Majofo

^ $90! not worth it.. it would probably work but It's cheaper and not much more involved to just jack up the front end & drain.. a large syringe & IV line will do the same for extraction, maybe cost $5 if that.

T0L8

The price of that tool is prohibitive, not to mention that a drain bolt exists. It is also much cheaper to buy vinyl tubing from local hardware and use a syringe for suction.

Dan1629

allright guys, just did my atf change,

dont need to do 3x3 found a trick... Everyone says do the change on level ground.. did it

then I jacked the car up on the drivers side and it dumped a total of 4 qts, not 3

did the same thing 2 times 4 qts each time found it to be a better flush.

you guys can say what you want but this is based on fact. my car is a 07 type-s im tellin ya 4qts each dump.

Dan1629

oh and as far as the refill thats a no brainer also, the typical black tranny funnel worked great, no problem filling.

TL on "20"

so the refill will be 4 qts not 3 thanks for the info i am going to get amsoil ATF today !!

frank358fr

I changed my transmission fluid on my TL yesterday. Thanks for the great DIY!

-MiG-

iTrader: (3)

This is a great write up, definitely going in my bookmarks!

I need to get this done in the next 2 weeks.. What do you guys think of the 3x3 method?

lemonade

Sorry to be a noob, but where exactly is the jacking point front and rear?
I did my oil change, but i always use the scissor jack, then jack stand to hold the car. But that's enough for me to slip under just to get to the oil plug, not sure about ATF change.

Many thanks!

Majofo

^ tow hook.

-MiG-

iTrader: (3)

Holy crap so for the 3x3 you need 9 freaking qts?!? Thats the only method I dont understand too much..

I drain and refill with 3 quarts, drive, then drain, throw away and refill with a new 3 qts? or do I just use the 3 qts, drain, refill, drain, refill?

3x3=9 qts?

or do I use just use the NEW 3 qts and recycle them through the vehicle?

Majofo

it's not math, it stands for 3 fills & 3 drains. The capacity of the AT is around 7.7 qts.. but you can only drain ~3 qts at a time. Doing a 3x3 allows the percentage of fresh ATF to be substantial. Always refill with new ATF.

• If you did only a single drain & fill. You would only have roughly 3/7.7 = 39%
• If you do a second.. You will have 3/7.7 * .61 + .39 = 62.7%
• If you do a third.. You will have 3/7.7 * 0.373 + 0.627 = 77.3%
• fourth.. You will have 3/7.7 * 0.227 + 0.773 = 86%... etc.

also, I read too fast and didn't see the question about the front jack point. It'll be clearly seen in the middle of the front sub frame below the front mount, I think there's even an arrow pointing at it..

wasupdog

iTrader: (2)

just a trick i use to take off the drain bolt on the underside of the car, it's in the perfect place so you can just kick the wrench with your foot. no breaker bar needed lol. just make sure you have the wrench securely fastened to the drain bolt and kick towards the back of the car.

-MiG-

iTrader: (3)

I'm sorry for being so ignorant right now, I just want to make sure I'm doing everything the proper way but I'm not sure I understood your answer..

So, the NEW ATF fluid I put in I drain out and throw away, or just refill the tranny with it again for 3 times?

j1n

iTrader: (1)

after ever drain and refill you have to let the new fluid mix in with the old. so if your going to do it all at one time then take the car down and drive it around for a lil bit and go thru all the gears. then do the drain and refill again.

i did the 3x3 change over three weeks. did 1 drain and refill every weekend.

Majofo

There wouldn't be any sense draining it out & putting it back in. When you put in a fresh fill & drive, you'll have a mixture of old & new ATF in the AT. If you replaced it with the fluid you just drained then the mixture would be the same with the same ratio of old & new.. you want to increase the ratio of new fluid.

Keep the drained fluid in a pan / container & turn it into your local autoparts store after you're done with the process. I would get 12 qts of ATF for the job (4 fills). Don't worry about asking the questions..

LiquidLunch

The fluid in my trans was so bad that I was afraid to do a 3x3 change. Al that fresh fluid may kill my trans. I ended up doing a 3 qt change. I waited until the next oil change and did another 3 qts, then again at the next oil change.

BTW- filling the trans through the dipstick tube is very slow and a pain in the ass. All I do is use about 2 feet of extensions on a ratchet with a 17mm socket. You wont need to set back the fuse box. If the bolt is stuck just stick a pipe on the end of your ratchet and it will pop off. Wedge a long neck funnel into the fill hole. Make sure to torque the fill bolt to 36 ft/ lbs so net time you have to remove the bolt it will come out a lot easier.

A SiQ TL

Anyone else try this method. It seems to get an extra quart out of the tranny. How many quarts does our car actually hold?

rolan04tl

Is there any part I need to replace when doing the ATF 3x3 drain?

Rolan

Riga89

12 qts of ATF??? How much does that cost. What brand do you guys recommend??

Majofo

Honda Z1 or Amsoil ATF / ATD

johnny3

Thanks for starting this thread, does anyone know if the genuine Honda Z1 fluid can be bought in gallon containers?

VanGuy

Thanks for the great write up.

