CanadianEh48

Checked brake fluid level today as instructed in my owners manual. Needs to be topped up. Can a generic brand of brake hydraulic fluid be used or is there a Honda specialty fluid that is required? Could a low level of clutch fluid be the reason for a hard downshift into 3rd gear? 91 Accord LX 5 Speed F22A1

Thanks

ricebike

NOOO, the brake fluid level is an indicator that you need to check your thinning brake pads

as fluid level drops, your pads are thinning out... unless you have a leak, then do NOT top it off

if you check your brake pads and they still have 30-40% of life in them, you can just use DOT 3 fluid to bring it up to the middle, just to satisfy your perception but don't top it off... you'll have to make a mental note of removing some fluid out w/ a dollar store turkey baster on your next brake job...if you still went ahead and "top off" your brake master cylinder

for illlustrative purpose, not a honda, but u get the picture



oh, for the brake fluid, i like valvoline synthetic since I also flush out the system as well when doing a brake job if the fluid is dark...



as for the clutch fluid causing that problem... i dunno; check the transmission fluid level for that

CanadianEh48

a know a guy (yes, i know every one KNOWS A GUY) who works for honda and he was doing some regular maintenance on my car when he checked the fluid level and determined it needed to be topped up.

AccordInTheMaking

There's nothing wrong with topping off your brake fluid resivoir. If the fluids low, then fill it! Theres no need to run out of fluid, smash your car into a tree, while driving on your way to the shop to have your brakes checked because you thought they were low. If your car does need brakes, then just suck the fluid back out- its not that hard.

As for fluid, any DOT 3 or better fluid will do. DOT 5 however is a silicone based fluid and cannot be mixed with the DOT3 or DOT4 fluids. DOT4 fluid simply has a higher boiling point than DOT3 fluid as well as a few other minor charicteristics. Basically DOT4 is a tad better than DOT3.

If your manual trans is shifting hard, I wouldnt blame the fluid level unless it got low enough to the point of sucking air into the system. Then you may experience some clashing of the synchro's but again unless the fluid made it to the bottom, its probably something else.

Honda1972

true

P_Adams

The Brake Fluid question has been pretty well hashed out, but for one thing: What condition was the remaining fluid in? Was it dark, brown in color? When was the last time it was changed?

All the information you've been given so far has been spot on; I'm just concerned that you may be looking at pedal loss and M/C failure in the near future if the brake fluid level loss is more than just normal brake wear. If you find a wet spot between the M/C and the Brake Booster (and it's not from topping-off), anticipate replacing the Master Cylinder in your future.

In answer to your clutch question - No.
A low fluid issue with the Clutch Control System would predicate shifting issues in ALL ranges. It controls the Clutch engagement, and insufficient fluid would not allow complete disengagement of the clutch.
If this is an All The Time/Every Time thing, I would suspect two things:
Incorrect fluid in the Tranny
Worn third (3d) gear syncro.

P

CanadianEh48

fluid was in good condition. light pink in color if my memory serves me right. this is the first time i have actually checked the brake fluid in the past year (sorry guys...i know it pains you to hear that :S), however it only required no more than 100 ml to bring it back to the top.

As for the tranny issue, I'm going to assume if my 3rd gear syncro took a crap, I'd be looking at a tranny rebuild?

P_Adams

Yes, and all things considered it may be well worth your time to do so.
These 5spd manuals are great transmissions, very few consistant issues; except for one. 5th gear lubrication issues if the wrong viscosity fluid is used.
Pay particular attention to not only the syncro's but the shift forks and the 5th gear cluster as well.

P