First time posting and I’m not really sure if I’m doing this right so I apologize if there’s already a thread on this but I need to do my rack and pinion on my 1G RDX. Shops have quoted me around the $2,000 mark and I unfortunately can’t shell out the money and I’m not looking to finance. I have found the part for around $250-300 online. Has anyone done this themselves and what was the process like? I’ve searched all over the internet but can’t seem to find much on just the 1G rdx in general when it comes to tutorials and such. I know it involves dropping the subframe and an alignment afterwards. Just looking for any tips in general. Thanks!

 

I just replaced my pump, return hose, pressure hose because they were leaking. I also replaced my reservoir. Followed the bleeding process. I have air entering somewhere because my fluid gets all frothy/bubbly inside the reservoir. Done multiple flushes and even tried the handheld vacuum pump to get air out but the vacuum won’t hold a seal.

 

did you replace the o-rings?

 

I got brand new o rings in the hoses that I replaced

 

i take it these are aftermarket hoses? You have a leak somewhere that's allowing air to come into the system, you'll have to investigate your work to try to find this

 

They are aftermarket. Have triple checked all the hoses and connections and everything is good. Took it to a shop and they said everything was fine except the rack.

 

I recently replaced my power steering rack with the help of a mechanic buddy. Took us several hours but we didn't have a lift. You'll need to lower part of the subframe in order to get the rack out..

Few things...

-I got my rack from Detroit Axle for around $200 ish. It was a reman. I would not recommend them as a) I think the rack itself is bad since my steering noises weren't resolved, and b) they also included one tie rod that was the wrong size, so I had to reuse the old one on that side until I could get a replacement. If I were doing this job again, I'd get Cardone's rack from Rock Auto despite it costing nearly twice as much.

-Out of curiosity, I asked my local dealership to price out a new OEM rack - $1800 just for the rack at the parts counter. I don't even want to know what they would have charged for labor - but $2000 for a shop to do it might not be unreasonable if they're using a quality reman like the Cardone. It is genuinely a difficult and time-consuming repair.

-The nut holding the end of the pressure line into the rack was very difficult for me to get off - mostly due to the lack of space in the engine bay for a breaker bar. But if you've replaced this recently, you shouldn't have this issue.

-Two points about sliding the rack out; one it comes out the driver's side, and two you need to rotate the rack 180 degrees so the steering pinion is facing down and slightly forward to get it to come out. And the reverse is needed going in.

-Polite reminder about using power steering fluid specifically for Hondas and not just any gas station steering fluid.

Not sure what symptoms you're having that point to the rack, but I assume it's some kind of noise. It might also be worth throwing some grease on the tie rod end ball joints and mount bushings on the rack, which would be extremely simple to do and may rule out a different culprit.

Also, if you have a leak somewhere that allows air in - that leak should also allow fluid out, ergo you should see steering fluid leaking somewhere. Perhaps that can help pinpoint or rule out that issue.

Good luck.

 

If it hasn't worked itsself out and you are not losing fluid I'd suspect the o-rings. They frequently go bad and can have the frothing result. Using aftermarket parts is fine if you don't assume reliability is part of the purchase, even first use. I installed an aftermarket rack on my TSX only to find the seals were bad before I drove an inch. Sadly you can't assume that aftermarket parts work just because they are new.

A set of OEM top side O-rings is only about $6. That is 5× what they should be but they should be reliable.