P/S woes after pump rebuild
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2023
Posts: 4
P/S woes after pump rebuild
Hello everyone, new to the forum. I have a 2008 accord with about 140k miles, 2.4 EX. I recently went to rebuild my p/s pump and either made it worse or uncovered a new issue…
About two years ago i noticed the pump was whining, i was advised to top off the fluid, which i did, and the whine went away. After a couple months the whine came back and i again topped off the fluid but began to suspect a leak. I scoured the engine bay and all the lines and couldn’t see anything obvious. The whine came back one last time and i again topped off the fluid and the whine has never returned.
After another year the steering became harder but tolerable. Keep in mind i have a 94 miata with a powersteering to manual conversion and have been used to manual steering for decades. Nevertheless, the accord’s steering was tolerable but still noticeable.
I finally got a pump rebuild kit and spent the day rebuilding it. After putting everything back together i filled the reservoir to the top, thinking the system would be starved. Started the car and started turning the steering wheel. It was all but impossible to turn. The steering was extremely hard and i had to muscle it back and forth. After returning to the engine bay to check the fluid level i noticed a large amount had spilled out from the top of the reservoir. I figured i had not read the manual correctly during reinstallation of the pump internals and decided to take it back apart.
FYI the bottom key-way looking o-ring was torn and i suspected that was the cause of the problem that caused me to rebuild it in the first place.
After a second attempt the problem remains, very difficult steering. I put the front of the car in the air and turned the wheels back and forth many times, without filling the reservoir to the top. I noticed the reservoir fills quickly, then drains slowly and after several turns had less fluid. I added some and continued to turn back and forth. With the wheels in the air, the steering turns easily but gets stiff near either lock.
the way it stands now, the car is undriveble as the steering is so hard it’s a safety issue for my wife. I also have a leak coming from the top middle of the driver side inner tie rod boot. This was NOT present before.
i am at a total loss and quite depressed as what i thought was an easy job has turned into the car having to just sit!
Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated.
About two years ago i noticed the pump was whining, i was advised to top off the fluid, which i did, and the whine went away. After a couple months the whine came back and i again topped off the fluid but began to suspect a leak. I scoured the engine bay and all the lines and couldn’t see anything obvious. The whine came back one last time and i again topped off the fluid and the whine has never returned.
After another year the steering became harder but tolerable. Keep in mind i have a 94 miata with a powersteering to manual conversion and have been used to manual steering for decades. Nevertheless, the accord’s steering was tolerable but still noticeable.
I finally got a pump rebuild kit and spent the day rebuilding it. After putting everything back together i filled the reservoir to the top, thinking the system would be starved. Started the car and started turning the steering wheel. It was all but impossible to turn. The steering was extremely hard and i had to muscle it back and forth. After returning to the engine bay to check the fluid level i noticed a large amount had spilled out from the top of the reservoir. I figured i had not read the manual correctly during reinstallation of the pump internals and decided to take it back apart.
FYI the bottom key-way looking o-ring was torn and i suspected that was the cause of the problem that caused me to rebuild it in the first place.
After a second attempt the problem remains, very difficult steering. I put the front of the car in the air and turned the wheels back and forth many times, without filling the reservoir to the top. I noticed the reservoir fills quickly, then drains slowly and after several turns had less fluid. I added some and continued to turn back and forth. With the wheels in the air, the steering turns easily but gets stiff near either lock.
the way it stands now, the car is undriveble as the steering is so hard it’s a safety issue for my wife. I also have a leak coming from the top middle of the driver side inner tie rod boot. This was NOT present before.
i am at a total loss and quite depressed as what i thought was an easy job has turned into the car having to just sit!
Any suggestions or help would be greatly appreciated.
Thread Starter
Joined: Jun 2023
Posts: 4
Update
I believe i might have found the problem. I tried again this morning and with the car off, turned the wheels by hand with the front tires off the ground. When i turned them i heard what i can only describe as when you push jello through your teeth or bubbles in a straw. I suspected air in the rack. I removed both boots and out came a pool of fluid. I now suspect both seals have been shot.
is there a chance that i reassembled the pump wrong and blew out the seals or was this the source of the slow leak all along and with a new pump it’s just more apparent?
is there a chance that i reassembled the pump wrong and blew out the seals or was this the source of the slow leak all along and with a new pump it’s just more apparent?
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Jun 27, 2017 10:10 AM