Bill Faure

I'm getting ready to change tranny fluid. I see in the owner's manual where they strongly caution against any other fluid other than Honda's. They say DEXRON III is fine in a pinch, but as soon as possible drain the DEXRON III out and put in Honda's fluid. While I'm sure this is a ploy to sell more Honda tranny fluid I do wonder if Honda is putting some special ingredient in their fluid? Has any one tried something else long term (over 12k miles) successfully? I called AAMCO and they told me they would add DEXRON III and then add a special additive specified by Honda. However, they did not specifiy what the additive is. Thanks!

juniorbean

iTrader: (5)

The only brand I've heard being used is Redline.... but only a few people are using them. If you actually call Redline they will tell you that you should not use their tranny oil and you should only use Honda's oil.... so that's telling you something. I'd stay away from that Dexron stuff......

civic4982

I trust the Honda MTF. I changed it recently and don't dare to use another brand.

fender4

recently Amsoil has released a synthetic replacement for z1 read here,,

http://www.amsoil.com/products/atf.html

typeR

acctually they will tell you outside of the warranty the redline fuild is superior and highly recomended by them....the only reason they officially recomend against it, is warranty...that said no dealer is going to do a gas chromatagraph mass specrometer reading of your cars fluid and in addition the redline D4 is dexron III

Nashua_Night_Hawk

Anyone is using this Oil?

I can trust Amsoil. But I do not complain using the Honda Z1. Is the Honda ATF synthetic?

It may be worth trying Amsoil ATF.

Bill Faure

I guess I'll be the idiot that goes with AAMCO and the DEXRON III plus additive. If the tranny blows I'll flush the DEXRON III with Honda's ATF and then take them up on their 100k warranty.

typeR

see gas chromatagraph mass spectrometer

Ant7701

Actually boys...for the past two months...every tranny that we replace...the fluid must be run thru a strainer and then send back to Honda along w/ the old trans for inspection...I would recommend staying w/ Honda's fluid...I've also seen trannys tear themselves apart from using Dexron!!!

LegendC

It is true there is an additive you can add to Dexron III to make it Honda ATF. On the legend board we have a 3x flush and fill process that we use to keep our trannys mantained. Because honda ATF is expensive, and you are essentially replacing all the fluid 3 times we use Dexron and then the additive to bring it back to spec.

Here is our flush process, there is some good info. I change my fluid 2x a year and have never had a problem :crossesfingers:

http://www.legend-forum.com/vbulleti...anny+flush+gil

Bill Faure

Since I started this thread I have been to AAMCO for their service. I'm currently using DEXRON III with additive in my original transmission with 60k miles on it. The rumors that the car shifts harder and takes longer to shift with DEXRON III is utter nonsense. I can't tell a bit of difference and as I stated I've put 60k miles on my 01 CLS. Of course the jury is still out as to if I've done any long term damage from using DEXRON III plus additive, but I seriously doubt it! I'll let the board know if I make it another 12k miles when I change the fluid again, or if I crash and burn earlier.

sonor kid

I know two people who went to redline and experienced tranny failure right after. The redline is thinner in my opinion and should be used in race applications only.
Stick with stock and avoid a problem down the road.
The fluid we are using has nothing to do with the tranny failures in our cars.

typeR

jesus christ please dont say shit that you have no idea about...which redline theres 5 different styles...D4 high temp is regular synthetic dexronIII and is not thinner nor is it meant for race applications... to the person mentioning sending off the fluid for inspection if thats even true which i doubt...they are certainly not checking for weather or not you are using a non honda fluid...if anything they are looking for meterial such as bearing or clutch plate....the owners manual allows for adding a dexron III and it can in no way VOID the warranty.....if you donot know then dont offer any info ...i do know and the D4 is fine nothing can be done about it ..comptech uses it and anyone that is looking for a synthetic alternative should too....along with a cooler

sonor kid

Jesus christ relax TypeR!
I never said Honda checked or inspected anything on a blown tranny, nor did I say that it would void the warranty, read the post.
I know two people on this forum who had their tranny go after making the switch to Redline, not sure which type, which I should have gathered more info on, my mistake.
That whole fluid issue scared us a bit.
The type they used seemed thinner to us after inspecting and making the comparison to stock.
The point here is this, switching tranny fluid is not going to prolong the life of the tranny, as our tranny failure has nothing to do with the fluid.

typeR

acctually it has everything to do with fluid...the tranny is getting too hot causing the fluid to be unable to do its job... redline D4 claim s to beable to maintain it's properties at 70* higher temps than a normal dexronIII...misinformation be it with every good intention doesnt help... likley your friends trannys were already acting up...they changed the fluid hoping for a cure all unfortunately no fluid will un due damage however i believe that D4 and a cooler and trans failures would decrease signifacantly

Ant7701

actually...the only reason the fluid gets too hot to begin w/ is because the trans has coolant running thru it for faster warm-up...however when the car is at normal operating temp the hot coolant is still circulating thru the trans causing the fluid temp to increase...by doing the mugen t-stat upgrade you should be able to prolong the life of your trans!!Thats also why the 99tl rarely has trans problems!!!...the 99tl does not have engine coolant running through it...however they use the same trans fluid!!!

