aftermarket pwr steering fluid
 

Have a question regarding power steering fluid in hondas. I have a 1998 Accord that has a small leak in the power steering line.

Would it be safe to use something like valvoline or prestone fluid w/stop leak to see if that works? Would that harm anything?

Dont do it.

Theres some aftermarket fluids that say "FOR HONDA" right on the bottle, those are OK. I don't recall seeing any with stop-leak but I wasn't looking for that ???

If it says "for all makes", DO NOT believe it.

Honda OEM only. I wouldn't even use something that said "For Honda" on it. Honda only.

+1 on using honda fluid only..if you have a leak fix right as that stop leak can damage the whole system making a $200 hose into a $2,000 rack,pump replacement..

i have used Lucas Oil Pwr steering fluid stabilizer. i mix 20% with honda fluid and the luca oil prevents leaks.

Don't do it ... use Honda Fluid ... I've had good success with the ones that say "Honda Fluid" on them ... but I don't use anything else (228K miles BTW)

honda fluid is not that expensive in the first place it's just not worth the risk of messing up the steering rack and pump just to try somthing that might work to just do it ...

^exactly. If you have a dealership nearby, no reason (unless they are seriously price-gouging) not to get the oem fluid, as the price of aftermarket, the "for Honda/Acura" types, are normally about the same cost.

OEM Honda P/S fluid, as well as some of those aftermarket "for Honda" fluids will condition and maybe slightly swell the seals in the P/S system anyway, so normally you'll notice a leak might slow a bit with OEM fluid as opposed to even a "for Honda/Acura" aftermarket.

I currently have an aftermarket "for Honda" fluid in my system(long way from a dealership). I don't have any leaks, but replaced the old fluid b/c it appeared to have water in it (loud noises w/ no assist in cold weather). Noise went away, but the assist is the same or even slightly worse compared with the ~14yr. old OEM fluid that was in there.

Adding a stop-leak product, as long as what is in the system is still predominantly OEM Honda fluid, might not be a bad idea in the short term, but I'd agree that there are potential risks that could be more costly in the future. Keep in mind that even a product that says "good for all makes" etc. usually isn't meant for a Honda P/S system, and quite frankly, just being able to be used in a non-Honda P/S system pretty much guarantees that you wouldn't want to have that in your Honda/Acura for very long as it will at least reduce the life of seals if not mechanical components.

Only place I'm aware of to get OEM Honda fluids besides ebay (horrible shipping costs) is partsgeek.com, same price as what you'll get at a dealership (maybe slightly less) with a flat shipping rate of $6.50 for your order. I came across them while trying to find some Genuine Honda MTF online, gonna get a few bottles of P/S with my order as well.