Steering Gearbox Removal/Installation

Steering Gearbox Removal and Installation

Special Tools Required

- Ball Joint Thread Protector, 12 mm 07AAF-SDAA100
- Ball Joint Remover, 28 mm 07MAC-SL0A202
- Engine Support Hanger, A and Reds AAR-T1256
- Engine Hanger Balance Bar VSB02C000019
- 2008 V6 Attachment Arm SIL02C000033
- Ball Joint Thread Protector, 14 mm 07AAE-SJAA100
- Subframe Adapter VSB02C000016
- Subframe Alignment Pin 070AG-SJAA10S
*Available through the Acura Tool and Equipment Program, 888-424-6857.

SRS components are located in this area. Review the SRS component locations Locations and the precautions and procedures Service and Repair before doing repairs or service.

Note these items during removal:

- Use solvent and a brush, wash any oil and dirt off the end of the steering gearbox. Avoid any electrical parts. Blow dry with compressed air.
- Be sure to remove the steering wheel before disconnecting the steering joint, or damage to the cable reel can occur.

Removal

1. Do the battery terminal disconnection procedure.

2. Raise and support the vehicle Service and Repair.

3. Remove the front wheels.

4. Remove the driver's airbag Driver's Airbag Replacement, and the steering wheel Steering Wheel Removal.

5. Remove the steering joint cover (A).






6. Loosen the upper steering joint bolt (A), and remove the lower steering joint bolt (B). Disconnect the steering joint (C) by sliding the steering joint into the column shaft (D). Tighten the upper steering joint bolt to hold the steering joint in place.

NOTE: Do not disconnect the steering joint from the column shaft.






7. Remove the center guide (A) (if equipped) from the top of the pinion shaft (B), and discard it.





8. Wrap vinyl tape over the splines on the pinion shaft.

9. Disconnect the hood support struts from both sides of the pivot ball (bolted to the hood). Secure the hood in a vertical position. Remove the right side pivot ball and install it into the lower threaded hole, then reattach the support strut.

NOTE: Do not attempt to close the hood with the support strut in the vertical position, as it will damage the support strut and hood.





10. Remove the left and right engine compartment covers, the strut brace cover, and the front bulkhead cover Front Bulkhead Brace Cover Replacement, then remove the cowl cover Service and Repair.

11. Remove the strut brace Service and Repair.

12. Remove the cotter pin (A) from the tie-rod end ball joint, then remove the nut (B) on both sides.






13. Disconnect the tie-rod end ball joint from the knuckle using the ball joint thread protector (C) and the ball joint remover (D) Ball Joint Boot Inspection/Replacement.

NOTE: Be careful not to damage the ball joint boot when installing the remover.

14. Remove the power steering heat shield (A).






15. Disconnect the EPS subharness 12P connector (A) and the EPS subharness 3P connector (B) by pushing the lock (C) and pulling up the lever (D). Wrap the connectors with vinyl tape to avoid contamination from grease or water.





16. Remove the EPS subharness 12P connector (E), the EPS subharness 3P connector (F), and the harness clip (G) from the harness bracket (H).

17. Remove the harness clips (A), then remove the heat shield bracket (B) from the steering gearbox.






18. Remove the steering gearbox mounting bolts (A) and washers (B) from the steering gearbox.






19. Remove the connector bracket (A) from the front cylinder head; use the bracket bolt hole to attach the engine hanger balance bar front arm.






20. Disconnect the vacuum hose (A), and remove the harness clamp (B), then remove the engine mount control solenoid valve bracket from the rear cylinder head; use the bracket bolt hole to attach the 2008 V6 attachment arm.






21. Lift and support the engine with the engine support hanger (A) and the engine hanger balance bar (B). Attach the front arm (C) to the front cylinder head with a spacer (D) and a 10 x 1.25 mm bolt (E). Remove the rear arm from the engine hanger balance bar, and install the 2008 V6 attachment arm (F), then attach the 2008 V6 attachment arm to the rear cylinder head with the 8 x 1.25 mm bolt (G).






22. M/T: Remove the rear engine mount (A).






23. A/T: Remove the rear engine mount stop (A) and the heat shield (B), then remove the rear engine mount (C).





24. A/T: Disconnect the vacuum hose (D).

25. Remove the EPS subharness holder (A), then remove the rear engine mount base (B).






26. Remove the front engine mount stop (A) and the vacuum hose bracket (B), then remove the front engine mount bolt (C).






27. M/T: Remove the front engine mount mounting bolts (A), then remove the front engine mount (B), and disconnect the vacuum hose (C).





