89 Accord power steering problem

I have an 89 Accord SEI, fuel injected that started leaking fluid from the
power steering pressure hose. It was about in the middle of the radiator
area. I bought a replacement at Auto Zone and after much struggling I got
the new one all hooked up and the fluid topped off with Honda type.
I fired it up and drove it around the block. At first it was jerking the
steering wheel and power assist was intermittent. I tightened the belt and
got rid of the jerking. I then jacked up the front end and turned the
wheel, lock to lock about 20 times with engine off to bleed it. That helped
some but I ended up with power assist to only a right turn of the wheel. I
did the bleeding again with the engine running. I had a lifetime warranty on
the pump so changed that. Same problem.

Does this sound like a pump problem or maybe a stuck valve in the rack and
pinion, (which worked fine before changing the pressure line). I also would
like to know what affect the little screw-in sensor in the pressure line
does and could that be causing a problem? The steering worked absolutely
great before the changing of the hose.

I need to use the car tomorrow and have read here and there, that the belt
can be removed and car driven. Is that OK to do? Won't hurt the rack and
pinion and is safe?

Thanks for any replies.

 

Sounds like you got a bit of dirt in the system, which then ended up in the
valve body under the rack's gearbox. That dirt is preventing one or both of
the control valves from sliding freely. Luckily, the valve body is
accessible separately from the rack.

No problem at all with the rack, but your steering is going to be awfully
heavy. PS gearing is different from manual-steering gearing.

 

What screw-in sensor? You mean the one that goes to the transmission
housing and has two hoses?

 

Yeah, it sure does sound like that's it. After fighting to get that metal
part of the hose down behind the engine and to the rack, I must have scooped
up some crud. It was about midnight and out in the driveway ... got tired,
lazy and stupid and didn't crank some fluid through the hose. Do you think I
will be able to take that apart now, clean and reassemble without having to
order some new O - rings and gaskets? I replaced the rack and pinion about
10 years ago when I first got the car.

This car (SEI) has a different parts listing for the hose than the DX and
others. The hose for them was about $30 and this one was about $90 and has a
fitting in the metal part of it just about where it gets to the firewall. It
is a threaded thing that has a sensor of some sort, screwed into it. The
sensor has two wires coming from it and going into a harness to who knows
where. My Honda books don't show it and make no mention of it. It's not the
speed sensor with the hoses.

 

Is there any way to back flush this thing or some way to get the crud out
without taking it apart?

 

Do you have 4-wheel steering? The sensor may have to do with 4WS.

I've never actually had to do that myself, but when I study the diagrams,
it looks like you'll need to remove the valve body and basically rebuild it
in order to do a proper clean. That would mean pulling it apart, cleaning
it thoroughly, then reassembling. It doesn't look that difficult, actually
(assuming the dirt's all in the valve body and hasn't migrated anywhere
else...).

I'm not at all sure I'd want to try just flushing the dirt out. I'd say
there's a good chance you'd leave something behind, which would eventually
score and scratch various precision parts, eventually leading to a
destroyed rack and valve body.

 

No 4-wheel steering. I aired the front tires up to 38 and removed the belt.
My son drove it to school, about an 80 mile round trip, and said that the
check engine light came on when he was about half way home. That leads me to
believe that it's a sensor to tell if the pump has any pressure. It sure
took its time about it, though. I'll check it for codes later today.
Well, got lucky ... removed the controller and took the cap off of the end.
The (O) ring was fine as was the large one that goes around its base for
attachment to the rack. I removed the springs, slider valve, do-dads and
Jesus pins and springs. I hosed them all down with WD-40 and slid them all
back and fourth dozens of times and put it back together. It's working just
fine now and no leaks. Knock on wood ...

Thanks Tegger, for the replies and help.

 

..

You're welcome. Glad it's fixed.

 

When steering fluid on my Accord was bleeding, I also spent a lot of time trying to figure out what the problem was. Finally after certain job done, I discovered that one hose was slightly worn out, so replacing one with a brand-new aftermarket one worked for me. I thought of purchasing one from Honda first, but the prices there fly!