Million mile club

Connie

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Isn't the brake fluid red too? Haha.

Mine's clear, and all the brake fluid I've ever seen is either clear or yellowish when new, and brown to black when in there too long. Never seen red brake fluid before, but I don't use Honda brake fluid because the cheap stuff is $6 a quart and works fine. Who knows, I suppose it COULD be red.

And that is almost definitely ATF in the pics you linked. It certainly isn't axle grease.
makes sense it's all over the sway bar; once the leak gets the axle wet, it's gonna get flung everywhere when the car gets driven. As long as the level stays topped up in the trans until that seal gets replaced, everything will be fine.

And maybe it's got the wrong ps fluid in it; a lot of OEMs and aftermarket companies use/make red power steering fluid. If I remember correctly, I think older Ford trucks call for Dexron III in the power steering system. And it IS right underneath the inner tie rod boot, where it WOULD leak if the seals on the rack are going.

Thanks for linking those pics, by the way. It helps a lot.
 
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Enne

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Man, my memory is bad. Not sure why, I always think of it being red when I think brake fluid. I believe it's because I was most used to seeing red or other weird color racing brake fluid, when I was growing up. I forget if the Honda brake fluid I have is red or not. Probably clear.
 

Rusty Accord

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Isn't the brake fluid red too? Haha.

Actually it can be purple (DoT 5). I've got 1 car here that uses it. My old 64 VW had it too. It's silicone based. Expensive at 10 bucks a pint, but it also doesn't draw in moisture out of the air like DoT 3 or 4. It's good for vehicles that don't get used often, or for racing vehicles that see heavy braking and high braking temps.
 
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Rusty Accord

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Mine's clear, and all the brake fluid I've ever seen is either clear or yellowish when new, and brown to black when in there too long.

And maybe it's got the wrong ps fluid in it; a lot of OEMs and aftermarket companies use/make red power steering fluid. If I remember correctly, I think older Ford trucks call for Dexron III in the power steering system. And it IS right underneath the inner tie rod boot, where it WOULD leak if the seals on the rack are going.

Thanks for linking those pics, by the way. It helps a lot.

I think most vehicles that are using a rack and pinion steering set up, use power steering fluid (mostly clear). In the old days, you could run Dextron fluid in regular power steering boxes, and it would be fine (it's red).

I have found that with Honda ownership, I've learned that for the most part you want to use Honda fluids. I don't really know what the differences are in some of them, but there has to be some changes. Examples are blue coolant. I've been using the green stuff in mine for all this time without issues. Don't know what the difference is between the 2, other than color, as they're both compatible with aluminum blocks and radiators. Another is power steering fluid. I've found that Honda fluid seems to keep the system more quiet than using standard off the shelf stuff. Yes, you can get "import" fluid at FLAPS (Friendly Local Auto Parts Store), and it's probably just fine. Honda MT fluid, is one that can use something else IF you want. The general thought is using GM synchromesh in it's place (gives smoother shifting). Problem is, it's almost just as expensive as the Honda MT fluid. There's also the thought you can use 10-30 weight engine oil in them too (Honda used it for their MT cars until the mid-late 90's). but I wouldn't as the Honda MTF works just fine. And finally we get to Honda ATF (DW-1). While the owners manual says "Dextron can be used as a temporary replacement, it should be drained and flushed (refilled 3 times) to remove it". This tells me; Don't use Dextron in the AT, only use Honda fluid in it. Your transmission will like you for it.
As for brake fluid, use what you want, as they all have to meet a DoT standard. Whether it's DoT 3 or DoT 4, doesn't matter, as both can be used in our cars.
Just my take on things, your mileage might vary, and all of those sorts of things. ;)
 
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datechboss101

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Why isn't checking fluid with a paper towel not recommended?

I say its not recommended, because car enthusiasts (not sure if this is a true statement) recommends using microfiber towels or microfiber cloths or something similar.

Isn't the brake fluid red too? Haha.

http://www.driveaccord.net/forums/53-6th-generation/478001-tranny-leak.html

>>"So today I went to move my car so I can go for a bike ride around the trail nearby, and I happen to see a leak coming out of my car. I checked both the AT fluid and engine oil on a paper towel (not recommended), and got a touch of the liquid that leaked to the garage floor, and it matched perfectly with the AT fluid. So is this leak really bad for the transmission? I am getting it fixed this Saturday at the dealership.

Not sure what leak this is. Dealer fixed every seal on the car and its still leaking. What is this leak? "

908c65ee24fab94276649b7615c78bd1.jpg


>>"Found the culprit for the leaks without any jacks... just have no clue what the hell this thing is called."
be3899877b4c792d8b40361cdaea14aa.jpg

(That's the sway bar)

>>"The saga continues even after the "repair" was finished."
a9f7401450f9c695d2d8b73bba12c57b.jpg


User jb1331: "This is most likely transmission fluid from one or both axle seals. If you are having persistent fluid leaks from an axle seal even after installing a new seal, then 1.) the seal was not installed correctly, or 2.) it is likely that the carrier / differental bearings are worn causing excess play on the output shaft causing the leak. This situation will only get worse over time and the bearing fragments will spread throughout your transmission.."

