"New" old 89 Accord

[elmorgan]

I have been fortunate enough to be the recipient of an 89 Accord SEi in what I consider to be great shape for its age. So much so, that I got rid of the 2010 Honda I was still making payments on, and use this as my sole car now.

I've been getting things repaired as my finances allow, and so far have replaced the radiator, muffler, distributor, oil pan gasket, valve cover gasket and fuel injectors. Well, I had a mechanic do all that.

Just a few days ago, a bunch of power steering fluid leaked from the car as I was pulling into a parking spot. The mechanic told me that he thought the power steering rack would need to be replaced soon, and I guess the time has come. My question is, what do you think is a reasonable cost for such an endeavor? I've spent over $2k so far on this car. I'm hoping the expense of the free car will diminish soon!

All opinions welcome!

Thanks,
Beth

[Blaaz]

Welcome to the site. The engine bay looks very clean. How many miles are on the car? I have an '89 LX-i. I recently replaced the top (high pressure) power steering hose due to a leak. I still have my stock steering rack with around 280,000 miles. Other members probably know a lot more about the life of a steering rack.

[Dr_Snooz]

Welcome to the board! That's typically not how these racks go out. I'd get a second opinion and a third. If I had to guess, you have a hose that sprang a leak down near the rack. Possibly even a bad oring somewhere. You'll like the price of that much better than the price of a rack.

These cars are super tough and shouldn't require vast outlays to keep running. If you find yourself spending a lot every time you go to the shop, it's time to find a different shop.

[Hash_man_Se_i]

I agree with everything Snooz just said. They are great cars, and if you get one that was maintained well which yours looks to have been then you should not need to spend much money. If you need expensive parts replaced such as the distributor you replaced, make sure you don't get hosed on the prices as places like our forum and rockauto can be great sources for cheap replacement parts.

Welcome to the board.

[MessyHonda]

welcome to the site. You are one lucky person to own an SE-I....we would all like to own one from the start.

[Legend_master]

I have to agree, it's probably a hose and not the rack. Sounds like a hungry mechanic trying to get an extra but of $$$$. If anything ask another mechanic to take a close up shot of the leak, and we could help you double check that is actually the problem. That car looks so clean I can't imagine a bad rack.

[ecogabriel]

Welcome to the forum with a rare SE-i.

There are a bunch of small hoses near where the steering rack is located. They may be isible if you look between the air filter box (black plastic box at the rear of the engine) and the firewall.
Get more than one opinion; some "mechanics" are more adept to fixing their own pockets than the cars of their clients. Although most of the items you mentioned seem reasonable replacements, 2K in expenditure sounds like a little too much for my taste. A new radiator should not go beyond $100. and installation - like fuel injectors - is quite straigtforward

[89creampuff]

My 89 accord with 45k miles needed a rack, it was leaking out the passenger side boot, not severe but was leaving spots when I parked, I bought a reman from Oreillys for $89 and installed it myself. Sounds like yours blew a hose. They are not too hard to install if you have mechanical skills and tools.

Nice car you have, enjoy it!