I performed a search regarding the color of Honda Z-1 ATF for the transmission with no answers, so please bear with me. I had the oil jet transmission fix performed recently, and the service person advised me about his concerns regarding the fluid in my transmission. He said the Acura ATF is normally red in color. I had my fluid changed at a Goodyear dealer ~10,000 miles ago, and the car has been running fine- smooth shifts and no jerkiness. He (Acura rep.) made a note on my service order regarding the color of the fluid and told me Acura might not cover a new transmission if mine were to fail in the future, because of the color and smell of the fluid. He believed the fluid was a hypoid gear oil, as it is not the typical red color and does have a mild scent of hypoid oil. I then went to the Goodyear dealer who researched my records and told me that he specially ordered Honda Z1 ATF, as it's supposed to be compatible with the TL transmission (told me the computer at Goodyear indicates this). Does anyone know the normal color of the Honda ATF? The Goodyear dealer called a local Honda parts dept. and apparently the fluid is not a cherry red like Dextron III and apparently does have a scent of gear oil. Otherwise my car has been running fine. Any help is greatly appreciated. My fluid on inspection was not burned and did not have a particular color on the dipstick (not brown, green, nor red).

 

when new my tranny fluid was a dark red... of course now its starting to turn a little brown but Im going to have that changed just so i dont have any problems in the future...

i dont want to scare you or anything but hopefully the dealer did no black flag your car.... if they did then they definately wouldnt replace your tranny if it ever had any problems.... i highly recomend that while your car is under warrenty that you get all major work such as tranny fluid changes done at the dealership... hopefully you wont have any surprises if you do this!

 

as for the color its redish in color. as for what the dealer is doing, you may want to go the place you got it changed at and get something from them stating what they put in it for more proof to help back you up.

 

It might be too late- they did make the note of the fluid color on my service order. I was advised by the rep. to go to a Honda dealership and get a bottle of Z1 ATF, just to prove the color difference between Honda and Acura ATF. I just haven't bought a bottle yet. Also it is a violation of the Magnusson (?sp.) Act to force a car owner to go to the dealership to have service performed threatening the owner with a voided warranty. The only thing that normally voids a warranty is racing the car or using it in a manner for which it wasn't designed. I don't think the folks at Acura are bright enough to perform fluid analysis of ATF- they only seem to be good at transmission swaps from failures. If it does ultimately fail and won't be covered, as much as I like my car, it will be my last Acura/Honda product. Maybe the folks at Acura of America in California (the headquarters) need to hear this (ANYONE FROM ACURA IN CALIFORNIA READING THIS?????!!!!!!)

 

i would say its up to them to prove that it isnt or the place that changed it seeing they said they put honda atf in it

 

ER Doc,
Sorry to hear about your problem with Acura.. I have a 2nd gen TL with 26K and the tranny fluid is somewhere between brown and red in color. I also have an 04 TL with 2K and the fluid is cherry red. I was concerned about the color of the tranny fluid in the 2nd gen car and showed it to the dealer and he say's it's normal for the fluid to be nearly brown..(bullshit) I would go back to goodyear and get written documentation of the type of fluid that was put in your tranny and be prepared to fight if Acura gives you problems..
I think the "olfactory" (smell) transmission test wouldn't hold up in court unless your service guy is a bloodhound. More Acura crap..
It seems no matter what you put in Acura trannys, they are doomed to fail. The faulty design and manufacture is not your fault. Please sign the petition if you havn't already and good luck with your car.

 

it is normal for the color to turn between red and brown. but not completly brown. it should always have a little pinkish color to it.