DuoDSG

Ok, so a while back I said I was looking to replace/refill all the fluids in my TL that I bought back in September since everything was a bit...low. I was told I could do a 3x3 replacement for the AT fluid and do my own oil change, and I have a buddy that can help me with it.

Right now my MID says that oil life is at 40%, but I know it needs to be changed soon anyway.

Now my time has come. I want to try to replace all of the fluids this weekend and get some recommendations from you, my wise and infinitely more experienced friends.

I've searched the forums but I don't have hours to spend digging around in every thread on the subject for each separate fluid so I'm hoping to get it all in one thread.

(When I say I'm doing a total fluid replacement, I also mean the filters that go along with these components).

• Oil ? (Although I would prefer Royal Purple, I don't have the time to buy it and wait for it to arrive. Something I could buy in a store would be preferable)
• Oil filter?
• Transmission fluid: Honda ATF seems to be the consensus
• Power Steering Fluid: Honda PS also seems to be what everyone says
• Engine coolant? (this is the same as radiator fluid, correct?)
• Brake fluid?
• Cabin air filter
• If I missed any fluids/filters, please let me know and give your recommendations! (besides windshield washer fluid)

I apologize if I'm asking too much, but as I said before, I've been through so many threads that my brain is fried. Plus I want to get it done this weekend so I don't have my car die on me because of my fluids being out of whack. I'm going to the dealer tomorrow for some electronics work and I don't want to get talked into work that will make me sell a kidney.

Thank you, and Merry Christmas/Hannukah/etc.

01tl4tl

any brand engine oil 5w-20, or if its reallllly cold there 0w-20
Summer run 5-30 for better engine protection in heat

Im running Penzoil Platinum others like the Mobil1 `Extended` version- have to read bottle!!
found in 5 qt jugs at walmart for 20 bucks
regular oil is fine too- synthetics better in cold

Oil filter: any quality brand, k&n and mobil1 are top rated, napa also very good, wix,
most anything will work. Look at it- does it look and feel solid or cheap?

Brake fluid- DOT4 spec fluid, regular or synthetic -car doesnt care
get 2 quarts. Valvoline and Castrol found in most parts stores

coolant (radiator) -should say `approved for acura` on the bottle- need 2 gallons.
use a 50/50 premix or make your own to suit temps.
See owner book on removing drain plug on engine block to drain every bit out- heater must be set to full hot too! Read about burping air out after new coolant is added- critical to engine operation!!!

PS fluid- honda- slip a larger hose over the ps return hose- secure with hose clamp and drain into 1 gallon plastic jugs
Place a piece of cardboard under each front wheel to reduce friction while turning wheels back and forth to drain fluid,, then to burp the air on new fluid

Honda ATF- no normal filter replacement with fluid change
If doing 3x3 warm trans by driving 15 minutes- drain the 3 it will give up and refill- drive 5 minutes using every gear- including PRN and each drive- up and down a few times- speed under 25-35. You are trying to push old fluid forward in the system by doing that- more than 5 miutes and its too hot to work on for a while.
back on the ramps to drain 3 and refill- drive same- repeat.
If you dont do it all at once- like waiting a day or a week between drains, you are simply mixing old and new fluid together

cabin filter- fram bosch whatever- get one with additives like charcoal for odor control

01tl4tl

check all the wheel lug nuts are set to 80 ft lbs and not higher
check air pressure in tires and spare tire- it gets forgotten a lot

DuoDSG

Thanks for the recommendations, that's exactly the kind of info I've been looking for.

Just an update, I haven't been able to do any of the work on it because it's so dang cold here in Logan that I have to find a friend with a garage that I can do this in. I nearly died just working inside my car to replace the center console/CD unit just a few weeks ago when it was relatively warm, and I don't dare perish trying to change my oil in -4 temperatures.

