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Maintenance & Repair Maintenance & Repair - Archived Discussions Transmission fluid change-which method is better? 
99 messages, Last post on Jul 10, 2002 at 6:37 AM
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| But not out of control. There is also a magnet epoxied to the inside bottom of the pan it will be very very dirty. My transmission fluid was very/very clean. The car had 127,000 miles and the oil had been changed last at about 60K (Mobil 1 syn) Friend of mine has a Chevy Van and his oil was very dark and the filter very dirty. Helped him change and that gave me the confidence to do mine. | |
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I have a 95 s10 blazer and a 99 s10 p/u, both have the same transmission, filter uses a fuzzy fabric material (dacron I think),not a screen. 99- change all fluid (fluid-exchange at quickie-lube place) at 30k, and pan/filter at 50k, added Lubeguard at 50k change-------------filter material still looked like new (not exactly but very clean for what I expected) at the 50k change. 95- pan and filter at 52k, all fluid at 75k, all fluid at 98k, pan and filter at 125k, added Lubeguard at last pan/filter change.----------------filter material was slightly darker than new material, but still in very good shape. I did the pan/fluid changes at Cottman's Transmission, price was good ($30 for labor and fluid (not synthetic),, and the 95 has to have that frame member undone (stupid Chevy engineer tricks!!!!), From what I have seen, the main thing for trannie fluid is to check periodically for color and smell, making sure there is no overheating issues that would be breaking down the additives. If it does not get overheated, the DexronIII actually seems to last pretty good,,,,,LOTS better than the older DexronII ever did. Both transmissions are shifting as well as when new, (knocking on wood as I type!!! 
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There is no pan to drop on Honda's auto trans for the I-4 Accords (98-02). Also no filter to replace. Simply drive the car to warm up the transmission and remove the drain plug. Monitor how much fluid is drained and replace that amount of fluid through the transmission dip stick tube. Be sure to use the Honda atf-z1 fluid!!! Your user manual will show you where everything is located and walmart has the metered funnel with hose to make the replacement easy. The brake fluid replacement is a different story. In another life I used to work summers at my dads service station. Back then we used a power brake bleeder to supply fluid under pressure and cracked the bleeder valve at all 4 wheels. I don't know how they do brake fluid replacement today, but i assume it is similar to this. 30K is premature for both of these fluids to be replaced. However its your car and your money. Happy driving. |
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I really appreciate your explanation but being a total idiot I still have two questions. Do I use the metered funnel to measure how much fluid I drain? Can you give me a ballpark estimate of how much fluid I should be able to drain (I need to know what size container to have)? This actually sounds like something I can do. The manual says to change the transmission fluid at 30K. If I have the brake fluid changed at an independent garage will it matter if they use "Honda" brake fluid? |
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The amount drained is less than 3qts. The funnel is used with the new fluid only. By the way, my 01 lx accord manual says to change my trans fluid at 60k for severe conditions and every 30k thereafter. 120k for normal conditions. That's quite a bit different than your 2k model. I changed mine at ~45k. I now have 62k on my 15 month old accord and no problems to report other than the odd rattle here and there on rough roads. For the trans and power steering it is important to use honda fluids. I'm not sure about the brake fluid. |
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I checked the manual and it does say every 30K for severe conditions for the transmission fluid and every 45K for the brake fluid. I am going to give the transmission fluid a shot myself and wait on the brake fluid until 45K and let an independent garage do it. Is power steering fluid something I can easily do myself? It is strange that the change interval changed so dramatically in only one model year. It kind of bothers me with all of the automatic transmission trouble on the Accord thread. Thankfully mine has been fine and I hope changing the fluid is all I need to do to it for about 10 years. |
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Check this one out. My brother-in-law just called me and said that the Acura dealer's service writer claimed that his MDX needs a total transmission flush with the special machine ........... at 7500 (that's tight, SEVEN THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED) miles! What do you guys think of this? Now, I'm a believer in preventive maintenance and had the engine, transmission, and cooling systems flushed on my pre-owned 3.5RL, but these services were done at 45K/4 years, not 7.5K/six months! |
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Look at the owner's manual and I really doubt if this is called for. Sounds like to me the dealer is making an assult on your BIL's wallet. I wish someone would try that stunt on me-love to yank their chains. Sadly there are thieves out there-I would not go to these people again. They might do damage to the vehicle in order to generate additional income. Slashing CV boots is high on this list. Regarding Honda ATF-got a tranny code at around 70K-turns out my fluid was a bit burnt and discolored. Changed the ATF using honda fluid and reset the CEL and no problems 60K later. Would suggest changing ATF every 30 to 35K. I think mine requires about 2.8 quarts. You will need one of those funnel things with a long clear tube attached to pour the ATF into the ATF dip/fill hole. Oh and drive it at least 30 miles to get the ATF good and hot. Be very careful when removing the drain plug-that fluid gets extremely hot and can fry your skin. I wear protective gloves and am very careful-it really squirts out. Changing atf is easier than changing oil. |
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| Sounds like you didn't finish the job. Check your owners manual for total capacity. You normally have almost half the fluid in the torque converter. If your fluid was burnt it may indicate a problem or at the very least you need to drain and fill with running the vehicle in between to get most of the fluid out. Alternative is to do a flush as has been previously mentioned here. | |
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1. drop the pan/ open the drain plug 2. drain the fluid. 3. close the pan / drain plug 4. Start the engine 5. shift through gears 6. drop the pan/ open the drain plug * I assume most of the fluid from the Torque convertor must have now been pumped into the gear area * 7. drain the fluid. 8. change the filter 9. reseal the pan / drain plug 10. Start the engine 11. add ATF through the ATF dipstick hole Anything wrong with this method? |
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