swoosh

iTrader: (5)

First of all I would like to thank Inaccurate and I Hate Cars for all the help provided to me....

The mailman came in with all this stuff couple days back....







I was finally gonna dump redline into my 2005 Acura TL 5AT with 150K miles....I had a ton of question about whether I should do this on a car which has 150K miles since thats a lot of miles and changing something at this point could turn into something bad....car is used to FM (friction modifiers) and suddenly nothing and the tranny could get messed up....

Here is some history of the car....

Oil change + Filter change done every 5K miles....initially I used Pennzoil Platinum then Mobil1...always 5w-20 until i hit 130K miles when i switched to 5w-30 for added protection....I did a tranny drain and refill (NOT flush) every time I did my oil change.....

I decided well, lets go for it and change the original Z-1 out slowly....

So I made a plan
147000 miles: Oil Change and Transmission 1x3
148000 miles: Transmission 1x3
149000 miles: Transmission 1x3
150000 miles: Oil Change and Transmission 1x3

The oil change am doing in 3K miles as Redline has high cleaning capabilities and I wanted what ever gunk is in there to come out....

The transmission fluid is changed every 1K miles until redline is in the system all the way so that the transmission understands its not getting any more FM's and if something happens i can back out by throwing some Z-1 or the new DW-1 (correct me if am wrong) in there....

After 150000 miles I would go back to changing the engine oil every 7500 miles and my transmission fluid every 50000 miles.....

I am at 148000 miles....I have had redline in my engine for 1000 miles and in my tranny for 1000 miles....

Engine Oil Review: I thought it was thick as a bitch should be...the 5w-30 should give my engine enough protection....After the oil change when I went for a drive my engine was very smooth but it was a little slower in revving up and I could feel the thickness of the oil in my feet....After 100-150 miles of driving the engine seemed like a friggin LION....roaring....its prolly just me but i can feel the smoothness and the revs climbing quicker....I think my engine is plenty protected here....Also I heard that since the cleaning effect of the Redline, you may see some oil disappear and this happens only in the first 500-600 miles of switching....i didnt encounter this....just wanted to put it out there....also for the engine oil filter I switched from Mobil1 EP to Fram PH3593A (I know what I am doing; courtesy Inaccurate; and this is not up for debate)

Transmission Fluid Review: So I didnt feel any difference. Not yet....I have just done a drain and refill with Redline and most of the fluid in there is Z-1. I will be doing another drain and refill today. The difference as I said is very very minute and that also noticeable during cold start ups....The shifts felt quicker but not harder (FM's, duh) but we have 3 more drain and refills to do so we will see

Thats it for now....Let me know if you guys have any questions....will update in the next 100-200 miles

rkan121

Nice write up, please keep reporting back. Im sure alot of people will read on.

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

Sure dude....

So I did another drain and refill...so now i have 6quarts on redline in the transmission....and i could instant feel quicker shifts....I have still to feel the harsh shifts....

To all the guys out there....I would highly recommend Redline ATF.....

practice89

iTrader: (1)

nice nice. my ATF has been sitting collecting dust.... haven't had the time to change it along with the 3rd and 4th gear switches

since it's now summer, i will be doing it very soon

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

do eeeetttt

come to think about it drain and refill is a 15 minute job....

jack the car up....unbolt and drain...while draining pop the fill hole bolt...once drained clean the drain bolt and tighten her up....fill with new fluid and tighten her up...bring her down....and go for a ride

i saw the clouds coming in this evening and I was like baah, I will finish it right on time....and by the first drop of rain i was done ...getting the fluid from the drain pan into the redline skinny neck bottle took me a while

usmarinedelta

iTrader: (1)

What about changing your pressure switches for assurance, the redline might clean out the gunk and throw the switches out of range.
Lets debate on why your using a FRAM FILTER!

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

I changed the pressure switches at 110K miles....I would be switching them again at 200K....

Ohh you mean why not change em again right now ?

usmarinedelta

iTrader: (1)

I mean I would, it's been 40k and plus I wouldn't like all the cleaning gunk flowing around in there, the drain plug can only catch so much. Think about it if you do it now you won't have to do it again for a long time because you won't be chaning the fluid out anytime soon. I only suggest it now because you have alot of things moving around, might as well do it.

johnfilice

I am about to hit 30k miles(sorry, not bragging) in my 5AT and my car feels totally fine. What kind of symptoms will you start to notice that will make you want to change out the 3rd and 4th gear pressure sensors or switch to redline transmission fluid?

