KevinG.97CivLX

Overview

I recently purchased a 1997 Honda Civc LX and it has a power steering fluid leak. It appears to be leaking from the passenger side boot area or thereabouts. This has resulted in me adding power steering fluid ~every 25-50miles when the reservoir gets low. The car seems to function soundly as long as I make sure the fluid does not get too low. This is starting to get expensive and, I’m guessing, may have other negative consequences to the cars engine.

I have been doing some research and I am learning a lot but this has only resulted in me having even more questions. So I thought I’d post here and see what the professionals (and others) have to offer as far as help, insights, cures, ideas.

Questions

A. If the leak is coming from the boot can I repair/replace boot to fix leak or do I need to replace the whole rack and pinions?

• I’ve read that a new rack is ~$300-$400 and labor would be similar ($300-$400). Does this sound accurate?
• What can I do to more accurately diagnose cause of the leak and the condition of the rack?

B. Can I remove power steering all together?

This would be the solution I would prefer because I assume it would be the cheapest. Money is tight and I bought this car for reliability above anything else.

• Can I just remove the power steering belt to achieve this? or is there more to it?
• If I remove the power steering belt will I lose my A/C as well?

Any insights, information is greatly appreciated.

If more information about the car would help you to help me please ask and I will provide as much as I can ASAP.
If I posted this in the wrong place please let me know how to remedy.
I have tried to look but.....if this has been answered on another post feel free to point me in the right direction.

Thank you for your help!
Kevin

My Background

I am not very knowledgeable or experienced when it comes to cars and engines but I am very mechanically inclined. I do have experience with some general car maintenance (tire change/rotate, battery replacement, brake pads and rotors) and enjoy using tools and getting hands dirty.

mk378

The boots are just to keep dust out. There is another seal in the end of the rack that holds the fluid in. Most people replace the whole rack (rack needs to be removed from the car anyway if you wanted to try to rebuild it). R&R rack is not a difficult DIY job. You will need to have the toe-in alignment adjusted afterward.

You can disable power steering by removing the belt, but the wheel will be looser. The power steering pump has its own belt and it is on the outside of all the other belts.

bandit67

Kevin , I have changed several units on 93-95 models and would assume the next gen. would be about the same. Most folks just purchase a rebuilt unit from the auto chain stores for around 180 bucks, exchange. amazon does sell a seal replacement kit for under 40 bucks, but I have not installed one. They sell power steering fluid made special for Hondas. Some said using regular fluid will make the units leak ..........have no proof of that, but I do use the special for Honda fluid. You will not like driving a power rack with the pump not working. not safe in my opinion. "The engine swappers mainly install non power racks in place of their power racks as so not have to add pump into the swap. Now I have went to the salvage yards here and bought and removed used units and gotten many miles of use ........but also have had to change them again a year later for leaking. Now removing one from a salvage yard with the motor/tranny removed is a snap compared to drive train being in the car......but is not to bad a job with the right tools.

KevinG.97CivLX

Thanks for the response.

First I would like to try to just remove power steering and see how that feels before I spend money and time on a whole rack replacement. If I lose a little convenience, I can live with that.

I have located the power steering belt and watched a few videos on removal/replacement and I should be able to handle that, no problem. But besides the wheel being looser from removing power steering, will this have any other effects such as losing A/C or cause any unwanted wear or adverse effects to engine, suspension or any other component of the car?

KevinG.97CivLX

Thanks for the response.

I personally have only put the Honda specified power steering fluid in but I'm not sure if the previous owner has always done this.

"You will not like driving a power rack with the pump not working. not safe in my opinion. "The engine swappers mainly install non power racks in place of their power racks as so not have to add pump into the swap."

Does this mean that because my car is equipped with power steering I have a 'power rack' ? and that if I disconnect the power steering belt ( = 'the pump not working') then I will in turn make the car less comfortable to drive and compromise safety?
Does this mean if I want to have no power steering to remedy my issues with the leak I not only have to remove the power steering belt but I also need to remove the 'power rack' and replace with a 'non power rack'?

Thank you for your help.

bandit67

My son drove his 95 to my house yesterday with no ps fluid at all in the pump. His rack had been leaking for some time and he just ran out of fluid to add.. I started removing the power rack last nite and hope he has not burnt up the pump. If you have a power steering pump , you have a power rack. A manual rack has no provisions to hook up the hydraulic fluid hoses . You can disable the ;pump by removing the belt and still drive the car. It will take more effort to turn the wheels and while that is of little problem poking along slowly , having to make some high speed maneuvers at 60 or 70 mph safely can be a problem. While I am no expert on the manual verse non manual Civic racks, the manuals on other cars I have swapped came with different gear ratios . A manual steering box was a heck of lot easier to work than power unit that had no power, i.e. lost a belt. The power units on amazon and ebay are about 145 to 180 if you want both inner and outer tire rods. The manual units are about 115 exchange. All ways remember , the company spent millions of dollars, designing and building a "safe" , efficient car . When you add to or delete from their design , it is best to be fully informed as to the full effects of what you have done....safety wise.