JR.

So I bought a 2005 Acura RL, 118k and can't find any recent maintenance records indicating service to the transmission nor differentials. That said, I'm going to do all fluids and start with a clean maintenance record.

I am having trouble understanding what the drive train actually consists of.

If this were like other cars, I would assume there is a rear diff that uses gear oil, a front diff that uses gear oil and a transmission that uses of course transmission fluid.

BUT I THINK, it actually consists of a rear diff that actually uses 4 quarts DPSF fluid. A transmission that uses 4 quarts ATF-Z1 fluid(16quarts for a flush) and a transfer case that uses .5 quarts 80-90. Am I missing another component? Sorry, the drivetrain and the types of fluids don't add up to your typical drive trains lol.

My first Acura and I'm loving it!

Megatron

You have it about right, except for a few things...

1) The front has a transmission fluid requirement using ATF-DW1. ATF-Z1 has not been made for quite a while now and it's replacement is ATF-DW1. Each drain and fill of the tranny is around the 4 quart mark, actually a little less. The entire tranny hold about 12 quarts, so you only drain about 1/3 while doing a drain and fill. You just do it about 3x to get close to replacing it all without ever being able to get it all.

2) The front also has hypoid gear oil requirement for the transfer case. You are right about that.

3) The rear differential uses Acura AWD Fluid (DPSF). It has TWO CHAMBERS that must be drained and filled in the rear. The combined fluid changed is around 3.5 quarts... but one is larger than the other, like just shy of 3 quarts in one and about 0.7 or so in the other.

That about does it for all the drivetrain fluid other than engine oil.

JR.

Thanks for the insight megatron! Now I can order and get it all done at the same time.


Might be ordering the timing belt kit as well.
Anyone know how to tell if it has been done? I'll be pulling the cam covers off this afternoon and checking for wear. I guess I just answered my own question. Any other/better way to tell?

beekermartin

I agree with everything Megatron said but I have found it is actually closer to 2.5 quarts on the drain and fill for the transmission. I just changed it last week and 2.5 quarts was perfect. Remember you should always check the fluid level with it warm, like after driving it a few miles, and with the car off. At least that is what I've always been told with Hondas/Acuras.

oo7spy

2.5 seems a little low. Was the car level? The service manual calls for 2.9 quarts. Any chance your levels were high before you started?

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

other than maitenance records or checking belt/timing belt covers for human wear; one possibly couldnt tell if the timing belt has been changed or not.

if in doubt; change it out.

TonyCD

You might find this page has some helpful info.

https://acurazine.com/forums/second-...fluids-795607/

beekermartin

I used three quarts the first time I did a drain and fill it and it was slightly over filled. I used 2.5 quarts this time and it is about 3/4 quarters above the lower mark, 1/4 below that upper mark. So not exactly full but not over filled either. I did run it for @6000 miles, oil change duration, with it slightly over filled and I didn't have any issues.

So imagine using 3 full quarts is probably the easiest solution but I only used 2.5 quarts and it is still shifting perfectly.

JR.

Thanks for the help guys!

Did the 3x3 trans fluid change and will be doing the diff and transfer case tomorrow I hope.

Tonyware

A way to tell if the belt was changed is to look at the battery hold down bolts. If one of the two edges has been sharpened/filed then the belt was changed. Huh?... you may think! The hold-down bolt is used to hold the timing belt tensioner in place while removing the belt. It needs to be sharpened at the edge to go through a little hole provided just above the tensioner. Not all shops use that method, or they already have one hold down bolt somewhere in the shop to do that, so is not 100%.

Changing all fluids and start with a clean maintenance record is a good idea. Bleed/change the brake fluid too.

Also pull out one of the spark plugs, preferably from the rear cylinder bank and take a look at it. Compare with pictures on the web for all kinds of conditions. Lots of pictures on the web for that.

If you want to go to extremes (lol), get an OBDII reader and look at long/short fuel trims, coolant temp, timing advance at idle, etc etc... numbers can tell you a lot, some research is necessary of course.

GASKICKER

There has to be a way to cycle all the old oil out while putting new oil in without doing a flush. Ive doing this in other cars by disconecting the line at the cooler and putting the trans in nuetral so the pump would cycle through.
Also, do most of you trust the MM or do you do your own thing? Im inclined to do my own as thats what ive done for so many years, this is my first vehicle with a MM system.

oo7spy

I personally think the trans fluid interval is too long, but the maintenance minder is perfectly fine for everything else.

I don't believe the RL has a tranny fluid cooler. I could be wrong, but I don't think it is an option. There is nothing wrong with the 3x3 method other than being tedious.

Türk

Actually, it has.

Part no is 25510RJA003.

beekermartin

My personal opinion in terms of oil changes is that the MM works fine if you are using synthetic oil. With dino oil I don't agree. I don't have any scientific proof to state my case but I have seen enough oil dipsticks that use conventional oil and long oil change intervals. They always have discoloration on the dipstick which leads me to believe the entire engine looks the same internally.

