My mom has an 04 TL and she has been having problem recently when she turns it makes a sound I forgot her exact words but I think it was something like a squeeling sound. She went by the Acura Dealer and it wouldn't do it, but they looked and she was a little low on power steering fluid so they filled it up, but they said it wasn't enough that it should matter. Well it is now doing it again, I am thinking it must be a power steering problem, I was wondering if anyone else has had this. She is just passing the 52K mark so she needs to get this dealt with before the warranty ends. Any suggestions?

 

I have the same problem and it started when the cold weather rolled in. I am going to try the power steering drain and refill. My power steering fliud is dark.

 

yeahh! i just started getting that problem and the weather is getting colder. I was starting to get worried about what might happen if i don't get it fixed but did't even know what the problem was. so what do you guys suggest? drain and refil power steering fluid?

 

could also be the brake pad indicators. might be time to replace the pads.

 

This sound is distinctively the power steering mechanism.

 

I'm going to do a drain and refill this evening and I'll let you know how it turned out tomorrow.

 

Maybe yours is. He clearly said his mom told him. I know when my mom tells me something is wrong with her car and she wants me to look at it, it's usually something different than how she has described it. I am That's just my though....


I'm not ruling out the fact that it could be the power steering. I am just throwing out other possible causes that are also more likely. The car has 50k some miles on it so who knows if the pads have ever been replaced.

 

yea who knows when your mom tells you lol. Im not sure when the brakes were last replaced, Im pretty sure they have been replaced once under warranty because they wore so fast, but i will ask her. 50k just seems early for power steering problems/fluid change.

 

JDM5lugHatch, I missed that his mom told him about the noise!!
I did the drain and refill per the service manual section 17-12. Basically you remove the top hose and drain the fluid from the bottle, then connect a hose to that top hose to catch bottle, turn on the engine and collect more fluid.
Then reconnect the hose and fill the power steering bottle. It take two 12oz Honda or Acura (the same) power steering fluid bottles to refill the system.
The new fluid quieted the noise, however it turned dark so I will do the drain and refill again today.

 

i had the same noise last year around super bowl time when it started to get coulder. it was a high pitch sqealing noise when i first started the car and/or turned the wheel when the car was cold. i needed a new power steering pump. over 500 dollars with labor but covered under my extended warranty. car had about 57k on it

 

Is there a way to test the power steering pump to determine if it is the fluid or if it is the pump? I just really want to make sure I am not going to have to replace the power steering pump right when I get out of warranty.

 

The noise came back this morning. If you can get the pump replaced under warranty I would jump at it. I'm out of warranty (96,000 miles) and the cost is $440.00 for a new pump and $220.00 in labor. You know the funny thing is that when the car warms up, the noise goes away and the steering is great. Even with the noise the steering is normal. Looks like i'll be using my next bonus to get the pump replaced.

 

Have you thought about trying a different brand fluid? Maybe something synthetic (Redline) that would actually be more "fluid" in the cooler temps than a stander power steering fluid. Uses brake fluid doesn't it? Try ATE super blue if it does. I mean what do you have to lose if you are already planning on replacing the pump. That's just my

 

Probably power steering pump? I had the squealing noise on my car too, usually in the mornings. I left my car with the dealer and they couldn't reproduce the noise, so they left it overnight and sure enough when they drove it around in the morning, they were able to reproduce it. In normal driving, you wouldn't hear the noise, but as soon as I would make a turn, for example into a parking spot, then I'd hear the squealing noise. Power steering pump was replaced under warranty for me.

 

After only 4000 miles, I had the same problem! I took it in, and they found a leak, they had to replace the entire steering rack to corect the problem. And now my problems are even worse. I get a clicking noise all the time, as well as a clank when you turn the wheel. But the dealer says the noises I have now are normal, and that all TL's make this noise. BULL S***! My TL is now under investigation!

Your problem is the power steering pump, but the question is where is leaking from. Check the boots on the rack it self, mine never dripped, but the boots were covered! And don't ever trust the dealer!

