Just verified that I have a fluid leak in my 2003 Civic EX. My wife and I had a concern about two weeks back but couldn't tell if there was a leak. Pretty obvious now. although it still only comes out in drops, probably 5-6 overnight.
Leak is in the front behind the condenser fan towards the passenger side. I see two hoses running from the engine towards the front, they split right/left although the one on the passenger side appears to go down a little sooner than the one on the driver side. Both have a small hose coming from the engine which connects to a larger hose, a metal clip holds them in place (the kind that wraps around and is tightened with a screw).
The driver side hose appears to be leaking fluid at the connection between the large hose and the small one. Fluid is following the hose down, dripping on a piece of the bumper and then on the concrete. Fluid is light brown (color of peanut butter) and is very slippery.
Is this brake fluid? Do I need to replace the hose that is partially covered with brake fluid?
I'm not going to drive the Civic until I take it in, but is it dangerous to drive the Civic even to a repair shop? I estimate that it's 20 miles to a Honda dealer, 5 miles to a general service shop. The general service shop may repair it under warranty since they just replaced the brake pads back in April (could they have caused this? would they have messed with the hose at this connection?).
Thanks for any tips, I'm really looking to see if it is brake fluid and what safety risks there are in driving it. Other comments are welcome.
-- gorf