28. Raise the vehicle on a lift.

29. Remove the front splash shield Front Splash Shield Replacement.

30. Remove the front subframe stiffener (A).





31. Remove exhaust pipe A:

- Without SH-AWD Service and Repair
- With SH-AWD Service and Repair

32. With SH-AWD: Remove the propeller shaft Propeller Shaft Removal.

33. M/T: Remove the transfer assembly Transfer Assembly Removal (M/T).

34. Remove the cotter pin (A) from the knuckle ball joint, then remove the castle nut (B).





35. Disconnect the knuckle ball joint from the lower arm using the ball joint thread protector (C) and the ball joint remover (D) Ball Joint Boot Inspection/Replacement.

NOTE:

- Be careful not to damage the ball joint boot when installing the remover.
- Do not force or hammer on the lower arm, or pry between the lower arm and the knuckle. You could damage the ball joint.

36. Remove the damper fork mounting nut (A) while holding the mounting bolt (B), then remove the mounting bolt.






37. Remove the subframe middle mounts (A) on both sides.






38. Remove the transmission lower mount nuts (A).






39. Attach the front subframe adapter (A) to the subframe by hanging the belt (B) over the front of the subframe (C), then secure the belt with its stop (D).





40. Raise the jack and line up the slots in the front subframe adapter arms with the bolt holes on the jack base, then securely attach them with four bolts.

41. Remove the stiffener mounting bolts (A) on both sides.





42. Loosen the subframe mounting bolts (B) so they are about 20 mm (0.79 in) from the mounting surface. Do not loosen the front subframe mounting bolts more than necessary.

43. Remove the stiffener mounting bolt (A) and subframe mounting bolts (B) from the rear stiffeners (C) on both sides.






44. Lower the jack slowly until the front subframe has dropped about 70 mm (2.76 in).






45. Remove the EPS subharness (A) from the steering gearbox (B).

NOTE: Disconnect the EPS subharness 3P connector (C) by pushing the lock (D) and pulling down the lever (E).






46. Carefully move the steering gearbox (A) toward the driver's side until the pinion shaft clears the fenderwell opening on the body.






47. Remove the steering gearbox (A) through the fenderwell opening on the driver's side.






48. Remove the pinion shaft grommet (A) from the top of the torque sensor (B).






Installation

1. Before installing the steering gearbox, make sure that no grease is on the mating surface of the steering gearbox and the front subframe. To prevent the gearbox mounting bolts from loosening after the installation, remove any grease from the bolt holes.

2. Wrap vinyl tape around the splines on the pinion shaft (A).





3. Install the pinion shaft grommet (B). Align the cutout (C) in the pinion shaft grommet with the lug portion (D) on the torque sensor. The grommet must not have a gap at the mating surface of the grommet and torque sensor.

4. Slide the steering gearbox (A) between the front subframe and the body from the driver's side.






5. Carefully move the steering gearbox (A) toward the passenger's side until the pinion shaft clears the wheelwell opening on the body.





6. Continue moving the steering gearbox toward the passenger's side until the steering gearbox is in position.

7. Install the EPS subharness (A) to the steering gearbox (B).

NOTE: Pull up the lever (C) of the EPS motor 3P connector (D), then confirm the connector is fully seated.






8. Loosely tighten the new right-rear subframe mounting bolt (A) and the new stiffener mounting bolt (B); insert the 15.7 mm side of the subframe alignment pin (C) through the positioning slot (D) on the rear stiffener, through the positioning hole (E) on the subframe, and into the positioning hole (F) on the body.





9. Loosely tighten the new left-rear subframe mounting bolt and the new stiffener mounting bolt with the same procedure as the right rear using the subframe alignment pin.

10. Loosely tighten the new front side subframe mounting bolt (A) and the stiffener mounting bolt (B) on both sides.






11. Tighten the right-rear subframe mounting bolt (A) to the specified torque.





12. Tighten the left-rear subframe mounting bolt (B) to the specified torque.

13. Tighten the front subframe mounting bolts (C) to the specified torque.

NOTE: Check all of the subframe mounting bolts, and retighten if necessary.

14. Tighten the stiffener mounting bolts (D) to the specified torque.

NOTE: Before tightening the stiffener mounting bolts, check that the positioning holes and slot are aligned using the subframe alignment pin.

15. Install the transmission lower mount nuts (A), and tighten them to the specified torque.






16. Install the subframe middle mounts (A) on both sides with new mounting bolts, and tighten them to the specified torque.





17. Remove the transmission jack supporting the front subframe.

18. Install the new damper fork mounting bolt (A) and new mounting nut (B), and loosely tighten the nut while holding the mounting bolt.






19. Tighten the new castle nut (A) to the lower torque specification, then tighten it only far enough to align the slot with the ball joint pin hole. Do not align the castle nut by loosening it.

NOTE: Insert the new cotter pin (B) into the ball joint pin hole from the front to the rear of the vehicle, and bend its end as shown. Check the ball joint pin hole direction before connecting the ball joint.





