People only do it week to week because it's a pain in the @$$ to jack up the car between drain / fills. If you can quickly jack it up or have a lift, it can be done in a day.

 

It's not that bad to jack up the car.

I did use a lift on one of 3x3 and used a jack for the rest. Jacking it up was easier for me than using the lift imo.

I like to do it all in one day cause the tools and everything is already set up. It does start to get hot after a while though.

 

well i'll be doing it at my friends shop he has a lift. In fact I'll be draining all liquids; power steering , brake, prestone and transmission. Just never done the 3X3 transmission.
Bit sceptic on how to do it .
Any1 know what I should do exactly . I know i have to empty tank putt in 3 quarts drive for 5 minutes using all gears then the same thing again.
Does that sound right or .....anyhting else i should know

 

Very good information...helped me out lot..

 

how often should i change my ATF?

 

pictures are always helpful for those of us that can barely follow directions from reading description. It also lets me confirm im looking at the right parts. A+ job

 

How many quarts/liters can I drain if I jack up only the front of the car (versus jacking both the front & rear)? Any educated opinions?

 

^ jacking up just the front would be less due to the angle, but probably a negligible difference...

 

man these pics helped out alot jsut saved myself 260 dollers by doin my own atf flush and refill paid for the supplies and did it came out perfect no more jerk in the trans anymore thanks

 

did mine today, well in the process of doing it.

I only jacked up the front and got almost 4qt out of the first drain.

about to fill it up and take it for a spin.

 

Just completed the second drain > test drive.

I must say she is shifting MUCH smoother than before and better than after the first drain (as it should). Going to drive to work and back tomorrow then do the 3rd drain and fill wed.

I cant thank this forum enough for all the DIYs and advice!!!! Talk about saving some money, having fun working on your car, and getting good advice!

 

Mine is looooong overdue.

Gunna knock this out this weekend after gettin paid! Hopefully tis will alleviate my jerky 3rd gear a bit.

 

Moose---do the pressure switches, too. Especially with the jerkiness in 3rd. Might as well replace the filter while you're at it.

 

I am doing the filter and pressure switches later this week as well.

 

How hard is the pressure switch job?

 

It's very easy. There is a plastic cover to move out of the way and you will be able to get to both. The trans filter was tricky only because of the O ring and spring.

 

This thread is very useful, pics are a real help. Much better than repair manual diagrams.

 

ok i was not aware of the 3x3 process that is required. i have 4 qts acura atf z1 but apparently that is not good to use because it wears the transmission sooner. so now i have to buy like 10 qts of redline or amsoil. is doing the filter required too?

 

Not as "required" as replacing the switches, IMO. But it is fairly easy to get to and very cheap to replace. Might as well do it while you're in there.

 

thanks dwb993, im gonna search for some diy on these switches and where is the best place or brand to buy?

 

you buy the switches from the stealership. They are OEM. You could also check the blackmarket or some of the vendors on here that have OEM parts

 

oh ok ill look for some. thanks man

 

Good write up addition J1N. Nice pics. Helps out a lot.

 

I have a fluid extractor (not griots though) and I use all the time. It works for all kinds of fluids. I use it on my boat, motorcycle, truck and my TL. It works great and I find it far simpler and cleaner than having to jack the vehicle, crawl on the floor and mess with drain plugs.

Last night I did the first round of the 3x3 transmission flush dance. I simply stuck the nylon hose down the dipstick tube and extracted 3.1 liters of fluid. It couldn't have been easier and only took 5 minutes. I didn't consider using the left or right side jacking method to tilt the vehicle like others here have described. If I had, then maybe I could have gotten even more fluid out.

The only down side that I see to using the fluid extractor for the 3x3 is, since you aren't removing the trans. drain plug you aren't getting the chance to clean and inspect the magnet. So, for at least one of the drain&refills I will have to jack the front end, crawl around on the floor and mess with the drain plug.

In addition to the trans. fluid, the extractor also worked great for TL's brake fluid change. Both for getting the initial fluid out of the reservoir and for attaching to the bleeder value and pulling new fluid through the lines. No air, whatsoever, gets into the lines either.

It worked great when changed the power steering fluid on the TL.

Earlier this week I did an engine oil change on the TL. I got 4.1 liters out just by sticking the nylon hose down the dipstick tube and suctioning it out (the other 0.2 liters was in the filter). It took only 5 minutes and best of all; No jacking was required.

