your 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).

 

wrote in

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.

Changing the PS fluid and brake fluid is NEVER a bad idea, unless the
wrong fluids are used.

Go for it.

 

Actually on some models, brake fluid and ps fluid are supposed to be changed
on schedule. He should check his manual.

 

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

Elle 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.

 

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.

 

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

 

wrote in @f16g2000cwb.googlegroups.com:

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.

 

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.

 

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.

 

no, the atf ruined it. pumps are good for 300+k miles if honda fluid is
used.

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.