Yikes

So I was changing my oil yesterday and I found a small puddle of power steering fluid under my left tie rod end.

For the time being it's just a small drip so I went to my local Honda dealer and picked up a bottle of Honda genuine PS fluid to keep the system topped off.

The only issue is that my inspection is up this month and in the state of Virginia, your power steering system can't be leaking in order to pass. I'm expecting the bill to be $900+. Any comments or suggestions? Perhaps there is just a seal that is leaking?



I've circled where the actual drip is coming from:

acutee

You need to pinpoint where the leak is from where you circled. You don't want to delay the fix as it could ruin your steering pump.

is it a hose leak, gasket leak, or pump leak?

Ernest72

For like 50 bucks you can change the hoses and get a new reservoir. I would do that if you intend on keeping the car.

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

It cost me $8 in oem seals to rebuild the oem pump (really just swap the o-rings)...I thought I had honey running down the side of my engine!

Been good for a solid few years now. Not too difficult to do either with a basic set of hand tools.

Good luck!

rockstar143

iTrader: (6)

double check it's not a hose though...i recall there being a compression fitting that wasn't tight enough behind the passenger wheel.

'm a 3G though...

ErickUa5

Have you changed the power steering fluid ?
If so did you use any other type of fluid other than "for Honda".
Try changing the fluid with new fluid, That eliminated the leak on my rack.
236k miles on the original rack so far.

Blackmateria87

@rockstar143 How long did it take you to rebuild the pump? I'm having a similar issue. I know air is getting into the system because there is bubbles showing up in the reservoir, and the pump is wet. Been looking into fixing this for a few weeks but want to be sure before I start.

01tl4tl

the pump o-rings are a well known issue, so are the hose connection o-rings
Get some grease remover spray and wipe up the mess
Ck all connections for tightness
Put the car on jackstands and have buddy turn the wheel all the way to one end of travel with engine at idle = that puts the most pressure on pump system
If a hose has a pinhole or anything else is still happening- that will force it to show up

Do not be driving with a ps leak allowing air into the system- you have to burp it when filling for a reason, cavitation of the fluid= foaming, and worse can occur. Foamed oil doesn't lubricate the pump bearings, and now you have a real expense~

O rings at back of pump are the commonly reported failure and cheap DIY