Alucard13

Well this weekend I will get to 30.000 and I wanted to spend the day doing my own maintenance. I wanted to change the oil, put steel brake lines, change my pads, flush the radiator, change the pollen filter, brake flush, and do a tranny flush. I wanted to know if anyone has done this themselves to their TSX and if you guys give me some specs like liquid capacities, pointers for doing things and such and how much money it should come out to. As always thanx to anyone who responds for your input, this site is the best thing to happen to man since HONDA.

iamhomin

Car jack + Manual will guide you through.

Also, remember to dispose the fluids the correct way.

kurt_bradley

I'll look into a couple of the other bits for you, but for now don't change your radiator fluid and transmission fluid yet. Those 2 have a long way to go until they are due

Open ideas for pads and fluids to use

leftride

iTrader: (1)

I am about to hit 30k too....but according to acura's owner link this is the required maint for severe driving cond.

30,000 mi/48,000 km Scheduled Maintenance

Replace engine oil.

Replace engine oil filter.

Inspect front and rear brakes.

Lubricate all hinges, locks and latches.

Rotate tires (follow pattern on page 276 of your owner's manual).

Inspect tie-rod ends, steering gearbox and boots.

Inspect suspension components.

Inspect drive shaft boots.

Replace air cleaner element.

Inspect drive belt.

Replace dust and pollen filter. (See Dust and Pollen Filter on page 270 of your owner's manual for replacement information under special driving conditions.)

STL

It's just 30 miles...what's the big deal?

TSXTuner

You should change transmission fluid. it requires Honda brand fluid.
5AT was 3 qts, I bought 4.

5AT has a crush washer on the drain plug but a different size than oil plug.
Get a new crush washer for tranny from dealer.
Get 5 of the 10mm plastic push pins. When dropping the lower engine
cover several of mine broke, they were brittle. use two small screwdrivers
and pry these out from two side to avoid breakage. The 5AT tranny plug
was tight, it is a square 3/8 drive, it takes a long 3/8 ratchet or breaker
bar to break this loose, or 3/8 reducer on your 1/2 breaker bar.
The tranny plug is magnetic clean off the grime. This is a good time to
put a magnetic oil plug in with the oil change.

Get a turkey baster and suck out fluid from the front section of the
brake resevoir. Cover everything, brake fuid is drippy and hell on paint.
Mine had a lot
of sediment in the front compartment. Don't let this get back into the
rear sections. Add some more brake fluid and suck out repeatedly until all the
sediment is out. I used Valvoline synthetic, I't works, get the big can.
Bleed out the brakes until clean fluid comes out the calipers.

Advance Auto Parts has the cabin filter for cheap, purolator brand.
I needed one day for them to
get it from the warehouse. They have Trico wiper refills, this way you
can save the original blade. The original blade will be better than aft mkt.
Might as well get the K&N HP1010 oil filter there.

Most of the other stuff is inspection. I recommend remove and regap
spark plugs, I had one at .039, should be .043. Get some antiseeze for
the threads. Be sure they are torqued to spec. The lead wires unplug from
each coil.

I don't think you need to change antifreeze yet. Check the maintenance
schedule, I don't see any reason until 3 years age.

You could do the K$N air filter at this time unless your doing CAI.

Alucard13

Thanks a lot, like I've said before you guys always help out.

SodaLuvr

Capacities are as followed:
Engine Oil: 4.5 quarts
Engine Coolant: 7.7 quarts
AT Drain/Refill: 3.0 quarts
AT Total Capacity: 6.9 quarts

I suggest replacing the pollen filter at the 30,000 mile mark. I'm not going to comment on your Brake System modifications since I'm unsure of what you're trying to accomplish.

I do not suggest "flushing" the transmission with a T-Tech system because it will not allow the technician to clean/replace the filter, if any, on this vehicle. Instead, I recommend doing (3) Drain/Refills with Amsoil Universal ATF, which will be equivalent to "flushing" your transmission.

Honda specs a special fluid known as the "Honda Z-1," which is different than standard Dexron-III Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) because it contains a greater amount of friction modifiers. It is very likely, that it is a synthetic blend ATF, but that has not been confirmed.

Amsoil Universal ATF is a highly friction modified fluid that is approved for use by Amsoil in applications calling for Honda Z-1. Honda does not recommend using ANY fluid other than Honda Z-1, but Amsoil will cover your transmission in the event of a fluid related problem while using their product if a fluid analysis is provided. The Amsoil Universal ATF contains the greater amount of friction modifiers and is better than Honda Z-1 since it is a full-synthetic fluid opposed ot a blend. Honda Z-1 typically retails for $4-$5/quart; at 3 quarts per drain/refill, you'll need 9 quarts of Amsoil Universal ATF. Your best bet is to purchase a 10 quart jug of Amsoil Universal ATF from lubespecialists.com, who are willing to sell products to you at dealer cost, for about $56, usually about $66 for most people with shipping and tax. Many people have used the Amsoil Universal ATF for Honda/Acura and Toyota T-IV applications on the Bobistheoilguy forum and the Acurazine forum and have not experienced fluid related transmission failures.