A great moderator on DA and few members told me once, "scissor jacks aren't safe, while working on cars." Hence, parents just ignored the leak because they trust a freaking lying rear end SA over at the stealership who also drives a CG coupe (not sure which trim though). Although, he may make up some bs reason about OEM parts, he does have a point about the tranny on my CG5, and he said that it is a solid transmission. I am not sure how he said that, as back in late 2014, me and my friend (who traded his 09 Altima for a 17 Civic Hatch sport) were doing slides in Lucky in the neighborhood. I thought that the dealership would do the best job, since the price that they are asking is way too high. Until that leak (seal most likely) gets fixed I am driving the 2016 Nissan Rogue; however, dad is using Lucky on toll roads for his job for the next two weeks are so.
 

datechboss101

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Mine's clear, and all the brake fluid I've ever seen is either clear or yellowish when new, and brown to black when in there too long. Never seen red brake fluid before, but I don't use Honda brake fluid because the cheap stuff is $6 a quart and works fine. Who knows, I suppose it COULD be red.

And that is almost definitely ATF in the pics you linked. It certainly isn't axle grease.
makes sense it's all over the sway bar; once the leak gets the axle wet, it's gonna get flung everywhere when the car gets driven. As long as the level stays topped up in the trans until that seal gets replaced, everything will be fine.

And maybe it's got the wrong ps fluid in it; a lot of OEMs and aftermarket companies use/make red power steering fluid. If I remember correctly, I think older Ford trucks call for Dexron III in the power steering system. And it IS right underneath the inner tie rod boot, where it WOULD leak if the seals on the rack are going.

Thanks for linking those pics, by the way. It helps a lot.

I use the generic brand PS fluid from WalMart, as few fellow CG owners told me its okay to use. That color is brown/gold, so I immediately removed that off the list, even though the first time I did the PS fluid change I spilled a lot and some of it got onto the altenator (I literally didn't know what the heck that part was called until recently). Uploading pics on DA from the laptop was super confusing, so I directly upload it using my current GS8+ and my previous GS5. I'll check on the tranny fluid once dad comes home, as he is going to submit the miles to his company that he put on Lucky these three weeks.
 

Kimbo80

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I say its not recommended, because car enthusiasts (not sure if this is a true statement) recommends using microfiber towels or microfiber cloths or something similar.


That is the most absurd statement I have read in a while. What do you use to dry your car? Alpaca? I think the "enthusiasts" meant they use microfiber to dry their cars, not use them to check fluids.

I use the generic brand PS fluid from WalMart, as few fellow CG owners told me its okay to use. That color is brown/gold, so I immediately removed that off the list, even though the first time I did the PS fluid change I spilled a lot and some of it got onto the altenator (I literally didn't know what the heck that part was called until recently). Uploading pics on DA from the laptop was super confusing, so I directly upload it using my current GS8+ and my previous GS5. I'll check on the tranny fluid once dad comes home, as he is going to submit the miles to his company that he put on Lucky these three weeks.

This statement is really confusing. You said that you use generic PS fluid from Walmart. In your second sentence, you removed it off your list for being brown/gold but you spilled it on your first power steering fluid exchange? I guess the million dollar question is did you end up using the generic power steering fluid?
 
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datechboss101

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I say its not recommended, because car enthusiasts (not sure if this is a true statement) recommends using microfiber towels or microfiber cloths or something similar.


That is the most absurd statement I have read in a while. What do you use to dry your car? Alpaca? I think the "enthusiasts" meant they use microfiber to dry their cars, not use them to check fluids.



This statement is really confusing. You said that you use generic PS fluid from Walmart. In your second sentence, you removed it off your list for being brown/gold but you spilled it on your first power steering fluid exchange? I guess the million dollar question is did you end up using the generic power steering fluid?

Let me clarify that statement. When I did the PS fluid change, it spilled to the surrounding areas and I cleaned it up immediately (tried my best to cover the important parts with newspapers), using a mix of paper towels and newspapers. If it was the PS fluid leaking, it would have been leaking on the left side of the car. That's where I removed it off from the list of possible culprits for a leak, as I originally thought it was one of them.

Clarifying first statement: I said I am not sure if the statement is true. You could have just said its false, and I would correct it in my brain, so that I won't be having false statements and giving the false statements to others. However, I used to use an old t-shirt/rag to check the fluids and dry the car before it got very dirty and became unusable.

Now on to your multi-billion dollar question: Did I ever end up using the generic PS fluid? Yes, I did.
 

Kimbo80

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You are right. I have never heard of enthusiasts checking fluid levels using microfiber towels. Whether or not that is false, you can use whatever you like. At the end of day, I am glad you you were able to clean up the mess.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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