Jim Grant's Tech Tips
’97
Honda Civic, Brake Master Cylinder Leaking at Rear
Q:
I took my ’97 Honda Civic to a dealer for the 60K
service. He said that the brake master cylinder was leaking
from the rear. The brakes have been working well so far.
What can I do to verify this myself before investing? I
am novice at this.
Mohan
A:
That’s
easy, just get under the hood of your Honda and look at
the brake master cylinder. The brake master cylinder is
bolted to the power brake booster. If the master cylinder
is leaking at the rear you will see what looks like oil
running down the face of the power brake booster. The origin
of the leak will be in the area that the brake master cylinder
bolts to the booster. If the area appears to be wet as described,
wipe it dry with a cloth, be sure the brake fluid is at
the correct/safe level. Monitor the brake fluid level daily
and check to see if the brake booster has signs of leakage.
Sometimes when the master is topped off, brake fluid gets
spilled and runs down the back and looks as if there is
a master cylinder leak. Other times it is real and the correct
repair requires a replacement master cylinder. Checking
this problem out is a visual thing and it is not that difficult
to determine if repairs are needed.
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