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Car Forum / Honda Cars / October 2006your opinions?
Hi everyone. It's been a while. Nothing to report. Not a whimper from my '92 Civic with 149k. Recent Castrol GTX and a can of SeaFoam for good luck. Putting miles on my 2-wheeler! ;-D So my folks call me and tell me that on Dad's '98 Buick Century (45k) the dealership is recommending a power steering flush and a brake fluid flush. Never heard of such a thing, so I googled 'em both. PS flush if it's "chocolatey" and causing problems. Not at all the case. Brake flush? Fluids are replaced with pad and disk changes, no? Had those done recently. So, where do you draw the line between a pro-active dealer's service department looking out for their customers (hee-hee) and a sucker sale? The Buick is in showroom condition and has *no* problems whatsoever (ok, except for being cheap, unrefined, and plasticky). > Hi everyone. It's been a while. Nothing to report. Not a whimper from > my '92 Civic with 149k. Recent Castrol GTX and a can of SeaFoam for [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > flush if it's "chocolatey" and causing problems. Not at all the case. > Brake flush? Fluids are replaced with pad and disk changes, no? Not by any garage I've ever dealt with. Brake fluid usually stays in there until the master cylinder starts leaking. Usually you have to ask for the fluid to be changed. And if asked, most people seem to decline the service, imagining it to be a ripoff. > Had those > done recently. So, where do you draw the line between a pro-active > dealer's service department looking out for their customers (hee-hee) > and a sucker sale? The Buick is in showroom condition and has *no* > problems whatsoever (ok, except for being cheap, unrefined, and > plasticky). Changing the PS fluid and brake fluid is NEVER a bad idea, unless the wrong fluids are used. Go for it.  SignatureTeGGeR® The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ www.tegger.com/hondafaq/ Actually on some models, brake fluid and ps fluid are supposed to be changed on schedule. He should check his manual. > Hi everyone. It's been a while. Nothing to report. Not a whimper from > my '92 Civic with 149k. Recent Castrol GTX and a can of SeaFoam for [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > problems whatsoever (ok, except for being cheap, unrefined, and > plasticky). For the 92 Civic, two years/30k miles on the brake fluid. No spec on the PS fluid, other than to 'inspect the whole PS system.' In particular, once in awhile check the PS fluid level. I have never done a PS fluid drain, flush, or fill on my 91 Civic. I have removed the pump in the past for a timing belt job (2004), and this resulted in subsequently having to add about a bottle of fluid to the system, so it likely got something of a flush then. The archives and I emphatically echo Tegger's caution about using only genuine Honda PS fluid. One can now purchase this "genuine Honda" fluid at Autozone. Using non-Honda fluid will destroy the PS system seals, IIRC. From my reading, changing the brake fluid per spec is important. It is not expensive (should be under $100) nor difficult (I do it myself these days) and I would trust franchised brake shops with the job. > Actually on some models, brake fluid and ps fluid are > supposed to be changed on schedule. He should check his [quoted text clipped - 25 lines] >> unrefined, and >> plasticky). Thanks to all repliers. Believe me, I am an advocate of proper maintenance with OEM stuff (and now a SeaFoam fan), I just don't want the folks having the air refilled in their tires with helium (or whatever they're selling). They checked the manual and there was no mention of a *scheduled* brake fluid or PS fluid changed. I will be over there this week to look at the fluids. They were quoting over $300. to change out the fluids. *Possibly* I'll send them in for PS fluid flush if it's thick/dirty, but not for a brake fluid flush, especially if it's been done with a brake pad/rotor change recently. More informed, but still skeptical. > They checked the manual Don't you want to check it yourself? Go to site https://techinfo.honda.com/rjanisis/logon.asp. On the left, click on "Owner's Manuals." Follow the pointers. Once you arrive at the pdf file, it may appear that only one page has come up. In fact, page numbers that are highlighted within the pdf file are links on which you can click to take you to the page. Also, in the upper right hand corner of any white page look for an arrow. Click the right arrow to get to the next page. Lastly, pressing "Ctrl-A" will permit easier reading of some of the pages at this site. It's usually very hard to tell much from examination of these fluids. Color of the brake fluid /might/ be a tipoff that it is overdue for a change. But by then, it's arguably too late. A brake fluid flush is not routinely done with a brake pad changeout. A little fluid may be added, though. As Tegger wrote. Oh, yeah, you bet I'll check it myself! God bless 'em Mom & Pops, but I'll check the manual myself when I see them. The brakes have been done so I suspect the fluid is ok. I'll look, of course, and take it for a ride. Same with the PS fluid. Thanks for the link Elle. What a great website. But, the car in q is an off-topic '98 Buick Century. > the car in q is an off-topic '98 Buick Century. Merlot, I do beg your pardon. I forgot what your early posts had said. The Autozone site has the maintenance schedule for a 96 Buick Century (but no models more recent). FWIW, it says nothing on the brake or power steering fluids. But in the brakes section of the Autozone