pitman arm puller from Princess Auto does work. Be ready for a tremendous bang when it releases...that's the norm.

Thanks guys. The problem is not in the coupler itself but below that closer to the steering box. It has to do with the collapsible column. There seem to be three parts to the steering column - one from the steering wheel to the coupler, an intermediate section which ends in the problem area, and the final part into the steering box. If the connection could be shimmed or welded, it would fix the problem, but that seems drastic and possibly unsafe. I haven't found any parts on line or even any mention of this connection in the service manual.
Thanks 122_Canuck for the advice on the Pitman arm puller. I didn't realize they were so easy to buy. I had thought of using CV joint grease in the steering box as a temporary solution, but I would really rather do it right.

Hi, the intermediate section fits over the final section with internal splines. at full extension the splines are engaged. When the shaft collapses, as in an accident the splines are disengaged. Only thing I can think of are the splines are damaged, or the shaft is somehow shorter (collapsed) and the splines are not engaging properly.

Hers a pic of my spare steering assembly (which I'll be using) which may provide some clues.

Thanks again. That helps a lot. It must be the splines in that collapsible joint. Would it be dangerous at all to just shim that joint? I realize it's a safety feature, but I can't find any steering column parts listed on those sites. I'd much rather do it right, but it may not be possible.
Scott

Can you post a picture of the entire column. I'm having a hard time visualizing the problem. There should be no reason to shim a shaft.

The picture posted by Craig (c1800) above is it exactly. In the middle of the shaft above the steering box is a joint. The looseness is in it. It looks like it can be taken apart, but I'm really out of my depth here.

I bet that collar is tightening tapered threads to grip the column, and if you grabbed it with a pipe wrench and tightened them up, the looseness would be reduced.

Check with John, he's just finished up a car right now and as far as I can tell his plate is pretty empty. He will probably be able to knock that issue out in a heartbeat.