flatty

I had a thread a while back about an overheating(head gasket) issue. I ended up taking the car in to swap the motor(they had to do it twice). Since I have gotten the car back I have a fluid accumulation under the brake pedal area. I thought it might have been from the brakes but they are fine. I cannot seem to locate the exact source of the leak but I am low on power steering fluid and have been once already since i got it back so it seems that is leaking perhaps from the column or somewhere behind the carpet. My question is when I went to put some fluid in this morning I noticed that the fluid in there is red. The stuff I have been putting in is after market honda approved fluid that is clearish brown. Is there any Honda red ps fluid or did the mechanic that did the swap put something else in here? If so will changing it out help the leak any?

Thanks,

ezone

Hondas PS fluid is brown.

ATF is red, and can damage the system. It is not supposed to be used.




Dig around under the dash, see where the fluid comes from and what it is.

JJ291

It is possible that when they did the engine swap he moved the power steering reservoir up by the hood out of the way. Because it sat higher there was more fluid pressure at the steering rack and it sat there and leaked through the pinion seals. He may have put ATF in to top it off, but as ezone stated, that would not be good.

Changing the fluid is not likely to fix the leak. Where the pinion protrudes away from the steering rack through the firewall there is a big grommet. The leak is filling the grommet and spilling over the firewall hole into the carpet area. Put your finger in the hole that the pinion goes through to the steering wheel and bend it over the edge and see if you can feel a fluid level in there.

My car had the same problem several months ago and I replaced the steering rack. It was not a difficult job IMO and I am not a professional. I posted a thread under the DIY section (with pics).

JJ291

https://www.civicforums.com/forums/1...geout-diy.html

flatty

thanks for the info. I ended up getting a reman rack put in though I still have a ton of fluid on drivers side I am thinking so much is soaked into carpet it will take a while to get it out without a steam cleaner or something.