online manual, it does say to change the brake fluid "every few years." Which is what I would expect: Brake systems vary little from one another, as far as hydraulics are concerned. The main focus should be avoiding getting moisture and air in the system, which cause rust and bad operation. The rust can foul or damage the system's components, like the master cylinder. Regular flushes (every few years) help prevent this. > The archives and I emphatically echo Tegger's caution about > using only genuine Honda PS fluid. One can now purchase this > "genuine Honda" fluid at Autozone. Using non-Honda fluid > will destroy the PS system seals, IIRC. I wonder how geenuwine it really is though.. On the label it says it's for for hondas, but on the back it says honda has not given their ok for it's use. It's probably ok I imagine, but it made me a tad paranoid to keep using it. The stuff at autozone is made by some aftermarket company. It's not the genuine stuff. But the label does say it's formulated for hondas. Myself, I had to flush my PS system cuz the guy that previously repaired a blown hose had used ATF. Ultra bad... I flushed it once with the autozone stuff, but later did it again with the genuine honda fluid. Actually, I think I should do it a third time, as I still seem to see traces of pink in the fluid. In comparing price, the real deal fluid at the dealer is only about 50 cents a bottle more than the autozone stuff. Sooo.. I recommend using the honda fluid if a dealer is nearby. It doesn't cost that much more. My pump has started leaking already. Not real bad, but I think the seal is pretty much toast. Maybe the ATF ruined it, but maybe it's just wore out.. I've been topping it off, but intend to buy a new pump pretty soon. I'll probably do that \ when I get around to the timing belt. The ATF wasn't in there very long at all. But if the seal was borderline before the ATF..:( At least my steering rack seems not to be leaking. Myself, I have to admit I rarely change brake fluid unless I'm changing a cylinder, or have gunky fluid. But it's never a bad idea really as brake fluid absorbs lots of moisture. The fresher the fluid , the better. Just make sure they don't spill any on the paint.. :( MK nm5k@wt.net wrote in news:1161199277.511918.178930 @f16g2000cwb.googlegroups.com: >> The archives and I emphatically echo Tegger's caution about >> using only genuine Honda PS fluid. One can now purchase this [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > it's for for hondas, but on the back it says honda has not given > their ok for it's use. It's probably ok I imagine, I "imagine" rack leaks are VERY expensive to fix. I "imagine" I'd like to keep the thing from leaking. I "imagine" genuine Honda PS fluid is much, much cheaper than fixing a rack leak. As they say in the investment community, there's not much upside to using aftermarket PS fluid, but LOTS of downside. Ain't worth the risk. SignatureTeGGeR® The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ www.tegger.com/hondafaq/ > Elle wrote: >> The archives and I emphatically echo Tegger's caution [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > I wonder how geenuwine it really is though.. For the archives, I have been using the "genuine Honda" PS fluid sold at aftermarket stores like Autozone for four years in my 91 Civic. I have been through a bottle or two, in 2002 to replenish that lost over some 11 years, and in 2004, to replace that lost during removal of the PS pump (and subsequent purge etc.) for the timing belt job. Given how low cost it is at the dealer's, though, I can understand people not wanting to gamble. >> Elle wrote: >>> The archives and I emphatically echo Tegger's caution [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > 2004, to replace that lost during removal of the PS pump > (and subsequent purge etc.) for the timing belt job. for the future, it's not necessary to disconnect the pump hoses and lose fluid to change the timing belt. because the pump is connected with flexible hoses, it can be lifted out of the way with the hoses still attached. > Given how low cost it is at the dealer's, though, I can > understand people not wanting to gamble. >> The archives and I emphatically echo Tegger's caution about >> using only genuine Honda PS fluid. One can now purchase this [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > already. Not real bad, but I think the seal is pretty much toast. > Maybe the ATF ruined it, but maybe it's just wore out. no, the atf ruined it. pumps are good for 300+k miles if honda fluid is used. >. I've been > topping [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > better. Just make sure they don't spill any on the paint.. :( > MK brake fluid washes off with water. just make sure you wash but don't wipe, even if it looks like paint's coming off - the paint will be ruined forever. wash and keep washing but don't touch. then leave alone and go have a beer or 6. when you come back, the water will have dried and you'll see no evidence of a paint problem whatsoever. ask me how i know... OK. So I checked the fluids myself yesterday. Power steering fluid was light, clear, honey-colored, and mighty tasty. Brake fluid was fine, but not as sweet. ;-) Thanks for all input. On Oct 16, 6:42 pm, merlotbroug...@hotmail.com wrote: > Hi everyone. It's been a while. Nothing to report. Not a whimper from > my '92 Civic with 149k. Recent Castrol GTX and a can of SeaFoam for [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > problems whatsoever (ok, except for being cheap, unrefined, and > plasticky). |
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