This is my plan at the moment for all of these fluids:

• Oil- Royal Purple 5W-30. Although it gets cold in Logan, I don't need anything like 0W-30 because I will never need something rated to -40F.
• Oil filter- Royal Purple, part # 10-2867
• Transmission fluid- Honda ATF, or Royal Purple ATF-Z1
• Power Steering Fluid- Honda PS
• Engine coolant- Honda coolant
• Brake fluid- probably Honda, but anything that says DOT4. I'll see what they have at the store. Definitely synthetic, since it will perform better since it gets cold as balls here during the winter, which lasts 9 months of the year.
• Cabin air filter- same, I'll see what they have in stock. I'll make sure I get one with charcoal, I hear those are superior.

One thing I forgot to mention- what about the engine air filter? I totally forgot about that but I wonder if it's not that big of a deal, kinda like the cabin air filter (without charcoal, of course)?

If anyone votes for the current plan or recommends something different, please let me know before I cause my car to explode from me working on it.

Thanks guys, I really do appreciate it because getting feedback helps me have some peace of mind.

pimpin-tl

PP or M1. They have been proven better than RP. Search here and you will find that info as RP is more of a marketing ploy than anything.

Transmission stay with Honda ATF or you will be asking for trouble.

Brake fluid, any will work just fine.

DuoDSG

Thanks for the prompt response.

With the ATF I'm glad you cleared that up, because I've heard both sides of the coin and I prefer to err on the side of caution. Honda ATF it is.

As for the oil and oil filter, any recommendation, seeing as the Royal Purple really isn't anything special? I've been reading reviews of the Mobil1 and I've heard they can sometimes leak out the back and whatnot.

Flipster23

iTrader: (15)

interesting

VQPower37

for the engine air filter ... get a k&n ... u can reuse them!

pimpin-tl

If oil is leaking, it just means there was a pre-existing problem. But also depends on the mileage as well. If it leaks, just means it needed to be fixed anyways.

DuoDSG

lol this is gonna sound juvenile, but you mean I just dust them off like I would a vacuum cleaner canister and put it back in?

grondie

RP, while probably not bad oil is probably not worth the premium (IMHO). If you want to go with synthetic - Mobil 1, Pennzoil platinum, or any national brand will be fine. Personally, I use a Motorcraft Synthetic blend 5W20, which is highly rated and usually less than 3 bucks a quart. Even more important than the brand of oil though is to make sure to change it regularly

As others have stated, for the trans, use only Honda ATF - and due to the fact that you have an 04, I'd do it every 30k miles.

Have fun!

chaiwala

I always laugh when people bash royal purple oil because sites like bobistheoilguy.com bash it SOLELY on the fact that its virgin oil analysis and used oil analysis show high wear analysis. I chuckle because I tear down a lot of engines and the ones that use royal purple exclusively had much less wear than the other oils including my own engine which was run exclusively on amsoil. People on bobisthewhateverguy need to stop looking at the paper and open their eyes on real world experiences. Its really sad that good oils get the boot while other oils such as amsoil get all the accolades when its the other way around. SIGH.....I am so done with fluids

RBeachTL

If the best is your quest you might look at:

http://www.le-inc.com/products.jsp?productID=163

Check out the RoadRage Journals. Also you might look into the Amsoil EaO filters.

But I don't know if any of us really need this level of performance. M1 is probably way more then necessary and relatively cheep and easy to find.

thisaznboi88

iTrader: (7)

Oil = Redline 5w30
Oil filter = Pureone Pureulator
Transmission fluid: Honda ATF *good shit I have a few case if you need some*
Power Steering Fluid: Honda PS *good stuff again*
Engine coolant = OEM honda blue coolant *its the new formula*
Brake fluid = Castrol Syn *higher boiling rate then oem*
Cabin air filter = OEM

Flipster23

iTrader: (15)

U have ATF I need 9 bottles LOL

thisaznboi88

iTrader: (7)

I got 12 bottles. 11 unopen 1 open to used 100-200ml. But I have a MT now. I hit you back up on

shotcaller88

What clutch fluid is recommended? I have searched and found nothing except a post by Ron A, saying the manual states HONDA DOT3. I would think there's something better. I plan to pick up some synthetic DOT4 at the local auto parts store for the brakes. Wouldn't mind saving a trip to Acura.

thisaznboi88

iTrader: (7)

the clutch uses the same fluid as the brakes.

