ALPurdue

I bought an '05 TL a couple weeks ago. This morning, my power steering was quite a bit louder than it's been, which led me to do some reading on it. I came across the info on last year's recall for the power steering hose. Is there a way that I can tell if the hose has been replaced? i.e. is there a way to differentiate between the original hose and the new one?

LoveMyTL-S

Register your TL here:

www.myacura.com

You should be able to pull up the recalls on that site and see if your TL has been done.

Or you can call your dealer and give them the VIN to check on recalls for you.

skippyTL

Mine has had the recall done.... However, my PS made some noise yesterday after sitting about 3 days - a slight "tick" @ idle, then a sort of a "growl" when exiting the airport parking garage (i.e., about 3/4 lock)... it completely disappeared though after a few mins.

Not sure it this had anything to do with it but I did park on the roof (no choice). And I was told that there had been an absolutely pounding rainstorm earlier that morning (something got soaked?) in conjunction with much dryer (lower humidity) & cooler air afterwards...

Condensation that "boiled off" after a few mins. maybe?

ALPurdue

That doesn't seem a very likely explanation, but I guess if it's gone, it's gone.

Thanks for the info, LoveMYTL-S.

skippyTL

It came back this weekend - it's been chilly for here (60-65). After a few minutes it went away... Then came back this am - went away again after a few mins of driving...

green goblin1

I have the exact same problem. Cold here in toronto. The noise stays for about 3-5 mins of driving and then goes away.. More pronounced when you turn the wheel.

NedShneebly

P/S pump o-ring fix

2nd to last post. Should be in the garage or sticky'd.

It's a $1 gasket that's very easy to replace that fixes most of the cavitation problems like you guys are discussing. Gotta buy a pint of fluid, too. Saw a post where a member said fire up the engine and if the pump is making a lot of noise, check the p/s fluid resevoir (red cap, left front corner of engine bay) and if you see bubbles, the o-ring is shot and it's cavitating.

I have the parts and yet to do it.

skippyTL

Yeah... I went ahead & pulled the cover over the PS pump - so I can get out, eyeball the little beggar and check for bubbles.

Problem is, it just warmed up again above that temp threshold, so it'll be a few days until the next front comes through - freakin crazy Houston weather!

NedShneebly

one other member mentioned that the aluminum pump has a plastic supply line...they expand and contract at different rates when the weather gets crazy.

skippyTL

I thought the recall replaced it with a metal one... but I could be wrong.

NedShneebly

could be. I had the recall done. I'll check when I replace the o-ring this weekend.

UAeight08

i'm having the same problem. can the o-ring be purchased at any car parts store?

NedShneebly

it cost me $1.37 at the stealership.

skippyTL

Likely the cheapest part you'll get @ Acura! I'll pick mine up this weekend.

UAeight08

picked up the o-ring and some power steering fluid from the dealership yesterday for a total price of $7! the fix only took about 30 minutes... i only needed a 10mm wrench to do the job. glad i found this thread! otherwise, i would've had to take the car in to get it diagnosed and pay all those ridiculous fees. i drove it around last night and today... and the sound has completely disappeared. there were also bubbles in the reservoir... changing the o-ring has eliminated that problem as well.

i was looking at the o-ring that i took out... and the shape is a little different than that of the replacement o-ring and not as pliable. the original o-ring was a lot stiffer.

NedShneebly

yeah, the material of the original o-ring was the culprit. it crushed to easily or something

UAeight08

yes, i think so. it was really hard to tell just by looking at it, but the original o-ring actually felt like it had edges... kind of like a washer. it was very slight, but i guess the smallest imperfections can cause the biggest headaches.

skippyTL

I changed mine yesterday - noise/bubbles gone! The hardest part was actually getting a wrench on it.

I noticed the diff in that part too - Old, stiff & relatively squared-off edges. New - pliable & rounded w/no edge....

I got "gouged" on my part at the stealership - a whole $2!

UAeight08

What! they charged you 2 bucks for the part?? what a rip... but i guess 2 bucks is a whole lot better than 200 if you had to get it fixed at the dealership.

yeah, i had a hard time getting a wrench in that small space, too. i was getting kind of frustrated, but it was well worth it! i'm glad it worked out for you as well!

s.stanley

Im having a hard time finding the location so i can remove the O-Ring....any suggestions?

eliteUA9

O-ring was replaced yesterday FREE of charge... had the same issue!!

