High steering deadzone in 1994 Honda Accord

[lube_n00b]

Do you believe those metal pipes are contributing to the "deadzone" or do you see them leaking?

I doubt the transfer tubes are available anyway. They aren't for my '96.

I think the tie rods are the major problem. The leak in the power steering is pretty bad that it leaves a small puddle overnight, I've had to leave a cloth under the car.

I'm just asking if it's good insurance. Wondering if metal pipes are reliable enough to reuse or if it's better to just replace them so I don't have to go back in there later down the road.

Also, it looks like the outer tie rods are discontinued for the 94 accord. So I'll have to find a good aftermarket replacement.

 

[ecotourist]

I'd do that but I just learned how to drive manual and I don't want to send the car over the ramps

I've driven manual transmission cars my whole life and I still have a spotter when driving onto ramps. Going off the ramps on the high side would be a disaster.

I also use a tape measure to make sure the ramps are parallel. You set the ramps right in front of the wheels and more or less straight. I actually push them right up against the tires. You measure the outside span of the ramps right in front of the tires, then adjust the ramps so the outside span is the same at the top. Even when they look like they're straight they're sometimes off as much as a couple of inches.

 

[Bill7]

I used to own a 1997 Honda Accord EX (same generation as the 1994). It was the best handling car I ever drove.
The balancer shaft made the engine so smooth.

I loved that car. It had the most "fun" per mile of any car I've owned.
I really like the Honda dashboards/speedometer clusters from the 1980's and 1990's.
Just fun to look at. The car was exciting to drive, handled very nimbly.
I looked forward to driving it every morning.

Was the biggest mistake I ever made to sell it (with about 130k miles on it).
Those cars could go 300k miles easily.

 

[Dave9]

Fair enough, however it seems like there's some metal pipes back in there too. Would it be wise to replace those? or just the rubber hoses where it's leaking at the seams?

Lookup the steering hoses for your model year, the pressure side has the metal fittings built on so it is replaced as an assembly, while the return hose is just a piece of hose.

1994 HONDA ACCORD 2.2L L4 Power Steering Pressure Hose | RockAuto

RockAuto ships auto parts and body parts from over 300 manufacturers to customers' doors worldwide, all at warehouse prices. Easy to use parts catalog.

www.rockauto.com

1994 HONDA ACCORD 2.2L L4 Power Steering Return Hose | RockAuto

RockAuto ships auto parts and body parts from over 300 manufacturers to customers' doors worldwide, all at warehouse prices. Easy to use parts catalog.

www.rockauto.com

If you mean that the metal pipes on the rack itself are leaking (due to rust or road debris impact?), then replace those or assess whether the rack is about shot as a new rack should come with the metal piping on it.

 

[lube_n00b]

Referring to these metal pipes here:

The rest are hoses and cooling lines
I plan to replace the hoses with Sunsong lines as I've heard good things about them. Not sure if they're still putting out quality products.
As far as tie rods go, I found some reasonably priced Sankei 555's for inner and outer.

 

[researcher]

Referring to these metal pipes here:
View attachment 137637
The rest are hoses and cooling lines
I plan to replace the hoses with Sunsong lines as I've heard good things about them. Not sure if they're still putting out quality products.
As far as tie rods go, I found some reasonably priced Sankei 555's for inner and outer.

I have the sunsong brake lines plus friends have used sunsong, good stuff, and that's a recent report..
and sankei 555's are good as well, looks like you're getting some good quality parts!

 

[dishdude]

It sounds like this car needs a lot of work. Before you get too deep in, is it worth it?

 

[lube_n00b]

It sounds like this car needs a lot of work. Before you get too deep in, is it worth it?

I don't intend on using it as a daily driver. It's more of a project car for me right now.

I don't think money used on the chassis is wasted because if the driveline goes out I can always replace that stuff with junkyard parts or attempt to rebuild it(and maybe turbo?). There's plenty of civics and accords in the 94-00 range sitting in junkyards over where I'm located. It's just a hobby or 'money pit' of mine, the return is the fun and experience.

I do intend to be gentle with the current engine and transmission to see how far it'll go, fun little experiment.

I paid 750 for the car itself and the recent tune ups probably have me near a grand. So it's still been cheap!

 

[mk378]

It should get much easier to turn the wheel (and less "deadzone") with the engine running than with it stopped. If there's no difference from running the engine, the power system isn't working at all.

Inside the car, take the plastic cover off where the bottom of the column meets the floor and observe that the input shaft of the rack turns instantly when the steering wheel is moved. There are a bunch of u-joints and a couple of clamped connections that can be loose.

Then you really need to do an inspection from underneath. The rack itself is a lot more prone to leak than the lines.

 

[lube_n00b]

It should get much easier to turn the wheel (and less "deadzone") with the engine running than with it stopped. If there's no difference from running the engine, the power system isn't working at all.

Inside the car, take the plastic cover off where the bottom of the column meets the floor and observe that the input shaft of the rack turns instantly when the steering wheel is moved. There are a bunch of u-joints and a couple of clamped connections that can be loose.

Then you really need to do an inspection from underneath. The rack itself is a lot more prone to leak than the lines.

I'm going to hit it with a top down approach. It probably wouldn't hurt to replace the hoses anyways. The thing is, the hoses behind the engine are all drenched. The puddle isn't coming from straight under the power steering rack or the control arms right under it. The only thing slightly behind the rack itself are the hoses. So I'm going to replace those first and then assess the steering rack when I do the tie rods as those need to be done anyways.

Good advice on the steering column, I'll check that out soon.

 

[brages]

I think you can get fan clutch wrenches from Autozone loan a tool that will fit if you want to adjust the play in the rack.