03 type s i recently bought the guy i bought from said he had paid a mech to install new power steering pump but that power steering still didnt work he didnt know if he had gotten a bad pump or what the case was. so when i got i checked it is a new pump and when i added fluid to the resevoir the power steering actually began to work but after a short time it blew the cap and most of the fluid out the top of the res does anyone know why or what my problem is and what i need to do to fix this?

 

Sounds like air in the system causing fluid to aerate and overflow from the reservoir. This happens when anything on the inlet side; most commonly (but not always) the o-ring where the inlet hose fixture is bolted to the pump though the new pump should have come with a new O-ring in this location.

does the pump make a whiny noise when it’s running? Have you inspected all the lines to make certain there are no leaks? Is the rack leaking?

 

I just bought the car so im not sure if theirs any leaks all i was told was he has pump replaced and it still didn't work also it is a different motor as well he said the motor that was in the car when he bought it had a rod knock and thst he bought a motor from yard out of same exact car year type s etc and had thst put in it was then that the power steering pump went so he ordered a pump online and had a guy put it in and that it still wasn't working so he didn't know if he had gotten a bad pump or what but he was done with it and just wanted the car gone so i got it for 1200 bucks interior is near mint and no major dents or body damage so i snatched it up knowing its its history he told me all the issues he was aware of like it needed right rear wheel bearing which i had done for 150 bucks the blower didn't work either hot or cold i researched on here and found problem and ordered parts and fixed that but the power steering just didn't work at all so just for the hell of it i threw fluid in it and took it around the block and the power steering was back yeah it made some whining sounds etc but seemed to turn just fine when i got back to my house popped the hood adn the cap was missing on the reservoir luckily i found on the frame and there was fluid sprayed everywhere and was near empty again. So my question is i guess how to i get as much air out of the system as i can to be able to tell if their is a leak somewhere else and how bad the leak is etc csuse i got a price to replace the rack from my brother in law who is a mechanic and it was 900 bucks which im laid off right now and cant afford. So any help would be great

 

I'd start with a decent bleed procedure on that and looking for p/s fluid leaks. Start simple, especially since you don't know what the previous owner truly did.

Jack the front end of the car up and put it on stands
Start the car
rotate the steering wheel from lock to opposite lock about 10-15 times.
Monitor the fluid level and top off as needed.

I just did this in my car and my steering is mint.

 

Awesome thanks so much that's exactly what i was looking for a bleed procedure id like to give that a try first before i have the rack pulled out thanks so much for the response

 

Ok well i tried jacking car up and turning wheel with no luck it screams every time i get to one side then screams on the other i kept doing it prob 20 times back n forth and the whine never went away and it was still looking like froth in the res so i got it to a point where it was at least staying same level when i would stop and i lowered car shut off and cleaned up then drove around the block a few times still screaming loud as hell and when i popped hood it had spit a good amount back out of the res again so i guess i have have rack replaced. I even tried some of the stop leak shit just hoping that maybe if was a small leak it would seal then i could maybe bet air out but didn't do anything different then it had the otyer times ao ima have ro research how this rack works i guess cause i hve no clue why that would make it scream like that. I guess i can understand how if its leaking it could suck air in but i would have thought a huge leak by the amount of air thats getting in and im npt seeing any fluid on ground anywhere otyer then where it blows it out of res and drips down but followed the lines and they do look wet but its the entire line and all lines going to column so idk none looked anymore wet then the next was like 3 or four maybe coming off i guess a gear box by the steering shaft sux was hoping start driving this car cause my RL is on its last leg i stopped spending money on it when i got this one no sense dumping in two cars just gonna junk the 00 RL when im ready to switch

 

Not sure if it wasn’t clear enough: when the car is raised and you are turning it from one side completely to the other and back: do NOT have the engine running.

You do not need to have the engine running to do this, the rack will cycle the fluid (and all the bubbles) through the system into the reservoir (where they will escape the system) and doing it this way will prevent the pump from sucking those bubbles right back up and aerating the fluid further to where it spills out.

 

Well... kinda yes and kinda no. If you've replaced the pump or rack you need to push the fluid with the pump. If you're just doing a bleed without replacement or rack and pump... yea, you don't need to start the engine.

I have a feeling, however, that either there is a seal that has gone or a leak in a line/fitting that is causing air to get in. The pump making noise doesn't bother me since honda p/s pumps make noise for bad fluid or a small amount of air. The fact that it only happens when it's under lock load suggests that the pump is sucking in air because the rack isn't pushing fluid in or out at lock. It's like when you cover the hose on your vacuum. It's still sucking so it finds the weak spot (that pin hole in the hose) and starts suck through the weak spot.

 

We're getting off point here, but that's simply not true. I bled my system (after rebuilding the pump and replacing the high pressure hose) without turning the engine on.

OP when you say noise, is it belt noise? slightly loose belt will scream if you try to turn it past lock.

 

I don't think it's not off topic. He and anyone that stumbles across this needs to know how to bleed it correctly. I just can't find anything to support that the bleeding is done with the engine off. If you can find supporting evidence I'll concede. But, I just have never heard that before and can't see how it would work that way. Please don't misconstrue this as arguing, but i want to make sure he bleeds it correctly and I'm willing to learn too.

https://honda-tech.com/how-tos/a/hon...ng-pump-374849
https://www.autozone.com/repairguide...96b43f80ea5945

 

Well the topic is his power steering problem; not how many different ways to bleed a system.

