How to replace high pressure power steering line on 2002-2006 Acura MDX 

You keep saying this is not the best video, your video is excellent. You did a very good job, in dealing with close quarters and a low light situation. Nice job

What a pain. Could have never done this without your video. Thank you! Tried to avoid loosening driver side mount, no way, that's a must. Toughest part was lining up flare nut so as not to cross thread. I cut the box end of 5/8 12-pt wrench to make a tubing wrench out of it (Gates replacement). That helped a lot.

I completed the removal and thought I would add some information. I did drop the subframe about 1/2-1inch. the 10mm bolt holding the line on the passenger side was rusted in place and i Had to use a sawzall to cut through the bracket and free the line. The 10mm bolt in the middle of the subframe came out easily with the harbor freight flex head ratcheting wrench. i did crush the metal PS pressure line with vise grips, but I still could not cut the line with cutters that fit in the small area. I ended up holding a hacksaw blade in my hand and reaching down and cutting for 15-20min till through. lastly, pay attention to the angle of the ratchet and extensions; i thought they were coming from the passenger wheel well, but they are actually coming down at about 45deg angle from top of passenger side engine compartment, towards the rear, I had to use a 24in breaker bar with 2-3feet of extensions and an impact wobble(dont use regular chrome, it will break) on a 19mm deep socket to break it lose. I also took off the PS return hose, and will probably replace it. I may also need to remove the return hose nipple because it seems like it would interfere with tightening the pressure line. lastly, I have changed the PS pressure line on an 02 mdx. in the end i needed to pull the whole rack because I was not able to align the PS pressure line nipple with confidence and did not want to cross thread, so that is always an option for this too. which would also result in me changing the rear motor mount as well since everything is accessible

“I know this isnt the best video” no it is, really. Thankyou !

Great video and good explanation, I am having that issue with my 2003 mdx, this video was very helpful

I was able to move enough stuff out of my through the back and get plumbing cut tool and then just put a 19 mm socket on the fitting and it broke free pretty easy..I didn't run the new lines through the mounts...just a beater with a heater

Thank you for this video. Took mine to a shop because it was leaking like you said. They tell me they couldn’t get the line off so I end up doing this myself in my driveway. Thanks!

I truly appreciated this video i did this job in winter outside in the parking lot, i used a 19mm rench and slowly loosend from the rack and pinion for about 30 min because i couldn't cut that line for the life of me 😂the hardest part in this job was putting those retaining clasps back on, its truly impossible if you dont lower the frame a bit, took me about 5 hours in total on and off in 2 days, but i definitely couldn't of done this without your video really appreciate you mang👊🏾

20:26 - Me, everytime I work on a car. Thanks for the video.

Just some comments: This video is very helpful and I appreciate the info disseminated by the poster. BUT(!) this is a very difficult job to perform for the novice and you might want to think twice about trying yourself as opposed to taking to a Honda dealership. I was able to drop the hard line in from the top side after introducing about two dozen bends to the part I bought so that it could slip into place. Getting the old hose out was a chore. I had to use a small hacksaw to cut the old tube, then use a socket and breaker bar to free the fitting. Plus, I had to remove the outflow fitting in order to get enough play to allow me to tighten the inflow fitting. At the end of the day, I had to cut a a 17mm wrench in half to tighten everything down nice. Also, keep the old fitting to thread into the rack as that will help show the orientation of how the new fitting needs to fit in. Mine wasn't visually square from the topside, so seeing how the old fitting fit was very helpful. I'll never do this again.

WHY DIDNT YOU SHOW US THE VIDEO OF INSTALLING THE LINE BACK INTO PLACE !

You did a great job brother don't sell your self short Awesome job brother

Dumb question, but is it possible to just replace the hose where it is leaking?

I did the replacement too, and it was extremely difficult to work with the tight spot. I should have taken it to the shop . Then again I know better not to do it myself 😆

Hi thanks for the great video but I don’t have the suck machine so how I can remove the fluid.

Hey RB! Your vids have been very helpful. Couple questions. I am replacing the pump and high pressure line. Maybe intermediate pipe and other hoses but they look ok. My 2002 MDX has 2 belts. One for PS pump. Do I need to release the serpentine belt in order to slip off the PS belt? It has a tensioner (long bolt/nut). I can remove the nut without loosing belt tension but not sure if the bolt itself moves? Couldn't visualize anything but didn't remove that small bracket. 2nd question my pressure line where it's metal pipe has 2 bushings (look just like sway bar bushings but much smaller. Seems to be a 10mm bolt to release it. Not sure how to access the bolts. Really tight. I don't know if I can remove the crossmember and get em or maybe have to go from the top? Really appreciate any assistance!

Just did this job, no fun at all. Customer had been dumping power steering fluid in for over a year, it was one greasy pig by the time I got it.

Very good video! Keep up the good work.

Thanks for taking the time to record this. Btw you did a great job with the camera especially showing the hose connection to the rack.

