One whine, one rattle, five problems

The owner brought in his Honda Pilot with two noises. He heard a whine whenever he turned the steering wheel left and right.

He was also hearing a rattle that seemed to come from the left rear of the vehicle.

Right front lower ball joint: Worn out and loose. This is a safety issue. The ball joint holds the wheel to the suspension and lets it steer. A loose one causes clunks, vague steering and uneven tire wear, and a badly worn joint can separate, which can cause loss of control.

Power steering hard line: The steel line was corroded and leaking fluid (photo 1), which was the source of the whine. As fluid runs low, the pump draws in air and whines. Left alone, steering gets heavier and the pump can wear out, which is a much bigger bill than a line.

Left front sway bar link: Worn out and loose. Sway bar links connect the anti-roll bar to the suspension. A loose link knocks and rattles over bumps and lets the body lean more in turns, making handling less steady.

Rear sway bar bushings: Loose, with the bushing holes stretched (photo 2). Worn bushings let the rear sway bar move around in its mounts, which causes rattles and clunks and reduces how well the bar controls body roll.

Rear exhaust tailpipe: The tailpipe had shifted and was hitting the bumper (photo 4). It's not a safety issue, but it rattles, and a hot pipe rubbing on the bumper can damage the bumper cover over time.

• Replaced the leaking power steering steel line and the two hose clamps that connect it
• Replaced the right front lower control arm with ball joint
• Replaced both front sway bar links
• Replaced both rear sway bar bushings
• Heated and realigned the rear exhaust tailpipe so it clears the bumper
• Performed a wheel alignment after the control arm replacement

After the repairs, the steering whine and the rattling were both gone. The new power steering line (photo 3) stops the leak, and the front and rear suspension are tight again.

A single rattle turned out to have several possible causes, so we checked and fixed each one rather than guessing. The loose ball joint was the most important find, since it affects steering and safety.

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