My Dear Honda Accord Community:

Wishing you a happy new year to all of you with full of joy, happiness, health and prosperity ($$$$):), I would like to ask you guys the following:

If I cannot find power steering fluid, can I use ATF instead? Also, I found a power steering fluid but it is power steering fluid plus an additives for stoping leaking and another thing I cannot recall now.

What do you think guys, can I used ATF with no problem or much better use that power steering fluid with an additive?:dunno:

Thank you in advanced
Mendione

You must use Honda power steering fluid.

Are there any Honda dealerships where you are? That's the place to get it.

I don't believe in leak stop additives, but I have used something caled Lucas before, mixed with the P/S fluid, with no problems. http://www.lucasoil.com/products/display_products.sd?iid=28&catid=2&loc=show

I didn't use a ton of it.

Usually, non Honda fluid is what causes the leak, but you most likely have a leaking power steering pump, or a leaking rack and pinion. How low is the fluid?

Dear Accordlover:

Oh no, the leaking is no nothing to worry about. The fluid is still between the low and high marks of the reservoir. And the pump is very dirty of the opposite side of the belt (the back part of the pump).

I also, don't believe in additive but this one as power steering fluid says that is specially formulated for Honda's and Legend's cars.

Thank you for answering my post
Mendione

Well I would be very cautious, as you really should keep the Honda fluid in there.

Off topic- How did you get your Accord over there? Was it imported or are they sold over there?

Dear Accordlover:
Hoping that you new year's eve was splendid, briefly, the history of Honda in Venezuela is that first, some concessionnaires (so then called here) used to bring lots of Honda's cars here. Then Honda decide to open a factory or more precise a assembler factory here and import almost all the parts from Japan directly. Then this facility close and now we are back to square zero for Honda. My car was build here in Venezuela. There is still an infrastructure of Honda's concessionnaires but sometimes parts are not there and will take months until that interested part will arrive, plus the cost is like a 10 or more times the cost of that part if you find it and bring it here - by the way, do you have an internet place, where you consider has everything for Honda (I am getting a fanatic of Honda) and if you have that place or places in internet, can you please post the web address? - and mechanically those concessionnaires, only service Hondas with "low mechanic problems" or simple one, like service: oil changes, belt changes, plugs, filters, etc.
Mendione

at what millage is good to change on 7th gen??

On all the Hondas I've owned and serviced, I've never changed the PS fluid on any of them. The '98 V6 that's still here at close to 225k, has its original fluid in it. No issues with it whatsoever. (knock wood!)

I think I've changed 1 rack in a 1993 Accord for leakage.

I've changed a few pumps for noise issues and leakage as well, but have seen very little problems with the systems that I'd call fluid related.

I have no idea what's different about their fluid, but I've seen the immediate damage done when someone uses non-Honda fluid.

This seems to have always been on cars with high mileage that have had pump leaks, and the owner just adds whatever, then the racks seem to eat themselves up, either leaking or bypassing inside. Of the handful that have been like this, the cars are usually so used up that the cost to fix the car at that point makes it time to say goodbye.