I was just simply saying that the point on the engine needing to be on to bleed a system where pump or lines were replaced is not true because I was able to do it no problem.

I still think that he's got a leak on the intake side and it's getting aerated. perhaps cleaning the connections and inspecting for leaks is in order?

 

ok yes i did have the engine running when i tried to bleed and the noise that it makes isnt anything subtle it is extremely loud whining type sound when wheel is turned all the way one way or the other, I looked into the resevor while car is running and the fluid coming back into it seems to be coming in at a high velocity idk maybe thats always the case with power steering but cant say i ever remember seeing in any car over the years have fluid come back into res like this i think its something i prob would have noticed all the times i have had the hood up on diff cars over the years. I have the service manual for the car and began reading everything under power steering which like a 100 pages lol but i have some good ideas of things to check first nice day we get. Only thing is some of them i will have to either order spec tools or find another way to do it like pressure test it gives part numbers for all special tools etc but if i can fig a way do same thing without buying something i wll use that one time then thats what il do if i cant i will have to pony up and buy it. thank you for the responses.

 

It seems like the pump is working and that you're moving fluid. The noise the pump is making is very common when you have the wrong fluid, old fluid, air in the line or the pump bearings are going. I think the cheapest thing at this time would be to do a fluid change if you don't know the age of the fluid, condition, or if it's the correct fluid. Honda power steering fluid must be used in the system or you'll get odd issues like frothing and pump noise. Besides that, the power steering system is fairly basic. Not a lot of parts beyond the rack, pump and lines. If you aren't seeing any leaks the next stop after fluid would be to swap that pump out with another one. I don't think it's your rack. just my 0.02 cents from decades of working on these cars. Honda racks are fairly visible when they start to go in the way of leaks and binding.

 

Yeah im starting to think exactly what you said. The way this pump is screaming the previous owner prob just got a dud it happens. Earlier i went and got cple cans of foamy engine bright (best stuff on market imo) and i cleaned the entire motor for tte most part and i let dry and started the car and turned wheel lock to lock a few times and then went with a flashlight and looked and i didn't see anything that i could say was definitely a leak but possibly return into the res its got the rubber hose then it goes to metal and loops in front of the radiator well right where the metal ends and turns to rubber to go into the reservoir its pretty corroded and all bubbled up but of course its in like the only spot on the whole engine that i couldn't really get too to clean i sprayed the area a few times and washed it off but i cant get my hand down there and it needed to be scrubbed from all the fluid coming out of the reservoir who knows how many times and covering everything near it. So my plan is before i go any further maybe hit the area again with the degreaser and then hit car wash ans use the high pressure washer to knock the shit cause right now i want to say its not leaking but i can't say im hundred percent so before i buy another pump or maybe rebuild the one thats in their im gonna check that, and price the replacement part and if its not to bad and doesn't look like it will be a nightmare to do then il just go ahead and replace it now cause if its not leaking probably wont be long b4 it is.

 

Also i dont think this noise is from tge kind of fluid because this is my 3rd acura ans ive heard what they sound like in past when i didn't buy honda or equiv fluid, and its no comparison i could deal with that but this is actually embarrassingly loud like when you drive down the street and anyone is outside or drive past a store with ppl they all turn their heads ans look like wth is making all the noise. Lol thats why im not just dealing with it and driving it anyway cause id have to have my head down in shame all the time lol

 

Are you sure it's not the problem documented in this video? the car is different but most honda power steering pumps are same by design. The o-ring cost more to ship than the part itself...if the previous owner replaced the pump, there's a good chance that the new pump should have come with a new o-ring but in the off chance it did not and the original o-ring was used, the problem would persist (or possibly develop later).

 

Lol wow funny cause i just watched similar one cple hours ago ans ordered the o rings cause the video i saw was exactly mine to the t so you wouldn't think a brand new pump would have bad orings but hey its definitely worth the try cause its exactly what mine is doing because i can't find a leak or a clog or bent line so i was pricing new pumps when i came across the video lol but thank you so much for the reply had i checked my emails id probably have ordered part earlier.

 

well this ended up doing the trick i went to local mom and pop auto part store and they had the oring i purchased and put them in and damn if it didt work, So i fixed one problem but created another when i was cleaning and degreasing the motor so i could find the leak i think i must have screwed up a sensor or something im thinking mass flow sensor cause its like throttle is sticking or something car starts racing and and i have put brakes on hard to slow it down then i will start bogging like gonna stall then back to fast again, so im thinking il pull off the air filter and spray some mass air flow spray in and hope that does something. thanks again for the info and help

 

Excellent to hear. A 2$ o-ring and you're back on the road (sorta).

I learned the washing under the hood issue the hard way too. Let it dry out completely and it might be worth pulling some coils and letting those air out. When i made the mistake water got down into the spark plug holes and caused the same issue.

 

Lol ok i will try thst also i plan on doing all new coils and plugs but dont have the loot right now for that i have one brand new coil in box came with car so if any look bad il switch it out then. But thx for the info i took the houding all apart today and sprayed the maf but haven't put all back yet i ran out of day light. Because im also doing a stereo system in the car when i start getting money again but for now stripped out most of the interior which was in excellent shape just needed a good cleaning so i brought all plastic and panels inside ckesned armouralled them etc fixed the handles where they start pulling away over time where the power window buttons are put all back together greased all power window tracks and wd 40d the rubber slides etc so hopefully they dont break any time soon but car is getting there lol