Is it required to change the oil in 2004 manual trans? I know its required for auto's, but heard otherwise for manual. Any ideas?
2004 TL 136k miles. Shifts smoothly considering the miles.

 

It is recommended at 60k. I did mine at 50, just because it shifts smoothly doesn't mean it doesn't need to be changed. Some do the 3(x)3 method but thats a waist of oil. I would drain it and pore the recommended amount back in, you don't want to over flow. I used about 2 and 3/4 quarts (2 and about 700ml which is posted on the side of the container). The drain can be found in the service manual or here where I found it. I cannot tell you exactly where it is but its under the driver side front, you need to remove the plastic under garments. Its as simple as an oil change, make sure you get manual tranny fluid from ACURA or some use GM synchromesh fluid. Since you have no problems, I would use the regular ACURA fluid.

 

You don't flush a manual. The vast majority of the fluid comes out in a simple drain and refill. On an automatic half or more of the fluid is trapped in the torque convertor so only half comes out when you drain the sump which is the reason behind flushes and 3X3 fills.

 

Yes. I do it every couple years.

 

Could somebody tell me where the plugs are for draining and refilling?

 

Yeah every couple of years, or once a year if your anal about it. Im using 2 quarts of Royal Purple Synchromax an .5 quarts of the Honda stuff.

 

The drain plug is located on the bottom of the transaxle case and is the same size as the crankcase plug. The fill plug is located on the top of the case and is under the ribbed throttle body coupling. It is rather large and has a female 3/8" ratchet depression.

Do this with your transmission level and use a torque wrench. The fill plug is going to be hard to remove if this is the first drain and fill. Refill with 2.3 quarts (that's 2 quarts, 10 ounces - U.S.).

 

Also open up the check plug so you know when to stop filling.

 

The drain plug? It uses a ratchet, not a 17mm wrench

 

There should be a DIY on this in the 3G Garage.

For you, OP, I would DEFINITELY do the 3x3 drain/fill. SB is right, each "fill" should be 2.3 quarts after a drain. So you'd need 7 quarts total.

FWIW, I do mine every 30k, 3x3.

 

Why drain/fill the manual transmission 3x. That is a lot of money on fluids when it is unnecessary. I can understand doing it for the auto if you don't have a machine to flush the fluid, but a waste for the manual.

 

^
In this case, the OP isn't sure whether it's ever been done on his car which has 136k on it.

As for me, yes, it is a lot of money on the fluid, since I use the GMSMTF-FM. But, I'm unwilling to get the 3rd gear TSB done, and this ENSURES proper shifting, and peace of mind for me.

 

Does synchromesh really help that much? also what if i mix it with the regular stuff.

 

I wouldn't mix it with the Acura fluid, just use GM

 

vvv

+1.

The Acura fluid, even the reformulated one=:thumbsdow

 

I had the 3rd gear issue and GMSMFM made it go away immediately. Like others had said, don't mix. Not sure why you'd consider it anyway.

Here is a thread with some pics of the actual plugs and the service manual by our resident 6MT expert SouthernBoy.

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...t+fluid+change

 

It all comes out in a manual transmission anyway, no need for 3x3. Getting on this asap would be a good choice though.

 

No need to flush a manual transmission!!!! PERIOD! No torque converter, no other things that hold transmission fluid in. Drain and refill with the GM Syncromesh and call it a day! End of story. Unless you like waisting money during these great times of the economy. Send payment to.......

 

Just wanted to add: When u drain out all the fluids, shift the gears around; there are still some fluid in the gears.

 

Thanks for the info. Is there a difference between GMSMF Friction modified and plain?

 

The part number for the GMSFM fluid is 12377916. This is what you want. And it ain't cheap - but it is worth it.

 

Thanks for the nice remark, but I can assure you... I'm not a manual transmission expert.

 

If one does this, I would strongly recommend care when putting the check plug back in. Use a torque wrench with this plug. It is only supposed to be torqued to 8.7 lb/ft. A few of the members have not used a torque wrench and have tightened this bolt too much, causing the head to completely separate. Not a good thing.

I would recommend just adding 2 quarts, 10 ounces and leaving the check plug in place. Too easy to cause yourself heartache with this one. Not one of Honda's better ideas.

 

That's what i did 2 quarts and ten ounces of the Acura stuff and running perfect so far no need to use the check plug.!!

 

I just called my local chevy dealer and they said it was 18 bucks a quart. Is it really that expensive???

 

I've never had an issue with putting the plug back in place. You don't want to overfill the transmission as you can cause a fluid leak if there is too much fluid in there. Safer to just ensure that you have the appropriate amount.

 

The check plug is a good approach, as is the recommended refill quantity. I recommend against removing the check plug for the reason I gave. I can imagine the sudden sinking feeling in the pit of one's stomach as they suddenly wrench off the head of that little bolt. The 8,7 lb/ft of torque doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room for error.

 

Peace of mind for me. Dealer overfilled the tranny upon delivery of the car or didn't ensure it was at the appropriate level...same thing in my eyes. I had some issues with the fluid leaking. They tried to blame me for their mistake. Makes it easier for me to know when the level is correct when I see it start to dribble out of the check hole.

 

Call around and haggle, I think list price is like $11. I got my RP synchromax for ~the same $10-11 a quart. The GM FM stuff does feel better then the non FM version and it also feels the thickest of them all, felt pretty good, gives you a solid feeling. Went to try RP for kicks and its alright, feels thinner but not in a bad way.

 

I think I paid 13 at the dealer in CA.