steering problem....
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Joined: Jun 2006
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OK Everyone,,, This is really interesting. I jacked the car so that I could get under the front left side and reach the TS (Tension Sensor) which is just behind the front left tire. You don't have to remove the tire if you can get the car high enough to fit under. Looking straight up without removing anything there is the TS and it faces towards the driver on the steering shaft. There is a DUST COVER that keeps dirt out of the TS and it's internal bearings. It just slides on with no threads. Slide it back up the shaft towards the driver and you will see the internal bearing. The purple grease on top of the bearing was very dry and very thick. I cleaned out the old grease with a wooden stick like a Popsicle stick that I trimmed down and shot some WD 40 to loosen up the old grease which seemed to help removing the old grease. The only grease I had is regular lube grease that you would put lube a cars fittings with. There is probably a better grease but I do not know what it would be. I have the manual and it just says a grease point and does not say what type of grease. So I smeared this grease into the bearing as good as I could and pushed down the dust cover. I started driving the car and there was not much difference for the first few miles and the wheel would still shutter but not as intense. As I drove the car the next 20 miles the problem has almost gone completely away. I guess the grease has to work it's way down into that bearing.
Just an FYI .. My car is a Yellow 2002 with 30,200 total miles and I have owned it since new. When I took the car into the dealership (which was the FIRST ever problem with the car they told me it was the TS and they could not find one in the inventory or anywhere other than a used part and could not install a used part due to Honda's requirements. They also said this problem was well known issue according to Honda's hot line but could not fix this issue, so just brought the car home with a $130 charge.
Sorry for this long reply but I know those of you who are having this problem are very frustrated (like me) and want all the information they can find about it....If I have any negative changes to the car I will post here..
Good Luck...
Just an FYI .. My car is a Yellow 2002 with 30,200 total miles and I have owned it since new. When I took the car into the dealership (which was the FIRST ever problem with the car they told me it was the TS and they could not find one in the inventory or anywhere other than a used part and could not install a used part due to Honda's requirements. They also said this problem was well known issue according to Honda's hot line but could not fix this issue, so just brought the car home with a $130 charge.
Sorry for this long reply but I know those of you who are having this problem are very frustrated (like me) and want all the information they can find about it....If I have any negative changes to the car I will post here..
Good Luck...
Sorry to reopen a thread... But it's starting to get cold again in my area (Florida) and i'm having this issue again. Just looking for an update on your fix, You attempted this fairly early in Jan 2017 it is now March 2017 are you still happy with the results? No more issues?
Thanks in advanced!!!
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 119
Likes: 5
From: Lighthouse Point, FL
Shokon
Shokon, No I have not had any issues. All is good!
It's hard to believe how bad it was shuttering and now nothing. Did you apply the grease? Next time I am under the car I'm going to reapply the grease again. Hard to believe it fixed it !!
Good Luck..
It's hard to believe how bad it was shuttering and now nothing. Did you apply the grease? Next time I am under the car I'm going to reapply the grease again. Hard to believe it fixed it !!
Good Luck..
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Joined: Jun 2006
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Thanks man!! im going to apply the grease soon hopefully!! if by any chance you happen to be under your car sometime soon could you try to take a picture of what i should be looking for? i really appreciate it!!
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 119
Likes: 5
From: Lighthouse Point, FL
Registered User
Joined: Jun 2006
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From looking at your picture and looking at mine are looking at the samething? I see where yours is lubricated and mine is dry as a bone... I just want to make sure I'm looking at the right thing haha
Or are you referring to this
Cause when you say to the right I'm not sure which side your standing on haha
:edit: NM it was exactly what you were looking at I just had to stop being a little baby and stick my hand down there... I didnt do it the first time cause i just got home from work so the car was still HOT... lol Im not sure how much grease you used but I worked a good bit on the bearing then drove around the neighborhood a bit... Couldnt exactly reproduce the issue but it comes and goes... Will dive the s2000 to work tomorrow and see how it goes.
Joined: Dec 2001
Posts: 119
Likes: 5
From: Lighthouse Point, FL
Great .. thanks for your photos.yep that is it. The grease you see on my photo is on the outside of the unit just because I didn't get it all off. . Just to make sure, you did pull back the grease cap and then apply the grease? Correct? Then slide the cover/cap back down the shaft..
Please let me know how it turns out. It does take a few miles to get it all worked in.....Good Luck!!
Please let me know how it turns out. It does take a few miles to get it all worked in.....Good Luck!!
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Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 4
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Great .. thanks for your photos.yep that is it. The grease you see on my photo is on the outside of the unit just because I didn't get it all off. . Just to make sure, you did pull back the grease cap and then apply the grease? Correct? Then slide the cover/cap back down the shaft..
Please let me know how it turns out. It does take a few miles to get it all worked in.....Good Luck!!
Please let me know how it turns out. It does take a few miles to get it all worked in.....Good Luck!!
Registered User
Joined: Jul 2017
Posts: 7
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Yes sir i pulled back the dust cap and applied the grease. I will let you know as I put some miles on it. This morning it seemed to have happen VERY LITTLE and I mean VERY LITTLE! But have not really driven it much yet.
Is your EPS still having issues since you greased the TS a few months ago?
I just picked up a 2002 S2000 with 165k miles, and it was also having EPS issues. The steering wheel should shake and jerk when turning at slow speeds. Mainly when pulling out of and pulling into the garage. It was as if the electric assist would come on, then quit, then come on, then quit, then come on, then quit, etc., etc., etc. It kind of felt like the EPS wasn't able to keep up with me turning the steering wheel. I didn't notice any issues at high speeds though. I've only had the car a couple of weeks, so I don't know if the issue was any worse in colder temperatures. However, it didn't seem to make a difference whether the car was warmed up or not. The steering wheel would shake the same pulling out of the garage as when pulling into the garage after a long ride. Based on this thread, it sounded like the TS could be the culprit, so I tried greasing the TS before going for a full replacement. My arms are small enough that I was able to reach around several hoses to access the TS and cover/boot. I didn't have to jack up the car, but I couldn't see what I was doing while reaching down. I pulled the cover back up the shaft, and there was no grease at all. Under the cover was completely dry and dusty. I cleaned it up with a shop towel and isopropyl alcohol before applying a liberal amount of Valvoline general purpose grease from AutoZone. I pushed the cover back down and wiped us the excess. Then I turned the steering wheel to the left then the right several times while still sitting in the garage to work in the grease before going on a test drive. The result was immediate - minimal (if any) shaking, and it seemed to get better as I drove around. I'll keep and eye on it and report back in a few weeks if everything is going well, but so far it seemed to have fixed my issue. Thanks lachambers and shokon for the posts and pictures.