Replacing Power Steering Pump
 

Does anyone know if a DIY exists to replace the power steering pump? I see a ton of info on the o-ring replacement but my whole unit needs to be changed out. I recently went to the Acura dealership and they told me my PSP has fluid seap and needs an overhaul. They are quoting me 460 with a PS flush. If it's not too difficult, I want to try to do it myself. At O'reilly auto parts, they have a replacment PSP for 93$.

Anyhow, thanks to the Acurazine community, i was able to change the oil, transmission, and cabin filter. I'm probably one of the most car illiterate people you will ever meet too.

Get them to do the PS recall and hopefully they replace the pump/o-ring

This includes removal and replacement. It's pretty easy to take out and replace.

A-105: DIY: Power Steering Pump Rebuild
https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-problems-fixes-114/diy-105-power-steering-pump-overhaul-pics-sm-scans-841134/ - With Pics and Service Manual Scans



Found on this page of FAQ's/DIY's: https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/3g-tl-garage-faq-3g-tl-newbies-553554/

Thanks Champ, they already did the o-ring replacement back in the day which fixed the whining sound when the engine was cold. Now the PS whines when I accelerate no matter if the engine is warm or not.

Thanks again Bearcat! I'll take a look at this. gotta admit, it looks a little intimidating for my skill level.

Try to blame the install which is the reason why it is an issue. Talk to the service manager and say that you have never heard anyone have a PS pump issue this early-- and mention Acurazine.

Actually, PSP leaks are one of the more common things to happen on these cars. I've seen them as early as 37,000 miles.

^Common as in more than 33% of ALL TLs?

It is not common for no more than 10% of TLs.

Ok. I see at least one or two a day with the PSP leaking all across Acura V6s. We reseal them all the time.

That is odd. My time at the dealership and from a friend, it is not that common here. Maybe it is a California thing? :)

Dunno. Not sure why they leak so much.

Thanks for the tip! I have about 103k miles on my car so i'm betting they won't do anything to help me. The Acura dealership I bought my car at rarely gives any freebees.

Do you know if the refurbished PSP at O'Reilly's are any good? I heard the outside shell is not OEM Acura. The guy at O'Reilly's said they have a lifetime warranty so I'm guessing they might be ok to use.

After taking a closer look at the instructions Bearcat gave, it doesn't look all that difficult as I thought. My dad was ASE certified so I'm gonna see if he can help me out.

Nothing is too hard with cars. Patience and diligence is the key.

You also have a tons of AZ users that are willing to help. I'm sure if you post a thread in your "Region"-- someone can help you.

If your Dad helps you, it should be very easy. Only like $10 in o-rings. Plus you'll need a bottle of Honda ps fluid (cheaper at Honda dealer). Just be sure to lube the new o-rings with ps fluid before you install them. It's definitely worth a shot before blowing money on a new pump. Especially if a questionable rebuilt aftermarket POS. ;)

If it does come down to replacing the pump, you can also look for used pumps on www.Car-Part.com.

Thanks 94eg! Per your advice, I'm going to go to the Honda dealer and purchase the fluid. The Acura dealership charged me 6$ per bottle last time.

Hey guys, would people recommend buying a remanufactured PSP? AckTL05 is selling them for cheaper than OEM new?

Btw, what is it that's wrong in the pump which makes the steering so stiff? When I'm stopped in neutral, turning my wheels require so much effort, but when I hold the throttle to 2K, the steering is much easier.

^that's because you have a type S. stiffer steering, but the pump speed increases at like 1750rpm .

All the accords,tsx, and TL's I've seen around 100k miles all have the infamous power steering pump leak. I'd be surprised to find one without the leak.

It works the opposite of what you just said. :2cents:

And at a totally different rpm AFAIK.

It's a good point though. If you're a base replacing your power steering pump, opt for the type-s upgrade. Why wouldn't you?

Yea, I'm aware of the stiffer steering for the TL-S, but some people have told me mine is way too stiff. It requires A LOT of effort for turning when idle. Should the steering be evenly throughout all RPM ranges?