Anyway, I just thought that I would add at least one positive vote for the fluid extractor, since when LivingLarge first posed the question earlier in this thread all he seemed to get was negative responses.

Cheers and thanks all you AZ folks for the great info you provide.

 

Pics did help a lot. I did this last weekend.

The only problem was the fill bolt was so damn tight it broke two of my 3/4 extensions. Eventually I upgraded to 1/2 drive and I used a lug nut breaker bar and got it open. Its scary how much force it took to open...I thought i was gonna break something.

 

I did this this weekend and it was very easy. The car feels great now too. I'm going to tackle the pressure switches in the next few weeks.

 

Would anyone happen to have the part numbers for the ATF fill and drain washers?

 

Amazing info guys!! Thanks!!I'm gonna tackle the 3x3 as soon as it warms up around here!

 

So I called my local Acura dealer for part numbers on the ATF drain and fill washers and he gave me the following:

90471-PX4000
90441-PK4000

Can anyone confirm these? Because when I search for them on oemacuraparts it returns the following:

Engine / transaxle - Transaxle parts - Drain plug - Washer Washer - 2.5 liter 1995 - 1998
and
WASHER 24MM

I have a 2006 so I don't know why it returns the years 1995-1998 (it's entirely possible though because a washer is a washer right?).

 

90471-px4000 is the drain bolt washer which is 18mm

90441-pk4000 is the fill bolt washer which is 24mm

you're good

 

Hey OP, how tall are your jack stands? And how high does your car jack go? I'm trying to do the same thing but my jack goes up to 15" and my jackstands are too tall for it to fit under.

Another member suggested 20 inch lift jacks. I might get shorter jackstands as well.

 

Just did the first of the 3x3 ATF change with Redline D4 this morning. The pictures were a tremendous help, Thanks!!

Also, for some reason I ended up draining 3.5 quarts. I am certain the car was leveled so not sure why I ended up with an extra 1/2 quart...

The car shifts smoother just after the first drain so I am sure after the next 2 its gonna be perfect

 

I just did a 1x3 today, going to wait till next weekend to finish the 3x3. I used Amsoil Type-F Supershift.

It was easy except the fact that the fill and drain bolt were tightened by He-Man... I broke a socket wrench trying to get it loose.

 

+1

Mine was crazy tight, I was scared I was going to break something, and then I broke two extensions, one right after the other. 1/2 and a breaker bar is the way to go.

 

You think it came that way from factory? Or the dealerships when they change your trans fluid tighten it like that for job security?

 

Great post. I did my fluid change today. Thanks to your pics, I was done in 10 mins!

 

mine was tight from the factory and then tight again 20,000 miles later when I did the 1x3 a second time.

I think it might get tighter with time. I would add to break the fill plug loose before you drain. That way you know you can fill it back up (unless planning to use dipstick to fill).

In the picture on the first thread, the fluid is right in between the upper and lower mark. Is that where it should be? Should it be checked hot or cold? and running or shut off?

 

I would recommend picking up a 5-20" floor jack.

 

Hot; immediately after turning engine off.

 

Many many thanks to the AZine community for the awesome information and posts on this topic. I changed my trans fluid last week, and it went pretty smooth.

Observations:

1) It REALLY is as easy or easier than changing the oil. I was intimidated at first because I had not done this before, but the process was pretty smooth.

2) The biggest pain in the butt about the whole process was removing and putting back those little plastic clips that hold the plastic undercarriage shield to the car. They don't come off very easily, and are prone to breaking. It would be a good idea to have some spares on hand.

3) My car is an '06 with 91,800 miles. This was the first time that the maintenance minder said it was time to change the trans fluid. While my fluid was a little black and there were SOME metal shavings on the drain plug magnet, things weren't too bad.

4) Overall, there was no noticeable difference in shift smoothness, EXCEPT it seemed slightly more smooth between 2nd and 3rd gears.

Tips:

1) I don't have a garage or much storage space so I do not have jack stands. So I just drove my TL up onto the ramps I use for oil changes, and this seemed to work just fine. I was able to drain over 3 quarts out each time. I was worried because a number of posts really emphasize raising the whole car up on 4 jack stands and keeping it level. But things seemed to work just fine on ramps.

2) Filling through the dipstick hole is MUCH easier. (thanks to earlier posts about using clear 3/8" tubing from Lowe's.) I used a clean funnel that you can get from Wal Mart or Autozone, along with 3/8" tubing from Lowe's. This was easy, clean, and fast. I REALLY recommend it.