I have used Mobil 1 on every new car I have ever bought and the dipstick has never discolored. I have to assume the internals of the engine would look the same. Dino oil does break down and cause discoloration, sludge, etc. Whether or not that can reduce engine life is hard to prove in real world tests. Mobil 1 has been proven, as have many other synthetics, to not break down.

The final reason I switched to Mobil 1 years ago was a cold weather test. With conventional oil in cold temperatures the motor would crank much slower than with synthetic. That meant to me that synthetic handles cold and hot temps better and can handle longer oil change intervals without issue.

So I follow the MM but only with Mobile 1/synthetic oil. BTW, all newer Honda's call for 0w/20 which is not available as a dino oil, only synthetic. Again proven my case that the MM works well but use synthetic! You can of course use 5w/20 dino oil but you might lose 0.0001 mpg LOL!

Of course I am not an engineer and have no evidence to back up everything I said. It is strictly my opinion and beliefs!

oo7spy

Why not read the scientific evidence available to fine tune your opinions?

Most of what you said is accurate. Synthetics do not breakdown at high temps as easily as conventionals do. However, they are still victims to oil sheer. Synthetics flow better at cold than conventionals because they don't have additives such as wax.

The only issue I have with your post is your saying a conventional should not be run to 7k miles and synthetics should be changed that often. The 3,000 mile oil change is long gone. Today's oil and today's engines easily run past 5,000 miles. The Honda maintenance minder is ~7,000 miles with some variation due to the car's percieved environmental factors. Honda makes the best engines in the world. The engineers know what they are doing, and if you change your conventional oil every 7,000 miles, your enginine will outlast the car.

In a similar fashion, Mobil1 synthetic is engineered to last 10-14k miles. There is no need to change it before 10k unless you just really like changing oil or dumping an extra 30% of your maintenance costs into your engine.

oo7spy

Is it external and accessible? Can you disconnect the pump line and use the transmission pump to expel the fluid?

Türk

It seems so.


https://i.imgur.com/gqygatp.png
https://i.imgur.com/JftCH6s.png

Anyway, I wouldn't take risk of running tranny dry.

Windyoaks

The Service Due Soon B26 light came on my MM. I changed all my fluids, pain in the ass without a lift, and now I would like to eliminate the warning light. I tried the procedure for turning off the oil change warning and no go. Anyone know the secret?
Thanks

beekermartin

I agree that I shouldn't have said it shouldn't be run for 7k miles. .

The only thing I have noticed with conventional oil is that the dipstick discolors over time and so does the internals of the engine. My friend has been buying new cars off me for 20 years. He has always used conventional oil and follows the MM. All of his engines discolored like I mentioned. I have always used Mobil 1 and my motors have never shown any discoloration. Removing the valve covers on my motors versus his were always shocking. My motors with Mobil 1 looked brand new with shinny metal. His with the conventional are all brown.

Does that mean his motor won't last as long? Of course not. He has always put close to 200K on his cars before replacing them and he has never had an engine problem. I like the fact that Mobil 1 "appears" to keep the internals of the engine cleaner.

I also like that with synthetic the motor cranks easier in extremely cold weather. That means to me that the oil flows to the top of the engine slightly faster providing slightly better cold start up protection.

I am not an engineer and I have no scientific proof to say that synthetic is better. That is just my opinion. A good name brand conventional oil is usually between $12-17 for 5 quarts at Wally World. Mobil 1 is usually $24-27. I feel it is worth the few extra dollars to use Mobil 1.

velobard

Thanks for the tip, I'll have to go check that out. We bought our car at 102k knowing we'd be in for a timing belt job soon and it's at 112k now. We just had it in for a B1356 service, but it never griped about the timing belt. Either the maintenance minder figures it's still OK for now, or it was already done.


The B1356 started off as a B13, then it added the 5, and eventually the 6 before I had a chance to get it to the shop. I've been driving a LOT of miles over the past 4 or 5 weeks, like 700-1500/wk. The Acura dealer wanted nearly $700, but the Honda dealer just a couple minutes down the same road quoted only $315. I've been to that dealer in the past, back when they used to sell Olds as well as Honda, so I was confident enough to take the RL to them. When we went back to pick up the car, the service guy looked a little nervous and said he had a slight problem. He wasn't familiar enough with the Acura SH-AWD system to realize just how much fluid it requires. He explained that he was going to eat the cost of a bunch of the fluid they had to buy from the Acura dealer and with a pleading look in his eyes asked if we could handle $375 and we agreed, considering how much cheaper it was than Acura and the fact that we want to have a good relationship with the shop. Fortunately, the work was performed by a mechanic who came to that shop after working at the Acura dealership, so at least the mechanic knew what was needed for the RL.

MayorMcCheese

Anyone know where this cooler is located?

im happy our RL has a transmission cooler but I didn't find any location or picture.. with all the new performance mods being done to my KB1 and hot summer on the way I want to replace my 12+ year oem