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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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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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Plenty. The trans pump picks up fluid from the pan then sends it to the hydraulic system (main pressure regulator), which in turn supplies the converter pressure feed. With no fluid in the pan there's nothing for the pump to pump, no hydraulic pressure developed, and nothing forced into the converter to push the old fluid out. Also, shifting into gear with virtually no fluid pressure will allow clutch/band slippage. |
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Had the filter (metal frame holding a fine mesh/nylon screen), and fluid changed today in my Camry. The last time the filter was changed and pan dropped was at 25,000 when I switched it to synthetic ATF. Changed the fluid every 30,000 via a drain and fill (has a drain plug) since and now at 143,000 decided it was time to drop the pan. 118,000 since last filter change. So, filter had caught very little contaminants, a few specs of debris here and there but basically clean. Now, the magnets (3 of them in the pan) were all covered with debris, more like thick oil and pan was basically clean. From what I could see into the transmission after removing the filter it looked really clean, no varnish, no build up of any kind, clean metal and whatever else was used. However, based upon the debris on the magnets it was due for a clean out. In the future, if ever done again I will just drop pan and clean magnets. The screen was a waste of time and money. Been using Amsoil synthetic ATF since 25,000 miles on transmission. |
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