BradE

For engine air filter, get the OEM replacement. They are around $24 from the dealer. It's well built, and filters very well.

shotcaller88

I know the service manual says to use Honda DOT3 for both. Are you saying it's ok to use synthetic DOT4 for the clutch?

ImagePree

^^ Any dot3/4 non-synthetic will do - since this is an often replaced fluid, you'll be fine with any brand off the shelf. I personally use Valvoline and change every 15-20,000 miles.

DuoDSG

All right, the most basic of the stuff I needed to do was taken care of today. That and I took apart the entire center console again and tested a different head unit (since my Navi doesn't play the voice through the working one that I got, to no avail), and that took up most of my time.

I DID go out and buy all of my fluids (except brake fluid) today. What I decided on was the following:

Royal Purple 5W-30 oil
Royal Purple filter
Honda ATF-Z1
Honda PS
Honda coolant (type 2- the blue kind)
Purolator air filter (unfortunately, northern Utah isn't exactly a happenin' place, so only Pep Boys an hour away was the only store within an hour radius that had one that fit my car. And only one in stock, at that)

Changed out the oil and filter, which of course was easy, and I found that miraculously enough, my coolant level is actually mid-level (not below minimum, as I had seen before) and my power steering fluid is totally full, which was definitely NOT the case a few weeks ago.

The only explanation I can think of is that when I went to the dealer in Salt Lake last Friday they topped off my PS and added some coolant, but they sure as heck didn't tell me about it.

Oh well, saves me buying fluids later I guess. I'll still take care of that stuff come February or so.

In the meantime, I wanted to post this specifically because I think I have everyone else beat.

You know that thread that says "for God's sakes, people, please change your air filter!"? In that thread a disgusting air filter was posted, and it was the worst most people had seen.

Today, I have raised (or rather, lowered) the bar for nasty air filters. I could not shine a flashlight through it. At all. Not even a hint of light. Very bad.

In my defense, 1) I took care of it and 2) I have only owned the car since the end of September so kudos to the previous owners for being so proactive with maintenance.

And here is the monster itself:



I can now sleep at night knowing that I have dodged the cancer bullet any time I inhale in my TL.

Sweet dreams! More fun pictures when the other stuff gets done.

thisaznboi88

iTrader: (7)

that is one butt ugly filter. lol The last owner must have been going biological weapon in his car. lol

Riga89

Wow, I have never seen a filter that dirty in my life. Good thing you replaced it. As a couple members on here recommended, the charcoal activated filter is probably better. Rockauto.com is the place to buy them.

grodri02

Hi,

Which one is the charcoal activated one?

Thanks

I hate cars

So much mis-information here.

Engine oil: I've seen terrible teardowns with Royal Purple. IMO, if you're going to use a mediocre oil like RP, Pennzoil Platinum, most Mobil One products, Castrol, etc, shop by price, they're all about the same.....average. If you want a good oil, Motul or Redline ester oils.

Oil filter- Amsoil EAO 20, Royal Purple, or Donaldson. These are the only filters that use a synethetic media which flows better, filters better, and will last the longest in both longevity and loading capacity. All the others are average, that includes Fram, Mobil One, and K&N. The Pure Ones seem to filter well but at the cost of flow. The synthetic media filters offer the best of all worlds.

Trans fluid- Stay far away from the crappy overpriced junk OEM Z1 fluid. I don't know why anyone would put this stuff back in their TL. It's been shown to oxidize and sheer very quickly, in as little as 15,000 miles. Use a quality synthetic like Amsoil or Redline D4. I changed mine out at 20,000 miles to Amsoil and now at 84,000 it shifts like new. I would never go back to the sloppy shifting of the Z1. These cars are not sensitive to the type of trans fluid used as long as it's recommended for the TL. They won't magically break or wear out by using a different fluid. If you plan on staying with the factory fluid, change it out every other engine oil change.

