I have a 1999 Acura 3.2 TL that I replaced the power steering pressure hose on due to a leak. After I got it all put together the power steering did not work at low RPMs but upon revving up to 1700 or so RPMs it works just fine. I have tried turning the wheels lock to lock both with the front jacked up and on the ground. There is no grinding or whining sound that stopped seconds after I replaced the lost fluid from changing the hose. Is there any chance that there is a air bubble trapped? Has anyone else experienced this after the repair?

 

After doing any repairs with the ps pump or hoses, the system requires purging of any residual trapped air within it. Try bleeding it another time. Make sure that you use Honda fluid for replenishing the reservoir.

 

And any rattle/whine is an indication that there is air still in it. You'll hear much more of this noise when there is a lot of air, but when there is little air in it you'll usually hear the rattle/whine when you are at either left or right lock.

The only other time i believe you would hear the rattle/whine (when there is no air in it), is when the pump bearings have gone bad. Bearing failure will happen because of wear and tear, or premature failure due to an over tightened belt or fluid starved pump.

My other recommendation to you is to make sure your belt is at the right tension. Too little tension will cause belt slippage, thus not transferring enough power to the pump for it to do it's job. I used the deflection method when adjusting mine as i do not have a belt tension guage. While applying 20 pounds of force to the belt (in the middle of the two pulleys), a new belt is supposed to deflect 8 to 11 millimeters; old belt 13 to 16 mm. If you are installing a new belt, adjust it to the new belt tension, run the engine for 5 minutes, then re-adjust to used belt tension. I used an analog weight scale (from my bathroom) to press with my thumb and "feel" what 20 lbs felt like. Then used that "feel on the belt. Bootleg, but hey.

 

Correction, new belt deflection is 8.5mm to 11mm (0.33 inch to 0.43 inch); used belt 13mm to 16.5mm (0.51 inch to 0.65 inch). Torque spec that holds the pump tight (bolt on the left, and nut on the lower right) is 24 N-m , 2.4kgf-m , 17lbf-ft.

 

I will try again to purge the air. The strange thing is there is no whineing or grinding sounds. What is the best way to purge it up on stands turning it left and right lock to lock very slowly?

 

Yes. I purged mine while it was on stands, and turned the wheel lock to lock at a speed of which I would normally turn while driving. When I got to either lock I turned it just a bit harder for a second or two. Worked for me to clear the noise. You must fill the reservoir to the upper level when it drops otherwise the pump will just suck in foamed fluid (air) again. Better if you have two people, but is definitely okay to do it by yourself.

If you can find the link to the service manual on this forum, check page 17-18 in it.

 

I will try it again tomorrow how many times would you say it took before all the air was out. I have a hard time believing it is anything other than air because everything was fine until I changed the hose

 

The number of turns will depend on how much fluid has to displace the air in the system, but i turned it 4 times to the left and 4 to the right *after* the last reservoir fill was needed (when no more air came out).

In other words i kept turning left and right and filled the reservoir each time until the level wouldn't drop anymore, then i did 4 more turns each way. At that point i would hear the pump noise just a very tiny bit when at full lock (while in an enclosed space where the sound reflects off walls).

The service manual states that the fluid capacity when doing a system overhaul (taking out the rack and draining everything) is 1.1 liters (1.16 US quarts); the reservoir capacity is 0.4 liters (0.42 US quarts).

By the way, a correction to the belt tension check procedure above, it's 22 pounds that you must apply, not 20.

 

Well it seems as if the pump may have given up the ghost just as a weird coincidence when we replaced the hose. After trying everything else I pulled the top return hose and started the car and nothing came out until we got it up to about 2000 rpms.

 

So all's well now that the rpm's were increased ?

 

It turned out to be the pump. It was just a weird coincidence that it decided to go when I replaced the pressure hose