I read that there is a filter for the AT. Is it true and how do we service it?

dwb993

iTrader: (13)

There is a filter. You access on the right hand side of the tranny (04-06) beneath a banjo fitting. There are threads posted with part diagrams which I used, or you can look up the parts on one of Acura parts sites for an exploded view of it. You will be replacing the filter and an O-Ring.

protoboard

Would be great if all the questions in this thread were consolidated to the opening post.

Anyway, where's the cheapest place to get the Honda ATF-Z1 fluid and how much will it cost?

Also, how may miles should your car have before you perform this maintenance, and then how often should it be done?

Also, I know it was asked by I checked the Owners Manual and could not find the answer, so what is total capacity of the AT?

erick3

j1n, THANK YOU! I've been meaning to do this for so long, but haven't had the courage (or patience) to find the bolt, etc. Excellent write up, and a very useful one at that. Thank you again!

BTW, the Honda ATF Z1, is the same as the Acura branded one, yeah? I called my local honda dealer and they insisted I double check; this is me, double checking...lol

dwb993

iTrader: (13)

^It is the same stuff, only cheaper at the Honda dealer.
protoboard, get it at the Honda dealer, its all the same fluid. Mileage depends---Acura says 100K (pffft!). I bought my car used, checked the fluid and it smelled burnt and was a nasty brown color---ATF change! A lot of guys are doing a 1X3 every other oil change.
Capacity for the tranny is ~9quarts, hence the 3X3 change to replace all of the fluid with fresh stuff.

05_NBP_TL

iTrader: (1)

[quote=protoboard;11791729]

Anyway, where's the cheapest place to get the Honda ATF-Z1 fluid and how much will it cost?
quote]

I get my ATF from the local honda dealer for $5.78 qt.

also dont know acura dealers prices on other fluids but the ps fluid is $3.15 pt. at the honda dealer

will be checking the prices on coolant next

protoboard

\

Smelled burnt and had a nasty color, did you check this through the dipstick? Or how did you check this?

boomersooner02000

I've got an '06 and the maintenance booklet that came with all of the other stuff you get showed that the tranny fluid needed to be changed every 15k. I've done mine every 15k miles and it is still going strong just turned 100k miles.

dwb993

iTrader: (13)

Through the dipstick. My car (06TL) had ~29K when I purchased it.
I had a 2G and that tranny failed at 94K and was replaced free of charge by Acura. I understand the 04-05 TLs also had tranny issues. The 06 resolved most of the problems and the the transmissions were completely re-designed for 07-08. You should probably verify that info independently.
Anyway, the biggest threat to our transmissions is heat build up, which breaks down the fluid faster. I plan on changing my ATF out completely and replacing with Redline Synthetic this Spring. I would also like to add an external transmission cooler and filter at that time (there is a DIY in the 3G Garage for this). I put a lot of miles on my car (luckily they are mostly high speed, interstate miles) and want to do as much as I can to prolong the life of the car.

navarretg

Ok im going to do a 3X3 drain today with Mobil1 ATF. Where can I buy the filter? (autozone, advance auto, napa) What part number do I give them? Thanks

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

i'm ready to do this finally!!

BradE

Hopefully the Amsoil works well for you. I'm running Redline D4, so far so good. The biggest pain in the ass, at least for me, was getting the clips off the cover underneath the car. Other than that, it's a pretty simple job.

KaMLuNg

iTrader: (5)

i figure i give Amsoil a shot first... i was gonna go Redline D4, but ill be doing drain and fill on my GS too... and noone on CL has really used D4 yet due to the long history that Amsoil has... my best buddy uses only Amsoil in his plane so he swears by it... and Amsoil came out to be 5$ cheaper than redline... i guess after my preferred customer discount expires on Amsoil, i'll give Redline a go...

dwb993

iTrader: (13)

Gotta get it from an Acura or Honda dealer
ATF Filter Element 25450-RAY-003 $11.47
ATF Filter O-Ring 91301-RAY-004 $3.50

I got them from Bernardi Honda (http://bernardiparts.com/).

sick puppy

I just did this; easy as pie. I also refilled the ATF (MOBIL 1) through the fill plug.

To gain easy access to the fill plug, I simply removed the air filter top and rubber intake boot. I used a 12" extension swivel and socket (with a breaker bar) to loosen the fill plug.

CAUTION!!! There is an aluminum washer under the fill plug, don't lose it.

when I removed the plug, I didn't notice it until I knocked it off the seating area . I was able to reach it with my hands; a magnet wand won't work (I tried).

Other than the slight delay ala washer, it was a breeze! Thanks OP!

kidrocking79

Finished my 3x3 today. I did 1 yesterday 3.5 quarts came out. I only jack up the front. Today I did the other two. I did my second this morning, went out for a nice 1 hour drive in this beautiful weather we are having and came back and did the third just now. Just want to add to anyone asking because it kind of perplexed me. To take the Drain plug out you can use the ratchet itself with no bit. I believe I used a 3/8 inch rachet. I'm sure it wasn't the 1/2 inch.

kidrocking79

oh.. and forgot to mention.. I went to car quest to buy amsoil ATF and the guy said "Only the best for your car huh"... and I said yup.. only the best for my Type S !!! lol

AJHardee

This helps alot thanks

naser075

How would it be best to do this 3X3 drain.

drain , refill, drive arround with all gears used up, then do this 2 or 3 other times?
I see people doing it week to week is it any different if i do it all one shot same day