I disagree with TSX Tuner in regards to using a K&N Air Filter for your vehicle. After observing many oil analysis reports on Bobistheoilguy, I've found that oil analysis reports with a K&N Air Filter installed turn back a higher silicon (dirt) reading most of the time. Often times, a K&N Air Filter on a car will turn back 10-20ppm of Silicon, which is higher than we'd like it to be (we'd like it to be <10ppm), since dirt is VERY abrasive on upper-end wear of an engine (Aluminum, Iron, Copper).

Below are two oil analysis reports for a Honda Civic where in one report, a K&N Air Filter was used, and in another report, a Fram Air Filter was used. Notice how much the upper-end wear was reduced when a new paper air filter is installed.



Also, I'm not a fan of the K&N Oil Filters since they do not offer better filtration that lower priced high-efficiency oil filters such as the Purolator PureOne. Remember, the K&N oil filters are made by Champion, which also makes Mobil 1, STP and Supertech filters. Note that even though Champion makes the oil filters for STP and Supertech, they are of a lower quality. If you are looking for a top-of-the line high efficiency oil filter, give serious consideration to the Amsoil oil filters, which are produced by Baldwin. They are about $9-$10 from Lubespecialist.com. The Amsoil oil filters offer just as good if not better filtration and a higher capacity than all of the filters that I've mentioned above.

Michael

TSXTuner

Thanks for the oil analysis, i suspected K$N may not be as clean
as paper filter. The OE filter is very dense material.

I'm getting an oil analysis soon and will compare my metals to this data
which I printed out, but what to do with CAI, is there better universal
cone filter. I have enough benefit from the CAI that I would be willing
to sacrafice some for a cleaner filter.

I just read an oil filter report, Pure 1 was good for most measures but there was a problem with the bypass valve. K&N and Mobil 1 were the top ranked
in every category and their bypass valve arrangement will not wash from the dirty
side of the filter back into the engine. There was a new delco coming which
is supposed to be one of the best, Amsoils filters were not included in the
test. One of the key measures of the oil filters was their cold flow rate,
and of course cleaning. The other is that most filter's bypass valves will
discarge dirty side of the filter back into the engine.

SodaLuvr

TSX Tuner,
Check the date of the oil filter report you were reading, filters change once in a while. Some Purolator PureOne filters have a bypass valve located at the bottom of the can, which is slight disadvantage since the oil has to pass along the bypass filter element to get to the bypass, which creates contamination concerns. But nevertheless, we have not experienced any problems with the Purolator PureOne Oil Filters in regards to its bypass valve, neither have we experienced increased engine wear because of the ADBV design on some of the filters.

If you’re planning on performing an oil analysis, please consider using OAI (non-postage paid kits w/TBN can be purchased for $14.95 from Lubespecialist.com) since they’re the least expensive. They test for the same elements as Butler-Machinery CAT (site sponsorer on Bobistheoilguy), but for less than the $22.50 they charge. Blackstone is the most expensive laboratory, the differences between Blackstone and OAI and other labs that have FTIR testing is that Blackstone offers an insolubles and flashpoint test. The insolubles measures the amount of blow-by, carbon in the oil, and other “stuff” that wasn’t caught by the filter. The flashpoint testing basically measures the temperature required for the oil to ignite I guess, and is lowered by any Fuel Dilution. To me, its important to use both types of labs occasionally since it will give you a better picture of your engine’s condition. The oxidation and nitration tell you a lot more than the insolubles sometimes.

BTW, I suggest replacing the coolant LONG before it’s recommended by Honda. The Zerex G-05 coolant is an excellent alternative to the Honda fluid. What’s so special about the Honda coolant? Honda and many Japanese manufacturers prefer a no or low silicate, no phosphorus technology for coolants, which is different that American and European manufacturers. The Zerex Z-05 is a low silicate formula that is recommended for use in Honda applications by Valvoline. To minimize potential problems with your cooling system, DO NOT mix antifreezes and use distilled water when filling your system initially.

Michael

TSXTuner

Michael, what about antifreeze, I usually go 3 years or 50 k miles.
Ok, I'll use the Zerex, I'm not partial to antifreeze but I do wonder
about flushing, do you just drain and fill, why flush with a garden hose
then fill with distilled water. That's like using ice cubes with bottled water.

I found the oil filter study, not necessarily the authority. It's not dated,
but it might be circa 2002, does include Amsoil.

http://www.shoclub.com/lubrication-o...n-oilpart5.htm

Here's another one. Not a test but information about their construction quality.
I generally tell by their weight, K&N is a beast.

http://www.scuderiaciriani.com/rx7/oil_filter_study/

SodaLuvr

Make sure you use the Zerex Z-05, since it has a low silicate content. You must be careful which antifreeze you use with Hondas, since the silicates can cause a problem. Personally, I do mine every 3 years regardless of mileage in fear that the rust inhibitors may wear out.