PS fluid- Stick with the Honda or Amsoil stuff. Anything else will cause leaks and sometimes noise. I've run the Amsoil for 2 years now so I can say with confidence it won't cause any problems.

Antifreeze- Stick with the factory stuff. I changed the factory fill during the second summer. Tons of sand came out which I assume is left over from the engine casting process. If you haven't changed it yet, do it, you likely have sand being flowing everywhere.

Air filter- Factory filters are the best by a long shot. They're a 3 stage filter, starting with oil then fiber and then paper. The seals are a long lasting pliable rubber. Many of the autoparts store filters end up with rotted seals which let dirt through. Acura put a great air filter in these cars so I would not use anything inferior and that especially includes K&Ns if you plan on running the miles up on it.

HEATSEEKER

^^I agree! I have been using Redline ATF on my new transmission with no problems.. I had to replace the first one after 42k!

chaiwala

For those doubting Royal Purple read this thread on Bob is the oil guy. That site hates on the purple koolaid.

http://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...61&nt=8&page=1

I do tear downs for a living. I have opened up countless engines(over 100) using Royal Purple and I have NOT seen 1 engine with any problem suggesting that Royal Purple was at fault.

I have also torn down engines using Redline Oil. Not as many as Royal Purple tear downs but enough to know that it is inferior oil to Royal Purple. Countless pitting with Redline due to the excess Molybdenum that they use. I have personally sat down with the owner of Redline and has acknowledged the problem without stating it cleary as to cover his own rear end.

Now when it comes to ATF, I do recommend Red Line especially the D4 as it is the best out there by far.

pimpin-tl

I have seen more than enough cars with engine issues and excessive wear thanks to RP. I will never touch the stuff unless I am in a pinch.

I hate cars

I think we've had this discussion before but where have you seen the pitting? I'm assuming the cam lobes but I'm curious. I would like to know how you came to the conclusion that it's the moly causing the pitting. Have you noticed the moly content of the new "Toyota" 0w-20 and I believe "Honda" 0w-20 also?

Royal Purple might be fine for a non performance engine or semi-performance engine but I would not use it in anything that made any real power. For one the HTHS is too low. I may not have as large of a data base as you, I've seen 3 engines torn down that were run on Royal purple but each one had excessive main and rod bearing wear while the cylinder/ring area and cam/liftes were fine.

Redline has shown something I've never seen in a teardown. No carbon on the pistons between the first and second rings. The cleanliness really shows and even in some of the roundy round engines that came in for their scheduled teardown they looked like they had never been run before.

I agree with you 100% that bitog hates RP, sometimes unfairly based on UOAs. It's very trendy and you have the oil they love of the month and the oil they hate of the month. I get so unbelievably frustrated with the lack of knowledge over there and basing oil choice on a few PPM of iron in a UOA and ignoring real life teardown results that I quit posting over there. You may remember me over there as the one that got attacked over and over because twice I had an engine in a quick downward spiral with sparkly oil and the UOAs didn't catch it yet the mains and rods were past the copper, rings actually had noticable wear that you could see from a few feet away, and the worst wear ridge at the top of the cylinder I've ever seen. Still, they defended the UOA.

I'm open to hear what you've seen, most specifically what type of application RP has held up well in and if you remember, what weight was used. I'm assuming due to your location you were using some of their thicker stuff?

chaiwala

^^Yes we have had this conversation in another thread. Yes its the cam lobes and sometimes the rocker arms. I have seen an engine destroyed by pitting on the piston heads and Red Line had to pay for a new engine. This is when I was aquainted with the owner of the company who HIMSELF admitted that red line has had numerous problems in the past with pitting and they were working on a new formula. This was back in 2007 but since then I have stopped recommended it.

I am surprised that you and pimpin' tl has seen engine damage with royal purple. I have loyal customers who pay me good dough to service their engines and I have yet to see such an anamoly. I am sure it happens since no oil is immune to it, just that I have not experienced it.

As for carbon build up, most real synthetics do well in this regards. I see carbon deposits/buildups on engines that run extended drain intervals on the rings using good sythetics like Amsoil, Royal Purple, Motul etc. but you are right, I have yet to see that with Red Line either. Maybe it has to do with the ester content its made of.

