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I have a 1991 Civic SI that I bought brand new and have had stored for about 10 years. I need to know if I should use Honda break fluid or can I use Valvoline break fluid to flush the system? I know Honda is real strict about using their brand due to manufacturing specs but with a car this old does this still apply?

 
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u can use whatever you want. its all the same pretty much.

flush with cheap **** and use the good Honda stuff.

id check ur lines too. make sure they havnt been damaged or anything over the years. dont wanna be driving and then one blow or leak on you! lol

 
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I stored the car in a climate control garage so I would think that the lines shouldn't have been affected.
http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e1...g?t=1223303306

 
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probably not, but i wouldnt take any chances with my own life.

but thats just me.

but ya, flush it, and take her out for a test drive. of course change all ur fluids as well. i mean EVERYTHING. lol

 
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OK! I flushed the lines and everything went great all clear, no bubbles. Now after the car gets warm the pedal will gradually go to the floor. When cold it doesn't do this pedal is solid. I had a mechanic tell me most likely it's the master cylinder because symptom shows up after getting warm. I used the manual and did the booster test and all's well. Has anyone else experienced this or have any ideas?

 
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use the honda fluid. i doubt you need more than one bottle. if pedal goes to floor, bad master cylinder.

 
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yep, x2

 
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I went ahead and ordered one. Thanks!

 
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What is the difference between Honda Brake fluids and the other stuff?

 
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Since I posted this subject I have learned quite a bit. I found out that Honda came out with their own brand years ago because everything out on the market didn't meet the quality standards Honda needed. Plus the brake fluid wasn't designed to last much over 100,000 miles as cars easily do today. Today brake fluid standards are all pretty much the same as long as your buying a well known brand. As far as transmission fluid, Honda's brand is specifically designed to be compatible with the components designed in their transmission. Using a different brand will break down the components in the transmission at a accelerated rate.

 
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How does that work. When you flush the fluid, all you do is run the old **** through until new begins to come out, so you really cannot use two different types of fluid.

As far as fluids go they are VERY, VERY, VERY, VERY (I cannot express enough how much) different. Infact the price range for brake fluid is larger than ANY other fluid for a car (4.99 quart to 75.00 quart)

Just for normal driving a good DOT3 would do just fine. Since I used my civic at the track and the fluid would heat higher, I needed a fluid with a much higher boiling point. I used ATE super blue, or Motal. The nice thing about the super blue was that you can also get the gold, which is the same fluid as the blue only it was gold. This makes it easier to flush because you can tell when it is flushed based on the change in color.

When you flush you really need two people or a special flushing vaccume (don't fall prey to the cheap DIY bottles). The key is to start farthest from the master cylinder and work closer (right rear to left front). Using a clear hose so you can see, have someone pump until new fluid is flowing through the hose. BE SURE TO CONSTANTLY CHECK THE RESERVOR, SO YOU DO NOT RUN OUT OF FLUID. IF YOU DO YOU MUST START ALL OVER FROM THE FARTHEST BRAKE TO CLOSEST. Once you have new fluid make sure there is no foam or large bubbles. Once you have this, have your buddy pump while you close the bleeder and then keep pumping until the pedal gets hard. Once hard have them keep pressure while you losen the bleeder, and the pedal will go to the floor, repeat this a couple of times, this will push any remaining bubbles out of the fluid. Have them lift and tighten the bleeder and move on to the next brake.