i have an 03 accord v6 (6-speed). its got 95k on it. i just took my car to the shop to have the O2 sensor replaced. the guy told me it was low on oil, however, i wasnt even due for an oil change. also, my power steering has been really noisy, so last week i filled it with power steering fluid to the full line. its still just as noisy. my mechanic said that honda's have to use honda brand fluid (even though it said nothing about that on the filler cap). he also said there was entrained air in the fluid and suggests a flush. any idea whats going on here?

 

I have a 98 accord. The PS pump got noisy on me at about 80,000 miles. I replaced it with a remanufactured from autozone--Lifetime guarantee on it. You have to use the Honda PS fluid. If you use regular PS fluid, it runs through the seals and you'll have leaks-- this being the case, I would suggest a flush if you mixed the two. Bleeding the PS system is relatively easy, you should be able to do it yourself.

As for the oil being a little low and him telling you that you need a change... hmm. If you are burning or leaking oil, Id carry around a quart or two in the trunk and just add it when you fill up for gas if you need to. Sounds like he just might be trying to make an extra 10 bucks.

Good Luck
Sean

 

i dont think hes really trying to screw me, hes a local guy my familys been using for years. my oil generally is low when it comes to changing it. but the manual calls to change it like every 7.500mi or something, not 3,000mi. its at 4,000mi now since the last change and he said it was 1-2 quarts low. seems odd, how could it be burning oil at such a young age!

ill look into flushing the fluid myself. i need to pinch every penny i can right now :/

 

Honda considers normal oil loss 1 quart per thousand and running it low will wear the engine. I was using synthetic in my 2003 EX and going with longer oil change intervals than I would have with standard oil. It blew up at a little over 100,000 miles. I believe if I had changed the oil around 3500 miles it would have minimize the engine wear as I never checked oil with no signs of loss. The oil light came on once which was in the 90,000 range and I started checking the oil after that. At that time it was going through one quart per 1500 miles.

Does your power steering have a leak as it may be getting air in the system? Is the fluid foaming?

 

1 quart per 1,000mi?!?!? WTF is wrong with honda?! ive never had a car that burned that much, thats insane. and if it is in fact designed to burn that much, why in God's name would they say to change it every 7,500mi? do you have any literature on this? I'd love to see Honda's explanation.

as for the PS fluid, my mechanic just said theres air in it. he said he hasnt seen any leaks anywhere and neither have i.

 

Any Honda dealer will tell you the 1 quart per 1000 miles is what they consider normal otherwise the amount of oil it would need to burn for them to warranty a motor repair. So far there are only theory’s why some(small %) burn oil. What happen on my 2003 EX everyone says is impossible. It consumed many quarts of oil in less than a 100 miles with no signs of loss, no oil leaks, smoke , noise or the oil light coming on. It did throw the code for the cam sensor a mile or so before it blew up. If you have air in the PS fluid you most likely have a leak. I learned from reading the post on here it doesn’t take much of a leak. You may want to check the PS pump for leaks.

 

you dont think it could have to do with mixing 2 kinds of PS fluid? my mechanic didnt say anything about a potential leak, but he also said he didnt see anything under the car...

 

If the fluid isn’t foaming which would indicate air getting in the system and the pump makes noise you are down to the pump and fan belt. I don’t believe the wrong kind of fluid will make noise but will shorten the life of the components especially the internal rubber ones such as seals.

 

Service Bulletin

April 3, 2009
07-086
Applies To: 2003–08 Accord V6 – ALL
2009 Accord V6 2-Door – From VIN 1HGCS2...9A000001 thru 1HGCS2...9A006883
2009 Accord V6 4-Door – From VIN 1HGCP36..9A000001 thru 1HGCP36..9A034106
Power Steering Moans or Whines During Cold Start-Up


SYMPTOM
A moan or whine is heard when turning the steering
wheel when the engine is cold. There may be air
bubbles or foam in the power steering reservoir. The
noise usually goes away when the engine warms up.

PROBABLE CAUSE
Air is entering the power steering pump through the
inlet joint O-ring. This causes bubbles to form in the
power steering fluid, leading to reduced pump
performance.

CORRECTIVE ACTION
Replace the O-ring on the power steering pump inlet
joint.

PARTS INFORMATION
Power Steering Inlet Joint O-ring (orange):
P/N 91345-RDA-A01, H/C 8811010
REQUIRED MATERIALS
Honda Genuine Power Steering Fluid:
P/N 08206-9002, H/C 3747284


REPAIR PROCEDURE



1. Remove the bolt holding the inlet joint to the power
steering pump housing.
2. Place a shop towel under the pump inlet joint.


3. Twist the inlet joint back and forth until it is loose,
then carefully disconnect the joint, and point the
hose upward to minimize fluid loss.
INLET JOINT BOLT
2 of 2 07-086
4. Remove the inlet joint O-ring.
5. Apply power steering fluid to the new orange
O-ring, and install it on the inlet joint.
6. Install the inlet joint, and torque its bolt to 11 N.m
(8 lb-ft).
7. Top off the power steering fluid, if needed. Start the
engine, and let it idle. Make sure that the noise is
gone (during a cold start-up) and that the system is
operating properly.

If your engine is consuming oil, you need to check it often, and add some when needed.

 

Thank you Nighthawk. I registered as a new member today for one problem and solved three. The only thing I haven't seen is talk about the reservoir overflowing. I assume this is caused by the air displacing the fluid or is there something else I should check?

I finally changed the o-ring and it was definitely the problem! getting ready to change the fluid and clean the screen in the p/s pump reservoir. Before registering here I was going to spend $130 on a new p/s pump...didn't know any better. 50 cents was a lot easier on my wallet.