Accord '04 - ~185k
1st replacement - only replaced because I had replaced the water pump, serpentine belt, belt tensioner as part of maintenance. Also flushed the steering pump fluid and replaced with honda steering fluid.
..... 2 months later
2nd replacement - Daughter was complaining about noises and steering difficulties. Upon further investigation I could see the pump seizing when i turned the steering wheel from left to right at idle. After removing the pump and pully in preparation for putting on pump #3, i could see that the spindles that held the pulley had been grinded away and there was very little teeth left.

Question: What could cause the pump to seize intermittently and enough force generated to grind the spindle down?
......1 month later
PENDING 3rd replacement - I am seeing similar symptoms in that when I look at the pulley i can see metallic dust building up and my daughter has advised that there is intermittent sounds accompanied with difficulty turning.

Is it time to take it out to pasture? It has definitely served her well.

 

Are you buying pumps from Honda? Aftermarket pumps are garbage. Even used factory pumps from a wrecking yard would be a better option than the aftermarket made in China junk.

 

Thx for the response - both pumps were purchased from Advanced Auto. At this point, I don't have an issue going OEM but still baffled with regard to back to back failures. My logic (that includes very little auto mechanic experience) is finding it difficult to get onboard a repeat offender type scenario. I wan to make sure that all due diligence on my part is complete before proceeding with #3. Thanks again for the response.

 

Here is a link to RockAuto with a list of all the power steering pumps they offer for your '04 Accord. I selected the 2.4L, 4cyl model, if you have the V6 then obviously change the selection.
They offer both remanufactured and brand new pumps for reasonable prices by reputable brands. A new pump by CARDONE or ULTRA-POWER should be of good quality.
RockAuto.com - Power Steering Pumps - 2004 Accord 2.4L 4cyl

Are you using Honda brand or Honda make specific power steering fluid? It is almost a 100% necessity to use Honda compatible fluid, the seals and valves in the pump are very sensitive to the type of fluid and using generic fluid will cause problems. Just an fyi.

 

Thanks Accordian47, i am definitely using honda fluid - while looking at the inventory and prices at rock auto, i decided to contact my local honda dealership and get a quote for their part.... $572 with $75 core charge. Talk about sticker shock. Quality definitely costs.

 

I got my power steering pump for my 2001 Prelude from AutoZone, ended up having to get one twice, first one leaked fluid. The majority of the chain store auto parts places offer crap parts and if the re-manufactured, forget about it.
The one in my car now is from there though and it has lasted a couple years. If you want OE quality there's no substitute for Genuine OEM Honda parts but like you've discovered, the cost is high. I honestly would just spend the $ and try getting one from RockAuto.com. You can select a "new" part made by a decent company and take a chance, worst case you can send it back but its labor and time lost.