My friend has a 06 TL and it's hard to turn the wheel when the car is stopped, as i turn it left or right it gets harder to turn. He also told me he added power steering fluid, but he didn't put the recommended Honda/Acura fluid, i don't know if this affects anything.

The pump is not leaking and neither is the rack, i haven't worked on any TL's so i don't know if it is a common problem with these cars, i wanted to flush the system and add the proper fluid but i wanted to know if i can get some help/tips on here first, and i did try the search, all i get is iPhone and worthless info from the search, thanks.

 

I have a '06 too and I am kind of getting the same problem. The steering wheel is a little tight (in the morning while it's cold), and it makes a like a whining noise. I'm still trying to figure out what's wrong.

 

On my friend's car the wheel gets stiffer as i turn left or right, the further i turn the wheel, the harder it gets.

 

There is a recall on the power steering assembly. My car used to make that crazy noise in the morning too.
Even if not leaking fluid...the steering being hard has to be related. Call the dealer with your VIN to make sure all recalls have been taken care of. It's covered and they'll usually loan you a car while they work on it.

It's not like my 91 civic hatch that had power assist and now power steering.

 

Description 04-08 TL POWER STEERING HOSE
Date 02/27/2008
Type Recall Customer Letter
Status Fixed

This is what it showed on the myacura site. Will they still fix it for free even though it's already been fixed?

 

thanks a lot i'll have him call the dealership tomorrow morning.

 

Well if it's still giving the same symptom I don't see how they could deny it. I'm sure they'll try but you can make it happen.

 

Replace the inlet o-ring with the new orange one.. if that doesn't work you'll eventually need to replace the pump.

-->DIY - Power Steering Whine Fix<--

 

I just bought the inlet o-ring just the other day. I'm planning to change it out when i find a chance to.

 

i had the recall done at my acura dealership, but am suffering from this same symptom. it's normal steering about 75% of the time, but when i need to make a tight turn into a parking lot or parking space when slowing down, the steering wheel gets really tight and is tough to turn! maybe i should call acura back and see what's up. anyone else having problems AFTER the recall service??

 

The TL has power assisted steering.. low speeds requires a little more effort, so I wouldn't worry about it. I suggest some dumbbell curls.



Here's a related thread:

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?p=11390484

 

It's normal for it to get a little harder. I'm guessing most people in this thead have never tried to park a car without power steering. Your forearms are in for a surprise.

If it's truly getting too hard, look for belt slippage or aerated fluid.

You stated you have the wrong fluid in there. Honda uses a thicker power steering fluid than other manufacturers and I believe it uses more zinc too. The pump may not be able to supply sufficient pressure at high load (turning while stopped) with the engine at idle rpms.

Next time verify by putting it in neutral and raise the rpms above idle and see if it lightens up.

And just so you know, you're not supposed to turn the wheel with the car stopped. It puts unnecessary stress on steering components and tire wear. Even a .5mph roll is much better than fully stopped.

 

^^^Good info and tips. The answer lies here.

 

Same thing happened to me, dealer replaced pump today, no problem anymore, turns great

 

I'm planning on calling Acura on monday to see if they'll do the recall for me for free. It's been done once already.

 

PS pump. Had on my 04. No noise, no whining, and no PS. Changed the pump works great.

 

Same problem here....dealer replaced the pump, belts, hose and after 15k miles same problem again....Don't know what to do...Had them check the rack they said it prob not the problem ....They said it could be the tires....Really getting frustrating???....Any ideas???