Quickly:

Im doing a 3x3 today. I have 9 quarts of AMSOIL fluid. Just need to get this straight: I going to be draining and refilling 3 times. Each time I drain I will lose 3 quarts of fluid that I need to fill up with, then drive, hit every gear, and do that process 2 more times.

Missing anything?

 

That sounds right . Just remember to put the drain plug back in before refilling. I basicly wasted 3 qts of redline failing to do so.

 

You got it- it's a progressive removal of the old fluid, as flushes are not to be done on the TL. In theory, the more times you do the drain and fill, the less percentage of old fluid remains. 3 x 3 will eliminate a decent percentage of the old fluid (someone here calculated it out, but I don't recall numbers).

 

i got around 2.7 qt out of mine. i use a milk jug and fill it with the old oil and mark it. and refill it up fresh oil to the mark.

 

Exactly and also to note any honda/acura tranny cannot and should not be hooked up to the flush machine that some mechanics use as it will blow the internal seals. As for the percentage on a 3x3 it's like 78% of the old fluid taken out. I remember the thread you're refering to but can't remember as well.

Just remember... Drain >> plug it >> refill >> plug the refill bolt >> drive it thru all gears. repeat 2 more times and your golden

 

Thanks for the responses. Did the flush, 3x3, with AMSOIL super shift non FM and the tranny feels good. I am doing pressure switches next.

 

on the supershift. Probably the single best thing you can do for the trans.

 

^I thought you were all for Red Line racing fluids?

 

I am but using Type F is more important than the brand.

The Amsoil is a synthetic. Redline probably has a better base oil but they're close enough that it's just splitting hairs. For example, I would recommend Amsoil Super Shift (their type F fluid) over Redline D4 (their DexIII fluid). I would recommend Redline Racing over Amsoil Super Shift, both of which are Type F fluids but the difference would be so close that probably doesn't matter.

Redline *should* provide slightly better gear protection but with both being type F fluids, the clutch pack wear should be the same between both and that's the area the 5at has issues in.

 

Does this 3X3 method apply to the 6MT? Or can those be flushed with the machine?

 

A single drain and fill is all the 6mt needs.

 

Drove the car more today, and the flush has made a big difference. I recommend the switch to full synthetic non FM to anyone who has doubts about it. You will thank your self.

 

does the car still jerk when it downshifts to a stop?

that's the single issue i can't stand with my TLS. i've never been in an automatic car where the downshifts are so pronounced like this car is.

 

It does not. However, my car never really had that issue. I had the shudder when going from 3rd to 4th. The fluid change seems to have fixed it for now but I know it will return if I do not do pressure switches. Overall, the fluid change has made the overall functionality of the tranny 90% better. I remember seeing a post about someone noticing the RPM's drop faster with the non FM fluid, and this is indeed true. This helps the tranny as it is now shifting faster and building up less heat. For your issue, I would say go ahead and do the 3x3 with good non FM fluid and see what happens from there. You won't do any harm. Best of luck.

 

I swear this thread/all the talk about 3x3 flushes and pressure switches is jinxing me...my car shuddered going into 3rd gear today. Neat.

 

It is a damn shame, is it not? Your car can def be saved. Honda makes the beautiful car and puts a bad tranny in it. Looks like it's time to do it on your TL. I would do it sooner rather than later.

 

Roughly when would be a good time to replace the 3rd and 4th pressure switches? I'm approaching 78k miles and was wondering if it might be something I should take care of now?

 

According to what I Hate Cars has told me, its about every 50k. So yes, you should do it now.

 

I found a nice empty parking lot and made a bunch of hard circling alternating directions... my thought process was to slosh the fluid around as much as possible to get it mixed around and to help combine it with the old stuff before each drain as well as driving it around town for a bit... whether placebo or it actually working it made me feel like I was thorough

 

How much would the pressure switch change cost to get it done by the dealer?

 

Shifting through gears, like normal driving that goes through all 5 gears will do more for mixing the fluid. I do my 3X3 in the course of three weeks, with a 3X1 for every week.

 

Takes about 15 minutes so they will charge you for an hour work which is ~$130 + $100 for parts will run you $230 or you could just order the parts online from oemacuraparts.com for ~$70 and 15 minutes of you time.

 

I did both, like I said just for piece of mind that I was thorough

 

You should be good then. So what ATF did you go with?

 

I went with Royal Purple, trans and engine fluids..... no complaints feels good... I may try redline or amsoil next just to try it and or whatever is cheaper.

Being its so easy I am just going to change the trans fluid each time I do an oil change, to be extra thorough

 

i just did the math, assuming equal concentrations of z1 atf and aftermarket atf, you will have 70.37% of the aftermarket atf when you finish the 3x3. of course this is pure theory, may need to give or take a bit based on real life situations.

 

Yes that's what I though aboutvas well when I recently changed aft from z1 to dw1 so I did a 4x3 and will do a 1 x 3 next oil change. Also when doing mine I drove it while on jack stands through all gears p n r etc. I had to switch to tiptronic mode because the car would not shift to 3 Rd gear in auto mode. It's crazy how fast you get to 120 with no resistance on the front end on jack stands. I also ha it secured well under the rear wheels to prevent a miss hap. It made itvallot easier than driving aroung and jacking back up in between changes that's the most time consuming part imho. That and when the fluid is hotter it spurts out at different distances. I also usu a bucket that reaches almost to the drain plug to prevent splashing.

 

holy crap you did 120mph while on jack stands?! sounds so dangerous, im okay with starting the engine, but definitely not accelerating!

 

Maybe it was 100-110 but it did not seem that fast at all and I did not know until I looked at the speedometer. I was focusing on feel and the tachometer as well as surroundings.(for pets or children running up) it took a while to get to fifth gear so it was going fast when going into it but yea it was climbing up there.

 

Mine will idle around 40mph and third or 4th gear, no throttle required. You could probably make the speedo wrap around like the tach. I know it was a mistake but be careful at those speeds. The suspension is at full droop so the axles are at weird angles. It's made for that for very short periods of time but not extended high speeds with no weight. I've seen a car come off the lift with wheel speeds in the 100mph range and while it's scary, if you're not on the gas it doesn't go very far.