2008 Accord Euro. When I sit in Drive with my foot on the brake after several seconds the pedal appears to lose pressure and very slowly heads for the floor. Local garage said he needs a Honda computer to verify that it is an ABS problem and it could cost $2500 to fix. Any clues?

 

Unless you have a leak, I'd say your master cylinder is going out. This has nothing to do with ABS, IMO. At least get a second opinion, from another shop.

 

Tks BLKFLSH, I tried another shop and he told me that the problem was the alternator caused by the last person to change or connect the battery doing it incorrectly. Does this make any sense?

 

It doesn't make sense to me. Are there any other symptoms, besides the sinking brake pedal? Seems like two unrelated issues.

 

What is the mileage on your vehicle?

Have you had any brake work done recently? Often when replacing brakes, the brake pedal will be pushed to the floor causing the piston seals in the Master Cylinder to rub against a ridge in the back of the master cylinder causing the master cylinder to lose pressure in the near future. Could this have happened?

Have you changed the brake fluid in your car ever?

 

Nope, there are no other symptoms. At the 70,000 kms service which was four weeks ago they flushed the brake system and renewed the fluid. From memory the pedal problem was there but not as bad before that.

 

Get yourself a new master cylinder. At RockAuto.com you can get a new Master Cylinder for around $80 to $90 bucks. This company does ship out of the US.

 

I have had a new master cylinder fitted and have been told that the old one was stuffed due to the wrong (non Honda) fluid being used. Does this make any sense?
They also pointed out that there was brake fluid splashes round all four wheel arches.
Any input would be appreciated.

 

While we are told to always use OEM fluid, any good DOT 3 fluid will work fine in your Accord. Power Steering fluid and ATF should always be Honda, brake fluid not so much. Fluid on the wheel arches? You'd have no brakes....I'm thinking it's just crap picked up off the road and they're trying to oversell you.

 

We are all human and all make mistakes. Using pretty much any petroleum product in your master cylinder by accident, even just a little bit will swell the seals in the master cylinder and at each individual brake causing leaks. Like someone stated before, DOT 3 brake fluid is pretty much all the same from car to car to even Honda. Could someone have added something that wasn’t brake fluid? If all 4 wheels had brake fluid leaks, the only thing I can think of is that the system was contaminated with a petroleum product that caused the seals to leak. Then again, I’ve seen some shops squirt oil on struts and then showing the customer their leaky struts. I suppose they could have splashed brake fluid and made the same claim. Keep in mind that brake fluid is caustic and will strip the paint off your car.

 

It's a possibility his soft lines are cracking and leaking slightly. One of mine cracked and still decently held for a day until I could replace it. Granted the shop mechanic said all 4 arches.