stephenmunene

Hi there.

I just test drove a 2007 acuta tl with about 25,000 miles on it and the found that the steering wheel is quite tough to turn. The dealership told me that thsi is how acura tl's of that year are so im just enquiring to find out if anyone else has experienced similar problems .

Thanks

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Yup, I've had a few sporty cars over the years with stiff steering, my TL is one of them.

FWIW, I prefer how the feel of the steering is on my TL, it reminds me of my 1979 VW Scirocco (no power steering), and the (seemingly) minimally assisted steering of my 2002 530i Sport Package.

Now, if you want R-E-A-L stiff steering, drive a Porsche 928; two hands on the wheel at all times.

srg818

Normal. You could replace the power steering fluid and it may improve the feel a little.

ReMiXeDg

Sounds like its normal, I am a new TL owner a sometimes I go to turn the wheel and would think I have no p.s but in reality i really do.

Ken1997TL

It's one of the heavier steering setups out there, especially the Type S.

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Interesting, the Type-S has different steering than the other Gen 3s?

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

we've found lock-to-lock, the steering ratio is the same. however; the type-s uses a different steering rack +pump, i think. so, SOME people "upgrade" to that. but if steering ratio is the same, no need to "upgrade"

2007 Acura TL - Specifications - Acura Automobiles - Honda News

I believe the type-s adds a "cooler" of somesort to the powersteering pump

sparc

did you look under the hood? inspect the power steering pump and reservoir for signs of leaking power steering fluid. after the car is run, see if there are foam bubbles in the reservoir.

These honda/acuras are notorious for power steering o-ring problems that are ignored by the dealers. Simple fix, but it could make stiff steering many times worse.

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

I'm having a bit of a problem with this whole "stiff steering" discussion. The thing is, what is heavy communicative steering to some, especially those of us used to driving performance oriented cars, is too heavy/stiff to many others, especially folks used to the numb over assisted "drive with one finger" steering of many luxo-barges.

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

I daily drive '12 Kia sportage with EPS...very precise, but very effortless and no feed back. it encourages you to take your hands off the wheel while turning. because of how effortless and can use pinky to turn....

I accidentally scared a passenger in my TL because I took my hands off the wheel while stabbing the skinny pedal. scared me too. quick way to head into a wall.

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Thanks Justin.

The thing folks need to understand is the TL has much heavier than average steering. I took my (soon to be put up on the auction block) 2001 V6 Accord EX out this last weekend and damn near put it into the wall when I over steered because the steering was so damn light. Yeesh!

Funny thing, I bought the Accord back in 2012 for my daughter to use as her first car; in the end I decided it was too much car for her and opted to drive it myself for a while. While I was impressed with the car's solidity, the light steering, mushy handling, and autotragic transmission were really a buzz kill for me (not to mention the seriously bland looks, at least I never got a ticket driving it).

Ken1997TL

Different amounts of power steering assist for sure.

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Interesting, I just looked at a couple of resources for new/remanufactured pumps and racks, and the pump and rack on my 2006 6MT is the same parts listed for the 2007 Type-S 6MT. Maybe I'm missing something.

truonghthe

^^^part is different trust me, I went through this dilemma when I need replace the rack on the Type S.

Type S rack
53601-SEP-A54

04-06 TL MT
53601-SEP-A53

04-06 AT TL
53601-SEP-A04

07-08 Base TL
53601-SEP-A04

04-08 AT TL use the same rack, Base MT and Type S use different rack (well at least according to part #)

This was the reason I bite the bullet and buy OEM rack instead of buying rebuilt.

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Thanks truonghthe, I wonder what the difference is between the -A53 and the -A54 racks.

Are the pumps the same?