The way I do it is drain the radiator and refill with water from a hose. Then run the car until it gets warm. Repeat the process several times before doing a final 50/50 fill with antifreeze/distilled water. Use an antifreeze testing tool to ensure that you have added enough coolant to provide the proper boiling/freezing protection.

Michael

TSXTuner

Michael, I just got this oil analysis on Mobil 5-30 synthetic blend.
I am using a magnetic drain plug. Air filtration was good.
After this test, I have just cleaned the K$N at about 25k miles, it had been
reoiled on the clean side once. It was dirty and needed it.

I used a damp white paper towel and wiped inside the CAI tube,
nothing visible was on the white paper.

Next I am doing Redline with an oil sample at 3500 miles.
And then to the Mobil 1, new formula. I'm testing mpg with the redline
but won't run it past 3500 miles without an oil test.

Blacksone Labs :
TIM: No problems showed up in this sample. The viscosity was mildly low for a 5W/30, though theflashpoint was good, so we do not suspect any excessive fuel dilution was present. It would be normal
for a 5W/20. All wear looks very good, showing no mechanical problems developing. The universal
averages column shows typical wear from this type of engine after about 6,000 miles on the oil. No
moisture or anti-freeze was present. Silicon was low at 3 ppm, showing good air filtration. At 34,000
total miles, we think this engine is doing very well

SodaLuvr

Tuner,
I'd like to see the other parts of the test: Flashpoint, Fuel, and Insolubles.

Looks great!

So is this stuff Mobil Drive Clean Plus?

BTW, be prepared to see high wear metals next time with RL. RL tends to show higher wear metals the during the first few runs, but it isn't necessairly wear. What happens is that RL with clean out the soft residue metals on the surface which would cause the numbers to go up.

In addition, RL's additive chemistry will expand itself, along with the base oil and natural TBN, to clean up the deposits leftover from the previous oil. This will often make the oil appear "shot" after only 3-5K or so because of the low TBN and higher wear metals. This is normal; to keep the TBN up, add LC.

After about 3 runs on Redline, wear will be excellent, and with LC, 10K drains will be easy with Redline.

Michael

TSXTuner

Michael, yes this is Mobil Synthetic Blend 5-30, called the drive
clean plus. To me it works as well as Mobil 1 particularly since I change
at 4k miles. It turns black later than Mobil 1, fuel mileage is better.

I did eveything wrong according to the book, changed the breakin oil at 1500 miles, alternated with conventional, mobil 1, and mobil blend. Changed every 3.5-4k miles.

I do have a creampuff motor. It keeps getting better and never uses
any oil. But mpg has dropped
with cai and header and that was an incentive to try RL.

what is LC ?

I just picked up the redline because it was on sale, $8 to $5, i think I tell
the difference but I'm waiting for mpg. From what I've seen there is no reason to change oil too often and this oil test makes me feel better about going out
to maybe 6k.

SodaLuvr

Lube Control is an oil additive that reduces oil oxidation and helps improve TBN retention. It has shown excellent results on the Bobistheoilguy board without causing significant changes to the additive package nor has it affected the viscosity. It has greatly improved the oxidative stability of conventional oils.

You need to get a TBN number next time to check the amount of active additive remaining before extending drains.

Michael

TSXTuner

Results are in ! Redline oil is the shit.

I got 23.5 mpg driving harder than usual. The engine felt better
and I played with it. If I dog it I'm sure I'll get 25-26. This recovers
all my header/CAI mpg loss and then some.

I was getting 20-21 in local / semi rural driving usually 45 mph limits.
I also cleaned the K&N filter which it needed at 25k miles.

ForceSHO

Gonna bring this back.. where exactly is the tranny drain for the 5AT? I never remove the aero cover on the bottom before..

gcolby03

I just checked the Acura Owner Link for the 30,000-mile scheduled maintenance for my 2004 TSX, and it lists only:
30,000 mi/48,000 km Scheduled Maintenance
Recommended service for your 2004 Acura TSX:

Replace engine oil.
Rotate tires (follow pattern on page 276 of your owner's manual).
Inspect drive belt.
Replace air cleaner element.
Replace dust and pollen filter.

Check engine oil and coolant at each fuel stop.
Check and adjust valve clearance, cold engine, only if noisy.

However, when I called the dealer to schedule an appointment, they're saying they do much more than that, including transmission oil, alignment, etc. Why the discrepency??

Also, does $595 sound on par for the 30,000-mi scheduled maintenance at a dealer?

Bass Mechanic

Ahh now i am reminded of why i lease, only maintenence i plan to do is change the air filter and reset the light. in another 18,000 miles its someone elses car anyway.
im not trying to sound like i dont care for my car but honestly i dont plan on keeping it anyway so why should i spend all my money? its going to get all the service anyway when i trade it in for the next guy.
i am all for keeping the cost of ownership as low as possible.