Timing Belt and Powering Steering Problem

[wave9984]

Hi everyone. man i just found out about this site today and i spent like the last 5 hours reading. its great you guys are great!

I have a 2000 accord coupe v6. Following the guidlines i have more then enough miliage (108k) to change my timing belt. the problem is the people who did it werent very educated. I asked them to make sure they put in a real honda belt in so i went to check on the car while they were working and i saw oil all over the engine. looking under the hood it looks like it came from the power steering fluid and went all the way to the battery. When they finished my car was making some buzzing noise from the steering pump. and if i steer it gets louder. i told them about it and they said my pump is broken and it wasn't their fault. but the noise wasn't there before i gave it to them... well i took it to the dealerships and they said that they clamped the hoses with the wrong clamps and that my steering oil is leaking.
Can you guys explain the noise? and i have steering fluid all over the belt. i read somewhere that if oil gets on the belt it needs to be changed. what do you you think. do i need a new belt or what should i do about that. should i tell them to change the belt also?

thanks in advance. sorry i made it so long.

[Inspector1]

Yes I would have the belt changed.. If it has been fluid soaked it will degrade belt very quickly. Plus it may be slipping and causing the noise your hearing when turning.... Thats the best place to start.. Hopefully your pump is not damaged due to a low fluid condition..... As far as wrong clamps, I believe that Dealer is telling you that because the other shop didn't pull OE clamps on..
The only hose with clamps should be return line(low pressure).
As long as hose is not leaking or being cut by clamps that shouldn't be an issue.
Hope this helps
I1:)

P.S. Welcome to the forum......:D

[wave9984]

thanks for the fast response and the information inspector. =) well i took it to another shop today and they agree the noise is from the pump but cant tell why. i have no clue what to do with the belt. i doubt they will trade a new belt in. i'll probably report it to the BBB. they charged me $500 for the belt, water pump, and engine mount. deal or is that normal price?

on another question i dont konw if i should make a new tread but i dont to bug with too many so i'll post it here. i'm about to put another car in for body work. the door was dented and paint scraped so they are going to bondo it and paint it. is there some things i need to make sure with the place before i give them the car to do the work? and is there a difference in the the paint? do they do clear coats for this kind of work? and its just the door, i got an estimates between 1200 and 600. what would you think to be right ammount for this work?

[Inspector1]

From reading your post it looks like you thought I meant t-belt....
I should clarify that I meant power steering pump belt soaked and degrading and possibly slipping.....
On price for job... Not sure, Have only had done on I4 not V6 but from other post I've seen that seems fair... if done correctly....

On body work .. do you have written estimates with work to be done.... ie new door/LKQ door/re-skin door.. the cheaper price could be straighten and filler..... Painting should include Basecoat +clearcoat + tint and blend on surrounding panels...
If door is replaced with used/new they should have edge in to paint inner edges to match your color.... Is it insurance job?? That has alot to do with pricing also... Color of paint can affect price for bodywork(example-- red = most expensive)

[wave9984]

thanks i1! i didn't know they had a steering belt. how wierd. okay. well that leads me to another question. if you do the timing belt do you have to remove the steering belt or the steering pump? and thanks for the door answere too. i dont think any of them were going to replace the door it was all filler. and it wasn't an insurance job. my brother drove it into the wall at his appartment and we dont want insurance to get into it. its only scratched too i dont think we need a new door. thanks alot for yoru responses i1! very appreciated

[Inspector1]

Yes I'm sure they had to move pump... and all belts to replace
T-belt... When you look at V6 the pulley up top is the power steering pump... Hose running toward frt of car to ps reservoir... You will see that hoses to reservoir have clamps while hose to rear are crimp style -- like a a/c or hydraulic hose...
Hope that helps
I1
:)

[wave9984]

I1 you are an accord guru! a car genius! thanks.

[BenjiBoy650]

Well I don't know about the noise, all I can say is that I seem to have it too but appears normal. My steering is very heavy though, have you noticed a difference in the steering effort?

[Inspector1]

Thanks wave9984..
Just trying to help when I can......

I1:):

[wave9984]

yea benjiboy650 i totally agree.

inspector1 gave us this link on how the steering on the accord works http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jk/at_010327.htm
and it explains speed sensitive steering. and that could be the reason why it is harder.

i totally agree that it feels alot stiffer. i use to have the old legend like Wordsweb (and if he reads this i'm sure he'll agree) that the steering on that car was effortless. it made the car feel very luxurious. but i love driving my new accord too. if you read that link i agree its a great option to have (full power assist for emergency) and i use it alot on the freeway cause i like driving my car like a sports car but i dont see the difference with having that option with a looser steering. i would like it with a looser feel but i still love the accord.

[BenjiBoy650]

I kind of skimmed through the link because I kind of know what speed sensitive steering is. I remember my dad said his '86 Accord had speed sensitive steering because it was very light around town and became heavier on the freeway.

That doesn't seem to be so much the case on my Accord though. Since I started driving a manual, I've always tried to keep one hand on the shifter in the city, and I mostly drive city. So...I'm doing most of my driving with my left hand, and since I bought the car my left hand has grown noticeably stronger lol. If anything, it feels almost like it lightens up a bit on the freeway, but I'd say it's pretty close. If it does have speed sensitive steering, it doesn't seem to be working :bawling:

[wave9984]

yea. i dont really notice the difference on my car. it doesn't get any less stiff to me either. maybe mines isn't working properly. however mines not that bad cause i drive with my left arm only too and its never been that hard for me, just not as loose as i like it. :( hope its not a problem for you too. good luck with it ben.

[BenjiBoy650]

Originally posted by wave9984
yea. i dont really notice the difference on my car. it doesn't get any less stiff to me either. maybe mines isn't working properly. however mines not that bad cause i drive with my left arm only too and its never been that hard for me, just not as loose as i like it. :( hope its not a problem for you too. good luck with it ben.

It's not so much a problem as an annoyance or a pet peeve kinda thing. Driving with one hand, the heavy steering slows down my turning speed (ie my ability to turn the steering wheel very quickly), and I don't like that just for security reasons.