3rd Power Steering Pump Going In

Hmm late model too. I plan to start flushing like every 30K. I have done the turkey baster thing to keep the fluid in the reservoir refreshed but I don't think that is enough.

Given all that, I do find your fairly frequent failures unusual.

Probably just a gasket but the dealer gets paid on the pump. I'm on the original at 132k and changed the fluid once. Sounds good.

FASTFJR said:

Not a happy camper, just glad its covered. Had the first one replaced 14 months ago. Now with 78,500 miles it needs another one.

Click to expand...

If they are "just changing it" because they can & get paid for it under warranty, that's one thing. But if you have actually had 2 go bad, I'd be asking to get the entire system (rack & all) replaced. If 2 pumps have actually "gone bad", I'd seriously suspect contaminants from a badly wearing rack (or some similar contributing factor). Otherwise you've been astronomically unlucky to have two perfectly good pumps just fail w/o a specific underlying cause.

I'm just sayin'.....

I know in California, and possibly elsewhere, 3 repairs without getting to the cause of the issue would make it fall into "LEMON LAW" category & Honda will have to buy it back, Full price, my understanding.

Carsmak said:

I know in California, and possibly elsewhere, 3 repairs without getting to the cause of the issue would make it fall into "LEMON LAW" category & Honda will have to buy it back, Full price, my understanding.

Click to expand...

Knock on wood that is the only thing going wrong. The dealer said the could replace the gasket but they decided to replace the pump. Other than that the truck is great

Original pump here at 146k miles. Original fluid was changed at 110k miles due to a whining coming from the pump. Fluid was dark and nasty. Since then, I've sucked out the reservoir and refilled with fresh fluid at every oil change. All quiet on the western front since the original fluid change. Sounds like there's certainly another issue going on causing the pumps to fail. Has the dealer ruled out blocked lines, failed O-rings, air intrusion and a failing rack? Anything that inhibits the flow of fluid to the pump will cause it to fail prematurely.

IanRTL said:

Original pump here at 146k miles. Original fluid was changed at 110k miles due to a whining coming from the pump. Fluid was dark and nasty. Since then, I've sucked out the reservoir and refilled with fresh fluid at every oil change. All quiet on the western front since the original fluid change. Sounds like there's certainly another issue going on causing the pumps to fail. Has the dealer ruled out blocked lines, failed O-rings, air intrusion and a failing rack? Anything that inhibits the flow of fluid to the pump will cause it to fail prematurely.

Click to expand...

Yes, to all the above.....they think and hope what the put in 14 months ago was defective

Slider said:

Probably just a gasket but the dealer gets paid on the pump. I'm on the original at 132k and changed the fluid once. Sounds good.

Click to expand...

It sounds very good.. but assuming you did a full fluid change I am sure that has a lot to do with it.

FASTFJR said:

Yes, to all the above.....they think and hope what the put in 14 months ago was defective

Click to expand...

Let's hope. I would assume they filled the new pump with fresh fluid before starting the truck 14 months ago? If they didn't, you'd likely see premature failure. Those pumps aren't designed to run without fluid even for a few seconds.

FWIW, my PS pump has never given me any problems; leaks, noises, or otherwise. I DID however change (turkey baster style) the fluid a few months ago, after a long 10 years of no problems, which was EXTREMELY dirty. Thanks to those on the forum that provided the inspiration for that preemptive preventive maintenance. I've actually never done that on any of my cars in the past (except when I was changing out a failed PS pump LOL). I'll continue to watch for darkening fluid in the future. The real shame in me (or any of us) not doing this is that it is so extremely easy to do. Probably the easiest of any underhood task. Cheers!

It gets gummy very fast. I can't recall having similar issues on previous cars. Although I do remember using the turkey baster on some but in general PS was rarely a problem.

I have to say that the local Honda folks are on that with my RL..I think I've had mine changed out about 3 times in the 200,000 miles mine is about to log. They even showed me how discolored it was.

Question: do you turn the wheels "dry"? That is, do you have a habit of turning the steering wheel while the vehicle is stationary?

Ian Brantford said:

Question: do you turn the wheels "dry"? That is, do you have a habit of turning the steering wheel while the vehicle is stationary?

Click to expand...

Did not mean to jump into your question ... just for general info:

Some mechanics put newspapers under the front wheels so they turn easier.
Puts less stress on the steering linkage as well as keeping the system cooler.

Ian Brantford said:

Question: do you turn the wheels "dry"? That is, do you have a habit of turning the steering wheel while the vehicle is stationary?

Click to expand...

Never, I learned at a very early age never to do that.