Thanks for the video. I was able to get the new line in with simply removing the exhaust shield (only 6 bolts I think) and I did not have to drop the frame. Nor did I have to bend the line at all. I did have to buy a set of crowfoot wrenches and stubby wrenches to tighten the nut to the rack and pinion though. What a pain in the arse though. If I did it again I'd get some quotes for a shop to replace it and if it was under maybe 700 bucks I'd have them do it.. For whatever reason the high pressure line for the 2005 mdx is like 3 times more ($130ish) than most of the other similar looking lines, and I even called around to the different part stores.

Continuation of the previous comment. I was able to snake the replacement line through. it took me about an hour. I also removed the return line nipple and that was crucial for me to be able to tighten the pressure line. I was not able to reattach the 2 places underneath where the 10mm screws retained the line, and i used zip ties, hope they work long term. I also replaced the return hose, it was simple, about 3 ft 3/8in hose cost me $15.. i was not in a position to quibble about price. i was able to thread the pressure line nipple without a concern about cross threading.

I need to do this to a 2008 RDX. Is it pretty much the same or is the design different?

Thank you!!! I went to 2 old skool top mechanics and they couldn't figure it out!

would have been nice to see how you worked the new line in

Nice video. I have a 08 Pilot. The steering is not that light as other Pilots I drove. I changed the pump from 1A auto still nothing. Do you think that the high pressure hose can make the steering stiff even if not leaking?

Do you have a link of where I can get the power steering line? I have a couple websites I looked at, but just want to make sure it's the same

we can’t the the line out? all bolts/clamps are off and can’t push the line through to even get out of the engine ?? help please!

Get you have to replace all the power steering hoses or just the 1?

Hey RB how long did it take to replace the line?

Great job! Thank you.

Do you know the size of the rubber hose portion of the high pressure hose?

I did yesterday to mine pilot was 7 hours to finish. It's so difficult but I did it

Hey i have a 2008 acurs tsx with a power steering issue i hear this rattle noise coming from the high pressure hose i i try to replacing the power steering pump but it wanst that i flushed power steering fliud with reservoir and o rings and oem honda fliud but rattle is not going away i dont see any leaks i pretty much checked every thing could it be a that the high pressure switch is bad ??

Wow thank you very much for your video

What specifically did you use to cut it ? Been trying with pliers but it won’t cut

You’re awesome dude thanks for the video 👍👍👍

I just did this job on my 03 mdx and had to drop rear of subframe about 1.5 inches otherwise no way to get the line out.

Are the bottom line brackets necessary to put back on? What's the consequence of forgoing that step?

Frame bolts you only took off the driver side? Completely or a little im on a mission with this job my brother thanks for the video fr tho

Getting the line out is a bitch. I was hoping to see an easier way to remove and install it, but this video is useful.

How would it cost for a ship to change the high pressure line? Just looking for a general quote so I know what to expect.

What brand pressure hose did you use? I bought Gates and it has 16mm flare nut instead of 19mm like OE, I have spent 3 days trying to align it, it’s not going in. Dropped the subframe front and back about an inch, does not help, back is hanging down about an inch and a half and that’s it. I can’t tighten the nut, frustrating... thinking of yanking it back and going with the dealer part.

Im doing this job right now as of writing this comment and that hose gets stuck so easily its super frustrating. Been on this for like 4 hours now

A cutter?

How much would this repair cost?

Thank God. I was not wanting to pull a sub frame.

Nice video..❤

thanks

RB I’m going in on this job Saturday. 2006 Honda Pilot EXL. Is it as hard as they say?

I been wanting to do this ..,i have 2001 mdx is it going to be the same procedure ? And also you have mentioned that when you are in the process of putting that new hose in there you loosen that 2 bolts on the subframe did you do this before removing the old hose or just loosen it to have room for removing the old and putting the new one on..ill be doing this in a week my self it will be put on a jack stand ..another question how far did you loosen that 2 bolts on the driver side subframe? ...,im afraid its going to fall off ..,thank you in advance

I'm having trouble finding the part. Any suggestions?

Try using a red laser bro in tight spots

How long took you real time ?

⭐

Thanks for making the video! A few questions & comments. First, could you please state in your videos how long the job took? You are obviously a skilled mechanic and if this is a 4 hour job for you, the average person would be looking at a day...having that information to decide whether to attempt the job or not would be very helpful. Also, I would have liked to see the camera angle from 11:00 mark at the 15:26 mark - to be able to understand how it should really look when flush. And is this a job you would even attempt without a lift? What if you only had ramps? You indicated loosening the frame bolts and on ramps, well.... Finally, could you add torque specs to the description? I understand you pros can do it all "by feel", but I prefer to have the specs to make sure I get everything correct and don't create more headaches. Thanks again!!!

Those 2 10mm bolts that hold the damn line I can't get a socket or wrench on them 🤬 I got the passenger side off after 12 hours

Nice video. I have a 08 Pilot. The steering is not that light as other Pilots I drove. I changed the pump from 1A auto still nothing. Do you think that the high pressure hose can make the steering stiff even if not leaking?