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New motor - steering characteristics.

Well at least I'm not alone. I was going to book the car in for a thorough check but starting to think this is normal and therefore I think I'm going to leave it. Its a car that will do me for 1-2 years so ill maybe leave it at that. Did buy a set of fn2 alloys with Bridgestone tyres but also wondering whether I should sell them on and keep the ex standard. I love my sporty motors so love bigger wheels etc but as my downgrade was to pay off debt maybe I should leave it at that. Good car apart from the steering!!
 
Wilderman said:
Mine is hydraulic ps by the way
Click to expand...
are you sure, is there a hydraulic pump (and pipes to a reservoir) at the top of the auxiliary belt ?
From what I can tell in the Honda Workshop DVD, all the 7th gen 2.0 have EPS.
What year is your car and what level of trim ?

edit: I've had a look on the DVD again, it seems that the 2.0 has either EPS or hydraulic
 
As per edit above, the 2.0 can have either EPS or HPS

I also put "steering" into the search on the DVD (with CL7 selected), and the following descriptions with "trouble-shooting" symbols come up in a list of steering maintenance work and steering issues

- "shock or vibration when the steering wheel is turned to full lock"
- "steering wheel will not return smoothly"
- "uneven or rough steering"
- "steering wheel kicks back during wide turns"

The problems above are HPS issues, not EPS. Here is the common list of things ***ociated with all the above

- check the rack guide adjustment
- check the drive belt for slippage
- check the power steering pump fluid pressure
- check cylinder lines for deformation
- check for air in the power steering system due to air entering inlet side of pump
- check for low fluid level in the power steering reservoir due to possible leaks in system
- overhaul the steering gearbox
- check upper and lower ball joints for binding


So check on your 2.0 if you have a hydraulic pump at the top of the auxiliary belt (it has a pipe running to a reservoir)
 
Yes mines definitely hydraulic. Its a 2003 2.0 Sport. That's a long list to check but thanks for putting it up Freddo. I guess it's not the sort of thing Honda would check during a service or MOT.
 
Wilderman said:
I guess it's not the sort of thing Honda would check during a service or MOT.
Click to expand...
that's true, service only checks the PS fluid level, and change it at certain intervals I think
 
I've owned mine for just over a year and replaced rtb's both front lower arms, tyres,two wheel bearings and had alignment done twice. It's even been to one Honda dealer and an Indy but nobody can find any component fault yet the car still drives poorly (compared to others I've had) wanders about especially on poor surfaces, steering goes light on hard bends and the worse is the steering wheel being kicked out of my hands over bumps.
I've got use to it though and have accepted that it's a cheap car that will hopefully last a while as the engine and gearboxes are quite strong. I've since bought a "toy" to actually enjoy driving once in a while.
 
Just to add, I worked for Honda when these were new and never found a problem with the steering (unlike the civics which were few and far between) which to me points to age/mileage related wear on something but as Mentioned before I've given up caring!
 
I replaced everything up front on mine recently and it doesn't wander at all.

Inner and outer track rods were slightly worn, but not enough to be concerned.

When I had my Subaru, I changed the track rod ends too to stop the wandering feel. When they were off the car, as with the Honda, you'd swear they were fine, but it was just enough to feel it over a catseye despite the fact the car wasn't moving sideways significantly.
Just felt like there was a light cross wind all the time. Same with the accord.
 
I bought my Accord in January 2006, 54 reg, 12k miles at the time. It tram-lined really badly, and when it was due for its service I complained about it, but they said that on a test-drive there was nothing wrong. Well it still continued to tram-line until the front tyres started to wear out (I wore them out very quickly) The tyres were the originals from the factory ...Yokohama. I put Michelin PS3's on the front, and the car was transformed. When I looked at the Yokohama's on the back, the profile was almost square, but I kept them on the rear as they didn't seem to affect the steering (note that my car is the Tourer, so there is no multi-link suspension on the back).

What I would say to anyone with this issue, if you're sure it isn't anything to do with the tyres, then you may have problems with the PS pump or the ball-joints or even the rack, as in the list in #34. Note also that, as stated, a service or MOT will not pick this up, and from my own experience, a dealer technician may not notice it if he test drives it.
 
what sort of symptoms would a naff p/s pump or rack provide? Maybe unrelated but I popped the bonnet the other day to check oil/ water and the resovoir for the p/s had jumped off its support and was nearly fouling the alternator belt !
 
here is the PS troubleshooting guide (click to get full size)

cross-reference from column 1 to column 2, or vice versa

PS_troubleshooting.jpg
 
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