2002 Civic LX power steering whine

[y_p_w]

I'm thinking that I need to do a flush of the PS system in my wife's car. It whines a lot on startup, mildly during driving, and back to loud again when making turns. I didn't think it was the belt, since in my experience belt whine tends to be intermittent.

I already bought 3 12 oz bottles of Honda Power Steering Fluid, but I never really checked the level until today. It was a little bit low (below the min cold line), so I poured a little in to being it up to the max cold line while it was warm. It seemed to make less of a whine once I started it up and tried a few lock to lock turns. My basic understanding is that often PS whine comes from the friction modifiers in the PSF being depleted, so perhaps adding some fresh fluid helped a bit at least until I can do the complete job.

I've done a service manual style flush on my '95 Integra GS-R. It was kind of painful to hear the pump groan from the lock to lock turns with the return hose disconnected. Then I used a funnel extension with a tapered end. That fit nicely into the return hose. I think I tossed that extension, so I need to go out and get something - maybe a vinyl tube. Anyone know what size works for a 2002 Civic LX? I have some a 1/2" OD and that seems a bit too wide. I was thinking maybe 3/8".

The position seems to be really lousy for servicing. It's right next to a belt, so I probably need to be careful to not spill fluid there or have it scrape anything like the hose or bottle. I wish there was a good place to place a collection bottle. I'll probably try and mostly seal the bottle to the hose with duct tape and at least keep a little hole so there's room for air to escape.

 

[davglt]

any bubbles in the fluid when running? if so might need to replace o ring in line connector

 

[y_p_w]

Originally Posted By: davglt
any bubbles in the fluid when running? if so might need to replace o ring in line connector

There was a little, but I think it was because the fluid level was low. I topped it off earlier to the max line, but after driving around the block I found the level low and with bubbles. I added some more fluid to the max line and now it seems to be stable with no new bubbles.

The car is over 10 years old with 65K miles. The fluid is pretty dark, but of course that doesn't necessarily indicate if it's in good condition. However, it's a lot quieter now that it's topped off, but I'm not sure if it's because the level was too low or if adding some fluid also replenished some of the additives.

 

[charbaby]

I have taken my Honda Power Steering Fluid Resiviors right out from beneath the hood and dumped them. Removing the lower feed line and letting it also drain. I have covered the feed line with a clean cloth and mildly blown into the line as to allow the remaining fluid to flow from the return line. You may need a helper to hold the hoses into a drain pan.

Reconnect the Resivior and feed/return lines and fill'er up with Honda Power Steering fluid while having the front end off of the ground and turn the wheels back & fourth allowing the fluid to travel throught the system prior to starting the engine. Only then, start the engine while haveing more Honda Power Steering Fluid ready to add to the resivior if needed.

This is just my own method of changing the P/S fluid in any car(if the res can be removed) especially Honda's

Or by dissconnecting a p/s line at a convienent place and allow the fluid to flow completly from the system. Then, go back to the beginning as each vehicle is different and the difficulty is depentent on vehicle.

 

[y_p_w]

Finally did it. I started first by using a turkey baster to remove some of the fluid in the reservoir. Return line came off (paper towel below) and barely dripped anything. My worry was that I was going to get PSF over the belt right next to the PS reservoir. I jammed 1/2" flexible vinyl tubing (didn't have much but thought it was enough) into the end and tried to tape down a collection bottle to the inside of the fender and taped down the tubing to the side of the bottle.

It worked and I could see the fluid (nice brown color compared to the pale yellow of fresh fluid) coming through the tubing. I tried lock to lock a bunch of times until I couldn't see much coming out. It didn't have any massive groaning noises like I remembered from my Integra. The tubing did shoot out partially but the end was still in the bottle and nothing sprayed out.

In the end it looked like I'd collected about .6 quart total. I'd previously added maybe a couple of ounces, which quieted the whine. Not sure if it was the friction modifiers or because it was low and there was air in the system.

It took about four times adding the fluid to the reservoir up to the max line until there was actually fluid remaining. The first few times it was dry. There were bubbles, but they went away. I've heard some people claim that doing this kind of flush/purge just can't be bled properly, but I found the air was gone quickly. Once properly topped off it was smooth and quiet. It required less effort to steer and might have even been quieter.

It's pretty easy to DIY, but there is the possibility of messing up - especially getting oil on one of the belts. I found a few drips that were easy enough to clean up. And the clamp probably needs to be put back on the hose the way it was. I think some people would insist on replacing the clamp with a worm-type screw-on clamp.

 

[charbaby]

Good job! Yes, things can get messed up but, we need to be carefull when doing this in particular. Cover the belts and be cautious. There are other ways to remover more fluid than only removing the resivior but, that involves climbing undearneath the car and disconnecting the lines to the rack. But, it can be done.

Now that you've done a complete job, keep up with it every couple of years or sooner. It's not hard and doesn't cost a fortune