yes its most likely just grease for the rod. a very common honda problem are the salve cylinders. they range from 15 to 30 bucks at auto zone. thats what i would check first. very easy to see if its leaking or not. but there is a chance it could be clutch master cylinder too. check out both. all the problems like you are describing ended up being slave cylinders. check it out and let us know what you find.