20. M/T: Install the transfer assembly Transfer Assembly Installation (M/T).

21. With SH-AWD: Install the propeller shaft Propeller Shaft Installation.

22. Install exhaust pipe A:

- Without SH-AWD Service and Repair
- With SH-AWD Service and Repair

23. Install the front subframe stiffener (A).





24. Install the front splash shield Front Splash Shield Replacement.

25. Lower the vehicle.

26. M/T: Connect the vacuum hose (A), then align the front engine mount with its mounting holes, and install new front engine mount mounting bolts (B).






27. Tighten the new front engine mount bolt (A), then install the front engine mount stop (B) and the vacuum hose bracket (C).






28. Install the rear engine mount base (A), then install the EPS subharness (B).






29. M/T: Tighten the new rear engine mount mounting bolts to the specified torque in the sequence shown.






30. A/T: Tighten the new rear engine mount mounting bolt (A), (B), then install the rear engine mount stop (C) and the heat shield (D).





31. A/T: Connect the vacuum hose (E).

32. Remove the engine support hanger and the engine hanger balance bar.

33. Install the connector bracket (A) to the front cylinder head.






34. Install the engine mount control solenoid valve bracket (A) to the rear cylinder head, then install the harness clamp (B) and connect the vacuum hose (C).






35. Install the washers (A) and new steering gearbox mounting bolts (B) to the steering gearbox, then loosely tighten them.

NOTE: Make sure that the washers are in the correct position.





36. Tighten the steering gearbox mounting bolts to the specified torque in the sequence shown.

NOTE: Check all of the steering gearbox mounting bolts, and retighten if necessary.

37. Install the heat shield bracket (A) to the steering gearbox, then install the harness clips (B).






38. Install the EPS subharness 12P connector (A), the EPS subharness 3P connector (B), and the harness clip (C) to the harness bracket (D).





39. Connect the EPS subharness 12P connector (E) and EPS subharness 3P connector (F), and pull down the lever (G), then confirm the connector is fully seated.

40. Install the power steering heat shield (A) with the flange bolts, and tighten them to the specified torque.





41. Install the strut brace Service and Repair.

42. Install the cowl cover Service and Repair and engine compartment cover Service and Repair.

43. Install the hood support struts to the upper location on both sides of the hood.

44. Wipe off any grease contamination from the ball joint tapered section and threads. Connect the tie-rod end ball joint (A) to the knuckle. Install the new nut (B), and tighten it to the specified torque.





45. Install a new cotter pin (C), and bend it as shown.

46. Place a floor jack under the lower arm, and raise the suspension to load it with the vehicle's weight. Do not place the jack against the ball joint pin of the knuckle.

47. Tighten the damper fork mounting nut while holding the mounting bolt to the specified torque.

48. Install the front wheels, then set the wheels in the straight ahead position.

NOTE: Before installing the wheel, clean the mating surface between the brake disc and the inside of the wheel.

49. Remove the vinyl tape around the splines on the pinion shaft.

50. Loosen the upper steering joint bolt (A), and slip the lower end of the steering joint (B) onto the pinion shaft (C) taking care to align the gap (D) within the angle.






51. Align the bolt hole (A) on the steering joint with the groove (B) around the pinion shaft, then loosely install the lower steering joint bolt (C). Be sure that the joint bolt is securely in the groove in the pinion shaft.





52. Pull on the steering joint to make sure that the steering joint is fully seated, then tighten the lower joint bolt to the specified torque.

53. Tighten the upper steering joint bolt (D) to the specified torque.

54. Install the steering joint cover (A).





55. Install the steering wheel Steering Wheel Installation, and the driver's airbag Driver's Airbag Replacement.

56. With the tires raised off the ground (vehicle on a lift), check for the following symptoms by turning the steering wheel fully to the right and left several times.






57. Do the battery terminal reconnection procedure, and check these items:

- Turn the ignition switch to ON (II), or press the engine start/stop button to select the ON mode, and check that the SRS indicator comes on for about 6 seconds, and then goes off.
- Make sure the horn and turn signal switches work properly.
- Make sure the steering wheel switches work properly.

58. After installation, check these items:

- Start the engine, allow it to idle, and turn the steering wheel from lock to lock several times.
- Check that the EPS indicator does not come on.
- Check the steering wheel spoke angle. If steering spoke angles to the right and left are not equal (steering wheel and rack are not centered), correct the engagement of the joint/pinion shaft splines.
- Do the torque sensor neutral position memorization Testing and Inspection.
- With SH-AWD: Do the VSA sensor neutral position memorization Programming and Relearning.
- Check the wheel alignment, and adjust it if necessary Service and Repair.