Hi guys,

New TL owner here and have a few questions.

I noticed a steering rack leak on the driver's side and wondering what it would take to fix it (photo attached).
The leak is minor, PS fluid level is good and no issues at all with the steering. I guess the steering rack is leaking but my question is, what exactly needs replacing? Is there a common culprit? Would removing the dust seal (part # 7 on the attached photo) be the way to go to find out what exactly is leaking underneath?

Thanks in advance,

Cristian

 

dont know what the heck I did with the title of this thread but that should have been "2006 TL steering rack leak"

 

after more research it looks like I will have to replace the entire steering rack. crap!

sounds like a rebuilt one will do the trick. most people just paid for the labor, does anyone know a good DYI for this? I might want to tackle it myself.

thanks!

 

If you so care and can afford it, some people "upgrade" this rack I believe to use one for a '07-'08 TL Type S rack. It's supposed to provide better steering feel, and should be plug and play. As for the DIY...it's pretty labor intensive from what I saw in some YouTube videos.

 

Been down this road before. The TL-S also uses a different PS pump along with a dedicated PS oil cooler and pipes.
Both have 15.4:1 steering ratio and also both have 2.8 wheel turn lock to lock, so the only difference would be the "feel".
Worth all the changes, rack, pump, oil cooler, pipes, not in my opinion.

They do make a seal kit for the rack 06531-SDA-A02 $29.93.

 

Changed title to make sense

 

check to see if the recall has been done and if not if it's something that can be handled at the dealer

 

That's interesting. Wonder if a steering rack leak is common. I guess common enough to have a seal kit.........

 

Are you sure it's the rack and not a hose/fitting from somewhere above? Looks like something is dripping on the boot?

 

Had mine replaced in February. My buddy who has a shop did it for me and I came and watched towards the end of the install. It's pretty labor intensive. The "exoskeleton" or frame before it holds a lot of screws and brackets to other stuff and removing that takes longer that the actual steering rack itself. I can't imagine this being done without a lift. Jack stands won't cut it.

The job called for an 8 hour repair based on his labor software.

 

Good point. Check to see if boot is torn, if not, then it's not from the rack.

 

From the looks of it, it seems only the boot is torn. If the rack was leaking, you would see the PS fluid right up to the clamp seams. I think your boot has torn and the grease is leaking. Confirm it's PS fluid first.

 

Haha! Thanks for that!

 

Thats what I'll do! It's pretty thick, looks more like grease and the way it deposited on the anti roll bar is more grease like too. I'll take the boot off and see what's what. Maybe a seal kit would do it.

Will update as as soon as I get a closer look.

Thanks guys!

 

There shouldn't be any fluid/grease in the boot area as that is only a dust shield. If any inside the boot, rack is leaking.

 

I don't remember feeling grease either when I squeeze the boot by hand. This must be a tear on the boot + leak internally for the fluid to get deposited like that. You should be losing PS fluid in the reservoir from the looks if it?

 

I looked closer and it looks like PS fluid. it's a very slow leak as I can't really see any loss in the reservoir.
I'm buying the seal kit and a boot since this one has a hole in it and having a go at replacing the seals. If that fails I would go for replacing the rack.

Wondering if anyone replaced the seals using the 06531-SDA-A02 seal kit and has a DIY or any tips on how it worked out?

 

Well, different Honda but our 08 CR-V has had a slow rack leak for years. If you don't mind the occasional drip on the driveway or garage floor I'd say just add fluid every once in a while. It will get faster over time but for frame of reference I just yesterday finished a bottle of PS fluid that I opened in 9/2015. (I write the date I opened it on the bottle with a sharpie) That's a whopping 12 fluid oz in 2 years. Roughly $2.75/yr. Obviously YMMV but for a >10yr old car I just can't see replacing a rack unless it really gets bad. Just check it every once in a while to get a sense of how bad the loss rate is.

 

FIY the difference between Base TL and Type S is about $300.