Volvo Repair: Volvo 940 steering rattle, power steering rack, home mechanic

Question
Regis
   1994 940GL (right hand drive) with Cam Gears power steering rack - rattles coming from steering column when going over bumps. Sounds and feels like top column bearing.

Reconditioned steering rack just fitted, all bushes and ball joints, tie rod ends, column universals, front suspension check out OK. Bolts retaining column to dashpanel are tight, and no looseness in steering wheel.

Just an annoying (audible) rattle when going over bumps which can be felt through the steering wheel, and feels very close in origin to the wheel.

Some Volvo TSBs from the early 1990s on Alldata specifically appear to address steering column rattles, and some UK Volvo owners tell me that Volvo had a batch of dud column bearings in the early - mid 1990s, which they never did a recall on despite the known problem.

Any experience replacing the top column bearing - forgetting about the airbag, is it a job a do it yourself home mechanic can do, or are special tools / adjustments required ?

My car has an airbag fitted, so I may have to get dealer to do the work. What's a realistic estimate for disassembling / fitting new column top bearing and reassembling ?

regards

John Marshall  

Answer
this may best be left to the dealer or a qualified mechanic.those bad bearings must have only been in the UK.the only problem I remember was a problem in  240 upper column area where a spacer required replacement.2-3 hours labor for a upper bearing.

  Rege