92 Civic w/ brake & clutch pressure/fluid problem

[CRXratedR]

Car: 92 Honda Civic DX, 5 spd

Sometimes when I brake, the brake pedal loses pressure, and I would have to pump it, or pull the e-brake slightly and quickly, to build pressure. I checked the brake fluid resevior, and theres enough fluid, but it looked really dirty, so I changed the fluid and bleed the brakes. It was fine for a while then I started losing pressure again. I looked in the brake fluid resevoir and its dirty again.

Is the master cylinder seal broken? Or is there some kind of leak letting dirt in? The bleeder bolts/nuts maybe? Should I replace the master cylinder?

And problem number 2. The clutch sometimes loses pressure as well. I checked the clutch fluid resevoir and there's clutch fluid missing. So I refill, and bleed the clutch from the front of the trans (clutch slave cylinder). Its fine for a while but when it happens its really annoying. I also noticed a little dampness inside the cabin on the clutch pedal and on the floor mat. Its not a puddle but Im sure thats not normal.

Is the clutch resevior or clutch lines leaking somewhere inside? Perhaps a broken seal or busted line?

Any and all help is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

[AHHVTEC]

i would get a new brake master cylinder clutch master cylinder and slave cylinder. and be done with it. better safe than sorry

 

[CAFROG]

Yes...change those parts. You could be dealing with a bad brake master cylinder and old dirty lines. Change the cylinder and Bleed them a lot....with new fluid going in. This amy take some time but you'll have a cleaner system. Check brake hoses for leaks too (next to the caliper on each tire)

 

[CRXratedR]

Yeah, I rather be safe than sorry, but I also dont want to waste money on replacing good parts. I think all of the parts (brake MC, clutch MC & clutch SC) are all still good. But I think maybe the seals of the brake MC & clutch MC is broken or is bad. I would rather replace the whole part rather than just the seals..

I dont know the correct way to pin-point a leak, but maybe I could clean the lines and whatnot, real good, and keep checking for leaks..?

 

[CAFROG]

Bleed that system a lot!!! I mean A lot!!! You'll know b/c the fluid coming out of the bleed will be clean. Brake fluid (dot 3 or better) isn't that expensive. Buy a big bottle and its not like its a bad thing to have in the garage.

Master cylinders don't cost anything really. There cheap....replace the whole thing. Clutch MC is extra cheap. The technology is old as hell so non-oem parts are fine. And the change is pretty straight forward.

 

[Dual-500]

Probably the master cylinder - as I recall mine had similar symptoms. Not that big a deal to change out and certainly not worth risking it.