Hey all,

I'm wondering if anyone has done a manual steering conversion on the 04-08 TL? I remember looping the lines on the rack was a popular mod on the old 90's Civic I used to have, but obviously there's a pretty substantial size/weight difference between these cars.

It's important to note: my TL is not my daily driver, I would expect this to be a horrible idea for a daily. My TL is just "for fun" now, and it'll only be getting a few hundred miles a year - mostly freeway to/from the local track.

Thanks for reading, thanks for sharing your thoughts!

 

you mean like just disable power steering..?

 

you can disable it by taking the belt off the system and using a smaller TL belt from 2009-2014 TL if I'm right. You might be able to use accord hybrid belt from 2003-2007. No belt means no fluid moving around for the most part and you can manually steer. Its not going to be easy at a standstill, but moving will make steering easier without PS pump.

 

Yep, more or less. I'd like to eliminate the majority of the components, ie. the lines, the cooler, the reservoir, the pump, and the frequent leaks from all of the above

That is awesome info and definitely something worth checking, thanks! I was originally thinking I would disassemble the pump and remove the internals to reduce the drag from the pump, but removing the pump altogether would be even better.

 

yeah, you can remove it just like how it is on acura/honda models with electric power steering. See if there's a shop that works on steering racks near you... they could prob mod the factory one to work well without the fluid and tie the lines together neatly.
If you do end up keeping the pump, gates rebuild kit is $20 and fixes a ton of leaks (other than hoses and rack). I did mine at 210K and it's been great since. Have to do it on my MDX soon. Plus you can sell the pump for some good $$$ if it's OEM.

 

damn, you're gonna have a hard time in parking lots.
Only you would try something like this...so go get it boss!

 

I'll share my experience... I've done this mod to my 2002 S/C RSX-S. As you mentioned, it's not my daily, but my fun project/auto x car when it's running lol.

Why? The P/S blew out on me and I was already having issues with the PS pump touching the hood as I have a K24a2 that sits taller than the original K20a2.

Pros? Car feels great, very stable on the road at high speeds when moving. I don't have fitment issues anymore and I longer worry about the P/S pump rubbing on the hood.

Cons? Parking is a PITA. Anything under 10 mph, you will be fighting the steering wheel to turn. Also, doesn't help if you have stickier tires.

Would I do it again? Probably not. I'm considering swapping an EP3 Electric P/S rack into it when I get it running again. With the RSX being lighter, smaller, and more compact than the TL, I can't imagine deleting P/S and being happy driving the TL. Using one finger to park a car vs 2 arms grabbing the wheel and turning with all your might gets old.

 

That's a good idea, the car will be disassembled for probably a couple more months anyway (I may or may not be installing Andy's SC kit... answers to these questions and more if I ever update my build thread lol) so I'll see what the local specialists say. I've done the pump reseal a couple times already and it is pretty easy. The current pump is OEM, and only has about 60k on it, so if I go this route I'll definitely reseal and sell - thanks for the advice!


I know right? I'm so crazy I just might work.
I've always needed an excuse to work out more lol. Maybe this will result in my noodle arms looking more like a Ziti, and less like a Spaghetti

Thank you very much for the detailed response on your experience - this is very helpful! The size and weight of the TL is certainly my concern. Already the level of assist is relatively low for what I'd expect from a "luxury" car. I've driven manual steering cars before but they were designed that way and still fairly tough. I guess I'm not super concerned about it being tough, more concerned about it being undriveable.

 

have you thought about a lighter pulley for it, maybe underdrive the PS pump so there is less drag on the engine?