As for Bobistheoilguy, I don't belong to it but will go there once in a while to just skim and read if there are interesting subjects and that one caught my eye since their is real evidence the difference between top tier oils and your regular synthetics like Mobil 1. People on that site act as if they are the know it all of oil just because they have been there for a long time so I let my real life experience navigate my oil selection over a bunch of people who regurgitate information they read there. I bet most of them wouldn't know what a ratchet is. Simple as that

I hate cars

I respect your opinion and experience as someone who has seen many engines. I'm genuinely curious as to what type of use/abuse some of the RP filled engines endured and still came out ok. I always keep an open mind so any knowledge is welcome.

I've heard of excessive moly causing pitting in the valvetrain, there is no doubt about that but before I condemn the oil it would be nice to have some more in depth info on the problems you encountered.

The main thing I have issue with was the pitting on top of the pistons. The only pitting I've ever encountered was due to detonation.

Your last paragraph is so true. I got attacked constantly for running a 20w-50 in my GN. Keep in mind this thing makes over 700lbs of torque at a relatively low 3,000rpm and spread out over only 6 cylinders. Even though I went through 2 engines quickly on a 30wt (not breakage but excessive wear) and no engines on the 20w-50, I was told by these know nothing guys that thinner is better and basically not to believe my own eyes. I have a deep hatred for some of the members over there that took a website that started with some knowledgable people to guys like you said that wouldn't know what a ratchet is giving advise as if they're experts.

c2pid

iTrader: (12)

Hi guys. since this thread is talking about 'best fluids', perhaps someone could give me an advise on S/C'ed engines.

My 3G is S/C'ed, and I am thinking about switching over to Motul oil (since my brake and tranny fluid are Motul). After talking to a few local distributors, they all recommend the 8100 X-MAX 5W40. I told them that the factory asked for 5W20, and I've been using M1 5W30, why switched to 5W40 now? They said because the engine is S/C'ed, and 5W30 is too thin.

How true is that statement? Thanks!

I hate cars

There are two factors.

The engine oil is going to run hotter with the blower so at full temp the oil is going to be thinner. After a few hard runs the 40wt will be as thin as the 30wt normally is.

The other is you're pushing more power and the higher HTHS of the heavier oil will protect better. Motul is a great oil. Their 30wt will protect better than most 40wts so in that regard you may be fine with a 30wt in that brand.

Unless you live in a very cold area, don't worry about the heavier 5w-40, it won't hurt a thing. Many Hondas spec a 40wt outside of the US where CAFE has no influence.

c2pid

iTrader: (12)

Thanks IHC! I do live in a very cold area (up in Canaduh) . It would be beneficial to run slightly thinner oil (ie, 30wt) cuz the it will be thicken by the cold temp. I like the fact the 40wt gives me more protection, but I am concerned about it getting too thick during the winter months.

Check you PM. I have another completely off the topic question for ya

I hate cars

By all means use the 30wt in Canada. A QUALITY 30wt like Redline or Motul will be all the protection you will ever need even with the blower.

I hate cars

One thing I forgot to add...

All DOT fluids are synthetic. The bottles labeled as "synthetic" are only capitalizing on the consumer's lack of knowledge.

DOT 5.1 (not 5) will greatly improve ABS function and shorten stopping distances in a full ABS stop. Everyone knows a car without ABS will stop quicker in perfect conditions with a good driver. The thinner 5.1 fluid lets the ABS get closer to the edge of lockup. The difference is noticeable.

c2pid

iTrader: (12)

^^^

The Motul DOT 5.1 brake fluid I am using with the BBK setup is

leedogg

I've noticed a suspicious trend where some sites/products have viral internet marketing that do anything and everything to blast the competition and pump out 100's of positive reviews for a particular product, and cover up/block any negative reviews/articles. Especially noticeable in certain products (pherlure, Valentine One, etc)

pimpin-tl

V1 has and will be still rated the best Radar. Nothing hiding the truth on that one.