All cars are harder to turn while stopped due to inertia... but it still shouldn't be hard to turn while stopped because thats when the power steering works the hardest to make it easier for the driver. You will definitely notice if its too hard, mine was bad to the point where it was even hard to parallel park because the steering wheel was so hard to turn. My pump was bad and the used car dealership i bought the car from replaced it under warranty but unfortunately they replaced it with an aftermarket PSP which runs a little bit noisier than the OEM PSP so everything works fine but when i come up on some extra cash I might replace it with an OEM PSP. So my suggestion is stay away from aftermarket stuff when it comes to the power steering on our cars because they are very sensitive.

Would remanufactured mean that it is non OEM? I thought it's a refurb? When you say your PSP was bad, was it a leak that makes it bad? I have seals and gaskets warranty that I had paid for out of stupidness. It'd be great if that thing will come into use through this!

i don't know exactly what was wrong with it but it was very noisy it could have been leaking, i bought the gaskets and seals at the advice of this forum but the noise was still there afterwords (gladly that was cheap so i didn't mind) so i just ended up getting the pump replaced and that fixed it for me. Refurbished/Remanufactured just means it has been rebuilt, it can be either OEM refurbished or aftermarket but with the sensitivity of our PS systems on these cars id stay far away from a refurbished or aftermarket pump. The OEM pump isn't THAT expensive online.

Acura TL 2004 PS Pump Replacement Good Notes
 

This is a note on lessons learned in replacing the TL 2004 P/S Pump. I hope what I did right will help others and what I learned the hard way will help too. This note is supposed to supplement the Youtube video by others, not a replacement. In here, I referred to important components freely and assumed that the information will help the people who already watched Youtube video.

Thought #1: Since taking the pump out will involve a lot of fluid spill, I thought that by purging the fluid before replacing the pump will flush the P/S line at the same time. It turned out to be very nice, in the end I have new fluid, and didn't have one drop of spilled fluid.

I started out by using a turkey baster to get the fluid level in the reservoir below the return line (upper, smaller hose at the reservoir). Then I disconnected the return line and cap the opening with a 3/8" rubber cap (Autozone's Dorman 47396 - $2.99). I used 3 feet of clear tubing with Outside Diameter (O.D) size 3/8" bought at Home Depot shoved down the disconnected return line. I shoved the clear tubing down this hose for about 5" and used a garden hose clamp to hold the clear tubing in place. I fed the other end of the clear tubing into an empty half gallon milk jug placed under the front bumper. An assistant started the car that has been jacked up and turn it from lock to lock a few times. Fluid flowed out of the return line into the empty jug. I got about 26 fluid oz before the system is dried. I uncapped the rubber cap and reconnected the return line.

Thought #2: Releasing the belt, then removing the pump, then moving the belt out of the way - in that order - will be easier because the pump pulley is very close to the side engine mount.

I released the serpentine belt by using a 14mm ratchet wrench and an extension fashioned out of a metal pipe on the auto-tensioner. Together, the wrench and extension are about 1.5' and gave easy leverage. Removing two bolts holding the pump will allow the belt to be pulled out of the way (but not removed completely). The two bolts are 12mm and open easily with flexible head wrench. Then I removed two 10mm bolts holding the high pressure line to the pump. I used a small clear plastic bag and a rubber band to protect the end of the high pressure hose. Same went for the suction hose.

The high pressure hose head needs a new O ring (Honda 91370-SV4-000, $4 at Acura Dealer). I bought a Honda remanufactured pump that came with the pulley and the suction hose end (Honda 06561-RDA-505RM $325). I used 2 bottles of 12 oz Acura P/S fluid ($4.50 each).

All in all, it's an easy DYI if you are careful. Watching Youtube gave me good ideas before I started. I am putting this information here to complement the Youtube videos that I watched and hope it's useful to someone like me (a weekend mechanic).

An advice to prolong your pumps, do not turn the wheel when not moving. Many people do this when parking their cars. Turn the wheel gradually as the car starts to move.