Guys,

I've had a power steering leak from one side of my steering rack at the boot. I tried several(3) racks and the boots fill up with fluids each time. I just got a hold of a power steering schematic from a tech. The pressure regulator for the power steering circuit is in the pump. The speed sensor is working just fine. The steering is just fine and free up to about 20mph. It then gets gradually stiffer up to 40 mph. About the time you hit fourth gear. I'm guessing that the spring in the pressure regulator is toast and pressure is sky high. No odd noises coming from the pump at all.

Has anyone seen this before?

I'm going to have the pump pressure checked out. If it is too high, the pump is going to go.

I'll send another thread when I figure this one out.

Hope that no one else has to go through this.

 

you replaced 3 racks already? If its leaking at the boot, it means the seats are shot. You do realize the the power steering is speed sensitive right? The slower the car is traveling, the lighter the steering wheel is. This is to prevent you from suddenly jerking the steering wheel a lot when going fast.

 

It's leaking past the rack seals into the boot. i.e. the boots are filling full of PS fluid.

The odds of three racks all being bad, are pretty slim.

I have the car at the Acura dealer to check the pressure.

I just got a call for replacing the pump is 300.00 parts and labor from a good freind.

When I confirm the pressure is too high, I should be good.

I've gotten pretty good at pulling that rack out.

I'll update when the dealerships call back.

 

Well, the Acura dealer can't measure the pressure level. They don't have the parts.

I'm told the one boot has torn all ready.

I'm moving to replace the pump tomorrow.

I'll replace the boots after the new pump is installed.

Hydraulics, go figure.

This reminds me of a 1986 Pontiac 2+2 Aerocoupe that I still have. Cam gear broke do to age. Car had 30,000 miles. Equal to a timing belt breaking at 30,000 miles. Very odd.

 

Acura dealer couldn't find the gauges to test the power steering pump.

I got my hands on the original rack.

It had yellow power steering fluid in it.

The fluid that I was buying was clear.

Anyone know what the true color of Acura power steering should be?

Also, the place I took it to used RTV in place of the gaskets where the plumbling mounts to the rack.

 

clear and using RTV in place of gaskets is a no-no

 

Well, I have some good news.

The rack is in and happy.

If you take your Acura/Honda top someone and the repair doesn't go correctly and several things are "bad out of the box", find another place to have your Acura to be repaired. Many peole don't understand the Honda only stuff idea. what you hear up front, doesn't mean that is what is going on in the back.

My repair shop was telling me that they were using Acura fluid. Acura fluid is clear, not yellow. Also, these guys didn't line up the rack dead center before sending it to the alignment shop. These racks need to be dead center, with the same number of turns on each inner tie rod end to get close, (about 17 turns). Then you need to set the rack to dead center and set the steering wheel to dead center and connect the two.

I did this in my driveway. I took it to the alignment shop and now it is a happy car.

The guys who I took the TL to, I guess don't install power steering racks in Acura/Honda cars very often. Even when I took the acura dealer fluid, it didn't make it into the rack.

Also, the rack needs to be dead center so that you have a hard time reaching the end of the rack tube in a turn. If the rack isn't dead center, the seal will be toasted when the rack hits the end of the tube.

Also, I recommend the Acura expert on Justask.com. He is very good, very acurate, and has information that he is willing to email you. I'd use him again!


It is good to get the glider back. These 1st gen. TL's just glide and float down the road.

I like the 20 mpg in town.

 

That was Justanswer.com.

The guy is very sharp and gives great information and directions.

The little money will be well spent.