As the title says, I have an 01 Accord V6, and here is my problem.

when I first start the car, the steering is like turning a battle tank. It’s stiff and very hard to turn the wheel. After a few turns of the wheel i begin to hear this squealing noise. It’s fairly audible even for the slightest of turns and I’ll hear this throughout my drive. Now if I make a handful (more than 5) of turns or if I make a u-turn the squeal momentarily disappears, however after a few minutes of driving the squeal will return. Regardless of the amount of time driving that car, I near the squeal.

i have checked the power steering reservoir and there is a sufficient amount of steering fluid.


Hoping I can get some guidance and insights into correcting this problem

 

I would say that your power steering pump is bad/weak and in needing of replacement. It sounds very similar to what recently happened to me as well. It was screeching/squealing like it couldn't keep up with the driving. Replacing it cured the screech and stiffness issue.

However, a bad rack can be going bad as well. But since you don't mention any leaking, it is more likely the power steering pump.

When you do the pump replacement, I'd also suggest doing a flush and replacement of all the PS fluid while you are there. Who knows how old that stuff is in there

 

no leaks near the PS reservoir, but I did notice some spots in my parking spot. I thought it might be oil since I’ve had that issue in the past. Where would I look for leaks near the rack?

 

two parts to this answer in case I said it badly:

1 - Power steering pump doesn't have to have any leaks for it to be bad. Mine was not leaking, but I presume the seals or whatever else is inside just didn't produce the pressure needed to function, which is what i think yours is also doing. Only clarifying here since no leak doesn't mean it's not bad. Maybe you already understood that part and I am just misreading your response.

2 - The rack could leak anywhere along the hoses where they join with the metal hoses, the clamped areas start to leak. But, also the underside of the reservoir is another area that is easy to miss. And finally, the bellows or rubber boots often show leaking as it wears out. In my case, it was leaking from all those areas by the time I replaced it (I dawdled for a year before finally doing it).

Also, as extra advice, if the rack needs replacement (and lets hope it's only the power steering pump) then I would actually suggest replacing the whole set of hoses and clamps from the power steering all the way to the rack. It's a whole series of hoses and metal tubes. I say this because in my case it was like a new piece would get replaced, and I think the increased pressure just caused the next section to start leaking due to the age of the hoses. In hindsight, to me it was a mistake to think the old hoses would hold at this point (20 years) when everything else had failed (PS pump and rack leak).

Finally, the cheapest place I could get a good rack replacement was RockAuto. The OEM was (I think) at least $600+ and might have been as much as $900. RockAuto had a $300 one and you could send back the old one for $100. Fit perfectly and steering feels identical. But, again, let's hope its just the pump.

 

anyway to determine if it’s the pump?

 

Theoretically, but unless you have a way to test the pressure the pump is putting out, which I don't think most of have as a tool, it's easier to just swap it out.

Cheapest place I found for the part was here:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/POWER-STEER...72.m2749.l2649

It's what I used and it works just fine.

 

I would check the belt condition and tension before replacing the pump.

 

Good point, I presumed he had checked tension, but that's true, I think they can get loose if they weren't tightened down enough or the belt can stretch a little. There's also the possibility of fluid leaking onto the belt.

 

the belt is a little old, I do remember replacing it, but can’t remember how long ago. I will check the belt