typeR

i give up

Ant7701

Not to be a dick but what does that mean???

typeR

there is no coolant in anybodys transmission fluid

Ant7701

I didn't say coolant runs with the trans fluid...I said that the 5 speed automatic transmissions themselves have coolant running thru them in different passage ways...it doesn't mix w/ the fluid but runs thru the trans...sheesh

typeR

if you read your post it sounds exactly like youre saying the trans fluid has coolant "mixed" in it...yes there is a warmer and it is warmed by the engine coolant which is cooler than the trans fluid when it is hot however this though certainly not much of a help for cooling the overly hot trans fluid isnt the main culprit...BTW alot of 99 TL trannys have failed and many good will replacements have been done by acura there too and so too are there issues with the 98+ accord V6 trans....im not trying to be a dick either but sometimes it would be better to state things like "in my opinion" instead of like fact ...and im not just speaking about your staetment, there must be 20 different back and fourths on weather something other then honda fluid is ok each of which stated like they are the gospel...perhaps myself included....however the mere fact that the owners manual recomends a dexron III where honda isnt available negates honds ability to not cover a car using another brand of trans fluid ...and the last thing ill add is, look at the source ... they are the ones that couldnt build this thing right in the first place so they must be right about using there fluid...

Ant7701

Ohh...gotcha now...anyways..."in my opinion" I think all users should stay away from other brands of fluid and stick w/ Honda's fluid....
"Fact"...I've been at Acura for 4 years now and I've personally replaced maybe 120-150 5 speed automatic trannys from TL's and CL's...only done two 99 TL's though
"Fact"...Every acura w/ an automatic trans uses that ATF fluid....which leaves me to believe my opinion that the fluid has nothing to do w/ the tranny failures...I believe the shitty design of the 5 speed automatic is the cause for these problems...sorry about the confusion of where the coolant flows....one thing I did not know was the owners manual really tells you to use dexron III...thats funny...I never actually read one

rchavis

I installed a B&M cooler and flushed mind, then installed Amsoil fluid. The fluid that came out was black, however there was no clutch material in the fluid so I suspect that I caught it just in time. I then drove from Seattle to Medford for the West Coact Meet, where the temp outside reached 90 degrees. The tranny shifts so smooth and no problems noted. I checked the fluid after I return and its nice and red. So I definitely recommend installing the cooler, and Amsoil fluid is now Honda Z1 rated.
Hopes this helps.

Nashua_Night_Hawk

how much is each Qrt of this new Amsoil ATF?

Honda Z1 is like $4.5/Qrt.

rchavis

I buy wholesale at dealer cost, $67.20 a case, which comes out to $5.60 a qt. It took me 10 1/2 qts for a flush and fill. I probably use 1 qt too many but I wanted to make sure that I got all of the old stuff out.
That's a little more then Honda but this is sythetics which last up to 3 times the normal use of dino oil and makes the tranny run about 10 to 20 degrees cooler. That along with a cooler should extent the life of the tranny, however if the design of the tranny is flawed, then it will go out. just not as fast as not using a cooler.

AK_MOBBER

fuck I can't believe I read all this bullshit whining.

I have a 99 TL
I repalced the stock honda ATF with valvoline DEXRON III (3) ATF. Since then I have had the most buttery smooth shifts in my TL. Before when it had the honda ATF it shifted all hard and clunky.

I have had no problem with my tranny in my 99 TL and I have been using valvoline ATF for 20 K + miles.

It's not like honda/acura can tell the difference between one red fuild and another. All you people that blindly believe that honda has some kind of "special" additive in their ATF are fucking retards. Lemmings more like it. My TL has performed better since I changed the ATF and there is no way I will ever go back to honda ATF.

that's my .02 cents on the situation from a 99 TL owner.

typeR

wow ...i hope i didnt inspire that kind of talk ....the honda does have a special adative called Z1 however i dont believe it to be a requirement to better opperation and or longer service...with that in mind lets keep the comments alittle more civil

AK_MOBBER

no you didn't spark this outburst typeR. I'm sorry if you thought that it did for even a second. My frustration stems from arguing plenty of times with idiots over at ACURA-TL site who think that anything but the honda ATF will cause immediate and un warrantied tranny destruction. Like somehow honda puts some kind of magic pixie dust that will keep your tranny running perfectly... I have argued time and time again in multiple posts about this and all they ever say is, "I wouldn't try anthing else because it might void your warranty". In fact when you suggested that the dealer wouldn't do a gas chromatagraph mass spectrometer I had to laugh. I have said the same thing to others saying, "what is the dealer gonna do taste it?".

I guess I sensed a bit of the same rationalle from 1 or 2 members here that just kinda pissed me off.

I didn't even add that I floor my 99 TL from almost every stop light and always push it into redline zone, multiple times a day.(since my TL doesn't auto shift 1-2)

I dunno, I guess it's this blind commitment to brand loyalty that ticks me off in the face of evidence that suggests anything DEX III will work fine.(and will not void warranty)

fender4

again http://www.amsoil.com/products/atf.html