 

Im using the genuine Honda Power Steering Fluid. I don't know if it is the same as the brake fluid, but its $3.50 for 12oz. I may try the Redline synthetic. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

I've checked for leaks and found none, and I am not loosing fluid (that I can tell). The fliud level in the bottle stays constant, cold and hot.

 

My 04' just started making that squealing noise in the cold mornings (this Fall). It is more prevalent when you turn the steering wheel. Goes away after about 5 minutes of engine running. I had it checked and they told me it was probably the power steering pump. About $500 worth of fixing. Have 98,000 miles on the car now. Other than that, has been a great car. Big question is: if I don't fix it, will it eventually fail and I'll be SOL on the road???

 

My mom is takin her TL in tonight and leaving it overnight for them to try it in the morning. She is 40 miles away from being out of warranty

 

oddly enough, my car did this from about 20k to 35k miles, and now at 42 it doesnt happen anymore... odd...

 

I just talked to my friend who is a mechanic at Acura and he says that the TLs have poorly designed power steering pump and they have replaced many of these pumps. He says for the most part, making sure you have enough power steering fluid is a good start but if the noise keeps commin back then yeah its your pump and you will have to get it replaced.

 

ok so it when it and they didn't find anything yesterday, but today they told my mom "power steering needs new hose and o rings- air was getting in it." It is going in on Wednesday for this to get fixed. I hope they are right and they are not just trying to cheap out on replacing the power steering pump

 

I am dealing with this same situation. I also have a 04' tl with 55k on it. This problem started for me when it started to get cold here in orlando about 3 weeks ago. Besides that I never had this problem. The squeeling in my tl is only noisy at first in the morning for about 10 minutes or until the car heats up, then the noise goes away for the rest of the day until the next morning. I have changed the o-ring in the return pressure hose and this still has not done the trick. I originally assumed that this problem originated when I used a power steering fluid from a local auto store which was recommended for hondas etc instead of using honda brand fluid which is recommended by dealer. Upon learning your situation I have canceled out this theory. Also I only used a few ml of the store brand. I have not contacted my dealer about this situation yet but will be forced to soon I imagine.

 

yea sounds like you have the exact same situation. I will keep this thread updated with what the outcome is. I have a suspicion that it is the power steering pump

 

ah, er... BEFORE(?) the policy ends? Original warranty is 50K or 48 months (whichever comes first). Sure, Honda extended ALL the warranties for a "little" bit beyond the original 50K but I "think" it was to a MAX of 5% over the original (or 52,500 in this case). In other words, I think your already nearly out of time, right? Make certain you don't run out of "runway".

 

yea i believe she is at 52,100 thats why I am trying to get this taken care of right away

 

Advanced Auto Parts (advancedsutoparts.com) has our pump for 119.00 shipped.
Its actually 169.99 shipped with a $50.00 core exchange. Looks like a simple replacement (I have the service manual). Oh, and yes, my car is out of warranty, at 97,000 + miles.

Tennisjon2002, did the pump replacement solve your problem?

 

My mom just got the car back from the dealer (they didn't have a loaner when she was supposed to go in the first time) and they replaced the o-rings, hoses and my said the dealer said acura had put something out about this b/c it seems to be a common problem. Idk whether this is a tsb, or in the acura news thing, anyone know?

 

I called my friendly Acura Dealer service department and they knew nothing of a warning, TSB, or anything. Figures... Even if they did have something, they would keep quiet till allot of people complained.

 

I have found this site which is advertsing on azine called www.oemacuraparts.com and they have the pump for $260. It states that this is an oem part. Has anyone bought any products form this site are they truly oem for that price?

 

TSB

I did the TSB and it stopped all noise.

It came from the similar thread.

 

I went to my local guy and had the Power Steering Pump replaced, and the the noise is gone. Even with the cold weather. Ended up spending $500 for part and labor. 98,000 miles and still kicking. Seems like the car is running like new now.