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

I drove a couple of Type-S 6MT cars early on in my shopping process and remember them to have relatively heavy steering, unfortunately there were just too many months between driving them and driving my 2006 6MT to know if the steering felt the same. That said, they were both satisfyingly heavy and my brain wants to believe they felt the same.

srg818

Yes:
(From http://www.hondanews.com/channels/ac...ura-tl-chassis)
Parallel parking Type-S = skip arm day

GreenSpades

I guess compared to modern electric steering yeah the TL is a bit heavier. I always thought our power steering was pretty damn good. Communicative, good assist with smooth delivery, and even if it gets low on fluid it just whines some and you have plenty of notice before it starts getting stiff. Cars of yesteryear were much MUCH heavier steering than the TL. I actually always thought the TL was sort of light and more on the comfort/luxury side than on the sporty/performance side.

I have a base 6spd though and I actually never even knew the type S had that much of a different steering setup!

truonghthe

I am not surprise at that statement at all, all of the Type S that I look at prior to mine carfax always indicate at some point the owner asked dealer to look into "heavy steering" as issues and this only show on the Type S car. If I see anything out of the order on the carfax I usually call the dealer and ask what the previous owner complaint(s) and what part was replaced, and even my Type S (same as other) the owner though the pump goes out at 40k miles because heavy steering and the dealer said everything working just fine. I never drive any 04-06 MT so I can't comment of the steering feel but on my 07 Base you can see difference compare to my Type S.

I also remember back in 2010 people with base TL was talking about swapping their rack and pump with the Type S one for better steering feels.

WDPanda

As soon as I sold my 06 and got my 08 type S, the steering is guaranteed heavier. It was one of the features that made me go wow, this is nice!

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Was your 2006 an automatic or a 6MT?

WDPanda

both 6MT

Turbonut

iTrader: (1)

In '06 PS pumps the same MT/AT as is the oil cooler, just metal loop for both.
Rack is the same, the only difference is the MT has a different valve sub assembly.

twigglius

iTrader: (6)

Mine has been stiff as shit for 11.5 years. Normal!

06nycTL

Just got my 06 auto.. I'm experiencing similar things to this but it's not when I'm driving it's when I try to make a "k" turn or parallel park that it seems that the power steering goes M.I.A

edcreed

I am original owner of 2007 TL with @ 75k miles. 25k miles is almost unheard of. I would not refer to the steering as if it has no power steering. I like the secure feel of the steering wheel. When you hit a bump it doesn't overreact, it takes the bump. I don't like a "flippy" steering wheel that has too much play in it. This feels solid in your hands but I have never had the feeling that it is so stiff that it is not power steering. That would be an exaggeration or indicative of a problem. In reviewing my service records to see when I last changed my major fluids, I noticed 2 problems with power steering. There was a recall on a hose that I got replaced plus my PS rack leaked so needed to be replaced, both items under warranty. Does this indicate that TL's may have some issues with PS? Maybe. I've had none since.

sparc

follow this thread and see if your info matches up at all: https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-p...ne-fix-754586/

champaned_out

iTrader: (2)

lol my 05 AT TL does the exact same thing... I replaced the O ring 6 months ago and that stopped the whining noise and i flushed out my old fluid with new OEM power steering fluid 3 months ago and STILL my power steering almost seems to stop working in 3 point turns and parallel parking situations.

I actually started breaking a sweat when I had to parallel park in downtown LA. Because of the tight space (just a few inches of space in front and behind my car) and the fact that I have aftermarket wheels with no lip protection my parallel parking took like 2-3 minutes of adjusting. The entire time my power steering was literally MIA which made me break a sweat and it was around 70 degrees at night..

cool-blue

I have a 2006 6MT with a leaking rack. You are saying that fitment wise I could use either
04-06 TL MT
53601-SEP-A53

04-06 AT TL
53601-SEP-A04
I am asking because pricing and availability are significantly different. Is the impact to driving experience just a matter of feel? Thanks in advance for any replies.

horseshoez

iTrader: (2)

Yes, the difference is feel. You can also opt for the Type-S steering rack if you so choose; definitely the highest effort/greatest feedback steering feel of the 3G TL model range.