[Thedudenl]

Hi there,

I recently bought a HR-V and yesterday I noticed that when I turn the wheel when the car is parked with the engine running, I can hear a very soft noise in the car that is not really disturbing but i'm not sure if its normal.

It sounds like someone is regularly knocking on the bottom of the car very softly.

Is this the normal operation of the powersteering or mechanics?

Thanks!

Marcel

 

[Thedudenl]

BTW it is not a new one like in the banner here, it is a 2001 model HR-V

Marcel

 

[EricMartin]

You are not really supposed to turn the steering wheel when the car is parked. It puts a lot of load on the mechanism. You should at least be creeping slowly so the wheels can steer as they advance.

In all the cars I have driven, the power steering is totally silent. I suspect that if you hear a knocking there is a problem in the steering linkage. It is a 13 year old car ! You might prefer to live with the noise rather than undertake expensive repairs. If you know an honest mechanic, he might check if it is anything unsafe.

 

[Thedudenl]

Thanks Eric,

I noticed it when I used the wheel during parking, so technically it wasn't 100% still, but barely moving

Thats too bad, I was hoping it would be some kind of pumping mechanism or something...I guess I could go back to the dealer that sold the car and show it to him...

 

[hondaguy]

have you gone back to the dealer that sold you it to see what they can do?

 

[Red]

Job one, check power steering fluid levels... Fluid starvation can often manifest the same symptoms you described!

 

[hondaguy]

^ Yup that is key. Is it's low it's possible there's a leak. Just be thankful it's a new car and something the dealer will have to figure out.

 

[TrueNorth]

I'd just be afraid to take in a car to the mechanic that is that old in case they find something really wrong and it would be expensive to fix. Once the car is a certain age it almost makes more sense to get something new instead of shelling out to actually fix the car.

 

[vtec]

that's something to consider if it's a whole rack and pinion he has to get replaced and has other issues with the car.

any update?

 

[Thedudenl]

Hi there,

Thanks for all your help!

I was on holiday this week, my HR-v had a temporary engine check error P0171 but that was maybe because I changed the air filter with a very cheap one that looked a bit different from the original one?

I checked the steering fluid and it seems to be okay, a bit more than low level...

Today I replaced the oil and filter and was able to look at the steering mechanism, I noticed that there was greasy gray stuff in the area around the steering parts on the driver side, it had also greased up the dynamo, anyone know what it could be? It is not steering fluid i think because that looks pretty thin to me, not like the thick gray grease I saw...

On monday I will take it to the place that sold it to me, see what they have to say.

Marcel

 

[hondaguy]

Hi there,

Thanks for all your help!

I was on holiday this week, my HR-v had a temporary engine check error P0171 but that was maybe because I changed the air filter with a very cheap one that looked a bit different from the original one?

I checked the steering fluid and it seems to be okay, a bit more than low level...

Today I replaced the oil and filter and was able to look at the steering mechanism, I noticed that there was greasy gray stuff in the area around the steering parts on the driver side, it had also greased up the dynamo, anyone know what it could be? It is not steering fluid i think because that looks pretty thin to me, not like the thick gray grease I saw...

On monday I will take it to the place that sold it to me, see what they have to say.

Marcel

Any update on this?

 

[Thedudenl]

Hi there!

Yeah, I went to a Honda garage with it since they are specialized in this type of car. The good news is that the grease was not from the steering but from a leaking velocity joint rubber. The noise in my powersteering was not harmful, maybe just a cogwheel that is a bit worn out he said, he also put some extra fluid in the system.

Hopefully it wil not become worse, it is now a very subtle noise I can hardly hear.

Regards,

Marcel

 

[vtec]

At least it was just those, which sound pretty simple to fix if it has to come down to that.
Keep us posted on how it goes, hopefully it doesn't get any worse. Just make sure to keep enough power steering fluid on you. Those big 4L jugs work out cheaper in the end, especially if you know you might be going through a bit.

 

[Thedudenl]

Haha Vtec, I hope thats a joke, I don't even think there is a leak actually...since the grease I saw was not from the powersteering at all (maybe I didnt translate 'velocity joint rubber' correctly, I mean a part of the axes that rotate the wheels?)


The level of fluid was just not max so he filled it to the brim now (dunno if thats a good idea because it was leaking out of the drum after driving)


But the level before was certainly not lower than the minimum either, so maybe it was just filled like that.