Sharpie_Eastern
Member
- Joined
- Sep 5, 2020
- Location
- Portland, OR
Installing a Late Model S40 Electric Power Steering Pump on a Volvo 240
Sup TB. I'm back to share another DIY I've been using on my 240 for about a year now. The installation for this is ridiculously easy if you've got the room for it. I'll break down what I did for mounting, the wiring, and thoughts + gallery at the end.I'll try and post a list of cars this pump came on when I find it later but it's very common
Plus a bonus of how I deleted/bypassed the power steering pump in the exhaust location on my 240. This would work the same for if you have a 740/940 as well. Again, another very simple mod that might help some performance oriented owners.
Mounting
For clarification, what mostly makes this simple for my case is the mounting. I'm running a +T setup. I'm using a 940 water/oil cooler, so I don't have to deal with a OEM style 240 oil cooler or a NA airbox getting in my way. I was able to mount mine directly under my intercooler hose. I imagine the same location could be used if you were NA, had a cooler, or a large 940 intercooler, but you'd have to adjust your measurement to push it further towards the motor instead of hugging the battery.I don't have any measurements right now but I will get some and edit this post. The mount setup is pretty easy. I obtained the pump with the original bracket off of a S40 and kept all it's rubber mounts intact.
The first two mounts are straight steel strap and come directly off the battery box and line up with the welded nuts on the power steering pump. I used studs in the location on the battery box so I can hang the pump, install the tray, then cap it off with two nuts.
The 3rd mount is simply bent into the shape of a Z. On the lower side of the Z mount, I bolted it to where the rubber isolator goes for the airbox. I found a m6 rivnut fit this hole without any modification. The top end of the lines up with the pump mount. I got the general shape and length down first, left the end long, marked the holes and then trimmed the ends off.
That's pretty much all there is too it, just 3 mounts. I reused the original isolators.
COMING SOON
The Lines
The lines were also very easy to set up.The return line is the original Volvo return line from my old pump. I simply routed it over and hose clamped it to the reservoir outlet. You could remove the reservoir hose clamp and re-clock it for better alignment, but it lined up perfect for my setup.
For the feed line, I used an adapter that goes from M16x1.5 to 6AN. I've read somewhere that it needs a special end that seals with an o-ring on the power steering pump side, but I don't think I used an oring on mine. On the rack side, I used an M14 banjo to 6AN. The feed line I used was an 18-inch pre-made 6AN with a 90-degree fitting on one end and a straight fitting on the other.
Wiring & Controller
The wiring is another dead simple aspect of this swap.You really only need power, ground, and a trigger signal. The power and ground connector is large, so you'll want to grab one from the junkyard if you can and cut off as much wire as possible. If you don't have the connectors, they're easy to find on eBay. I ran my power through a maxi fuse, but that's just my preference. I've heard of others using a resettable fuse, though the type you use is really up to you, they all do the same thing.
The 3-pin connector is the trigger. Two wires are CANBUS high and low, and the 3rd is ignition. You only really need the ignition wire but do note that without a CANBUS signal the pump will run at 70% power at all times. The quick and easy way to get a ignition source in 240 is off the coil. The downside to this is the pump will run with the engine off. This isn't ideal cause it means you can't leave the ignition on without draining the battery. I drove it like this at 70% power for a couple weeks and it definitely gets the job done but I really suggest a controller if you're daily driving.
In my case, I went with a GPS monitored controller from ServTronic. This make pump adjustments completely automatic, but alternatively you can buy a manual powered one that lets you control pump speed with a dial on the dash. The other improvement I made was moving the ignition source from the coil to fuse 4 instead. Fuse 4 is only powered when the engine is running, so it allows you to have the ignition on without running the pump and killing your battery.
Review of Electric Power Steering
Honestly, for me, the benefits outweigh the negatives. I love it for my setup, but there are definitely some things that could be seen as downsides. Firstly would be steering feel. It is overall tighter, more direct, and heavier. I personally don't mind it but if you're used to the over-assisted, floaty OE power steering these cars originally came with then you're going to think the steering is too heavy. I personally never liked the stock power steering, I feel it has too much assistance at freeway speeds, to the point where I felt like I was constantly correcting because it was so loose. This pump eliminated all of that.Another aspect to consider is the wear on your alternator. The stock 80 amp may be okay if you run only electric power steering, but if you have an e-fan or use your HVAC fan on full blast a lot, then I could see this setup really stressing your system. Personally my 100amp Denso struggles to run even my e-fan but I have since upgraded to a stronger alternator (post about that soon) and the power steering pump is the least of my worries when it comes to electrical drain on my system.
Another thing about my setup. I am using BNE Aluminum Strut Mounts. They're mounted at Ben's suggested OEM-style caster with the Luxe steer bearings. Body roll aside, my steering is very direct. I'm also running ATF instead of the suggested CHF-11s. I'm hesitant to run CHF given that my steering rack has a slight leak at the boots and is original, my assumption is that CHF being thinner would make the leaking worse.
I also like to think removing the power steering pump adds less drag on the engine but I acknowledge that probably has a negligible affect on power when you're running a bigger alternator to compensate. I digress though
Here is my parts list:
M16x1.5 to 6AN: https://amzn.to/4aw8qd7
M14 Banjo to 6AN: https://amzn.to/4kWY9KA
6AN 18inch 90 degree to Str: https://amzn.to/4qO72Y4
Wiring Parts:
Connector Kit: https://ebay.us/m/5R5vA4
Crimp Tool for Connectors
Spring loaded: https://amzn.to/4aOGfoE
Hand Crimper: https://amzn.to/4b2znoN
GPS Controller: https://www.servtronic.com/collecti...c30-c70-s40-v50-power-steering-controller-kit
Maxi Fuse Holder: https://amzn.to/4cdy1sB
80 Amp Maxi Fuse: https://amzn.to/4s2rQMv (I've heard these can draw up to 50 amps, so 80 seemed like a good margin of error for anything going wrong)
M16x1.5 to 6AN: https://amzn.to/4aw8qd7
M14 Banjo to 6AN: https://amzn.to/4kWY9KA
6AN 18inch 90 degree to Str: https://amzn.to/4qO72Y4
Wiring Parts:
Connector Kit: https://ebay.us/m/5R5vA4
Crimp Tool for Connectors
Spring loaded: https://amzn.to/4aOGfoE
Hand Crimper: https://amzn.to/4b2znoN
GPS Controller: https://www.servtronic.com/collecti...c30-c70-s40-v50-power-steering-controller-kit
Maxi Fuse Holder: https://amzn.to/4cdy1sB
80 Amp Maxi Fuse: https://amzn.to/4s2rQMv (I've heard these can draw up to 50 amps, so 80 seemed like a good margin of error for anything going wrong)