UAeight08

If you're looking at the power steering reservoir, follow the inlet hose to the power steering pump. The hose will go up and over one of the belts and stops at a plastic part between the belt and the motor. The bolt is going to be on the underside of that plastic part... you're probably going to have to feel around for it. It's a tight fit... I used a small 10mm wrench and it took awhile to get the bolt off because I could only manage small turns each time. Getting it back on was even harder, but with patience it all came together nicely. Once you get the bolt out, jiggle that plastic piece back and forth to pull it out - careful... some power steering fluid will come out. Be sure to put a towel or something under the hose so the fluid doesn't get everywhere and don't pull on it all at once... just gradually work it loose so you can more or less keep control of the fluid coming out. The o-ring itself is going to be kind of hard to see since it's black. It'll most likely be stuck in the pump inlet. The fluid was still a little hot when I was working on mine, so I had to use pliers to get the o-ring out... came out fairly easily after some poking around to see where it was. After that, moisten the new o-ring with some new power steering fluid, insert it where the old one was, and slap everything back together. Run the car at an idle for a few minutes or even better... drive it around. You might not see results immediately. I had to wait til the next morning to see any kind of improvement. Had to top off the power steering fluid in the morning since some came out of the hose during the fix.

spidey07

Thanks for the info. My 04 has 200K miles on it and the power steering is making a god awful whine when you turn the wheel, especially when still or moving slowly. Thought it was just fluid level or the pump going bad but the recall might be it.

ABP_04TL

iTrader: (2)

i need to replace my O Ring aswell my P/S is whinning to much at cold start

xclusive1

is the recall still in effect?

xclusive1

will the acura dealership still cover the recall parts

NedShneebly

absolutely. Find the TSB or get a copy of the recall. Since it could "possibly" start a fire, they have to replace all that fall under the recall lot.

xclusive1

thanks will do it right away

ABP_04TL

iTrader: (2)

O-Ring ftmfw!!!

got it fixed no whining!!!

Kostyan

what is the recall name you guys are referring to? My profile on myacura.com says my car has had 04-08 TL Power Steering hose done, and I am not sure if this the same thing. My car has a noisy steering.

Will Y.

Then your car has gone through the recall, if it says it was done-- just make sure the profile says that the recall work was completed, rather than your call is subject to the PS recall.

HOWEVER, you may also want to check the hose end to see if the dealership tech used an orange O-ring at the end. The orange O-rings came with the recall repair kit, but a number of members encountered further PS noise when the techs re-used the existing O-rings rather than the new orange one when replacing the hose.
In such a case, the techs should replace the O-ring with the proper one to get rid of the PS noise.

techguy

My PS is starting to make noise too during turns. The dealership worked on the recall several months back. One morning it a much lounder noise that disappeared in a few minutes after driving. Don't know if the dealership will fix it since it did not have any problems before. The issue is it has been several months since they worked on it.

TLini

ima have to check mine!!!!!! just got my tl a couple months ago

spidey07

Don't forget to check your power steering fluid level. Low fluid will make it whine. And if it's low that means you might have a leak.

The reservoir is under the cover where your washer fluid is.

csmeance

the recall doesn't consist of just a washer being replaced, its a whole lot more work than that, here is the link to the work that needs to be done:
http://www.in.honda.com/Rjanisis/pubs/SB/b08-016.pdf

as you can see a whole bunch needs to be changed to ensure that a fire won't happen.

techguy

Ya. Level is fine. It made noise again this morning for about 7 miles then it was fine after that again. Acura of Concord already did the recall months ago.

corduroy

O-Ring... there was a TSB on it awhile back ago. You can normally tell if it's been replaced judging by the color of the ring.

NedShneebly

red = new
black = old

kali-k

funny how the same problems pop up. I am having exact same problem in my 2006 and thanks to the forum search!!!

techguy

I just made an appointment with Acura of Concord. My recall job was done June 2008. Now that it is cooler outside, the sound is happening every morning now but always disappears when the engine compartment gets warm. Hopefully I am not going to get into an issue of payment.