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

I dont think the pressure switches catch any gunk...also the pressure switches just make the shifts....plus i have after market drain bolt which has a bigger better magnet

next time i do a tranny flush will be at 200K and will switch out the pressure switches as well....

LOL your completely fine....the stock Z-1 fluid is expensive and not fully synthetic...it breaks down very quick and hence i used to do a drain and refill of the transmission fluid every 5K miles so that I have some new fluid in there....it is a good idea to switch it out to Redline....a lot of people are using Lightweight Racing fluid....but i went with the Racing fluid and not the lightweight.....

If you get any symptoms that means your tranny is giving away....at the point switching or doing anything else will only help it hold out a little longer, but the damage is already done....

Redline helps switch gears quicker and since it has no friction modifiers, the gear change not as smooth (as in comfortable) as the stock but it helps by not wearing the parts of the transmission out....

If you find a lag in your gear switch, its the pressure switches....they are a simple relay....when they get to a particular psi (pressure) they switch the gear....by switching it out you will get snappier shifts....I think you will need the change the switches at around 50-60K miles....so your good....

Also by guessing the miles you have i would say you have a 07+ and i think they have two 3rd gear switches and one 4th....so you will have to switch those 3 out....

johnfilice

I do have an 07 Type S, and thank you for all the info. So what is the deal with the GM fluid, is that only for MT?

space_bound

Your car is so bad ass! Love the headlights! --Swoosh

no44specialk

Nice! Where'd you get the AEM filter from?

sddale

You should pop the fill bolt BEFORE draining the fluid. Some have had troubles with taking off the fill bolt and ended up stuck because they already drained the fluid.

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

Yes the GM sync is for MT...again dont quote me on this...i just read it somewhere and havent done research on it

Thanks for the complement bro....

Amazon Its an over sized filter for my AEM CAI....more AIR FTW

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

Actually that is true....this one time the fill bolt wont pop off and i had already drained the fluid....

glad the breaker bar (bar to raise my low profile jack) came to the rescue

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

ALSO....i bought the redline stuff from AMAZON....free shipping FTW....it ended up being wayyyy cheaper than getting it from Redline itself.....

boomersooner02000

And u can get it even cheaper on outdoorpros.

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

^^^ i dont see it on that website....i got 12quarts shipped for 130 some bucks...

vietxquangstah

iTrader: (7)

$130 is pretty good.

i went to a local dealer in dallas (wades transmission & gear) and got 3 gallons of redline racing atf for $135 tax included, so $130 isn't bad since you don't have to do any driving.

TL BPJ

Is it okay if I do my 2nd 1x3 Redline Drain and Fill after 3000k miles?

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

yeah that is a good deal...gallons tend to be a lot cheaper than bottles of quart and the bad thing is amazon ships you 12 small quarts...i dont mind a gallon sitting rather than 4 small bottles....

yes it is ok...but why are you waiting so long....so will have finish the transition over 12K miles

summit21

I did the switch to Redline a few months back on my wife's 2006 TL, AT, 67K. It went smother than I had anticipated. I also snagged my fluid off Amazon back in December for $119 total for 12 qts. I am no mechanic and usually just do the oil, but after reading the write-ups on the 3X3 on here I gave it a go. The most difficult thing for me was the plastic undercarriage cover, I broke a couple of the plastic snaps on it. I am happy to report no problems w/ Redline after 6K miles. The tranny is smoother and more responsive on the Redline, glad I did the switch.

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

^^^ thanks summit...so did you do a 3x3 on the same day after driving in each gear or did you do it over a course of sometime ?

summit21

Yes I did drive it between fills going through all gears. Initially drain was very dark fluid, and subsequent 2 got lighter in color. I actually did 2 drain/fill in same day then 3 days later did the 3rd drain and fill.

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

^^^ awesome

I hate just draining new fluid LOL....hence i asked....

gogators22

can someone please explain "1x3" "2x3" "3x3" ?

anyone ever used the machine to drain and fill?

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

the transmission capacity quoted from amsoil...

When you drain the transmission drains only 3 quarts out....and when you will it with new fluid its called 1x3....the replace all the fluid you have to drain the fluid and refill it a total of 3 times....and hence its called 3x3

1x3 = drain and refill
3x3 = flush

also you cant just drain 3 and fill 3 and drain 3....once you drain and refill, you have to drive the car in every gear for like a minute....so use the reverse and the sports shift to drive in every gear....then repeat the process 3 times.....

i would not use a machine to flush it as it sucks the fluid out leaving all the debris in the transmission....please do not take it in for a flush as they all use machines....

gogators22

ok, thanks.. so would the best bet be to do a 1x3 then drive it for a week and repeat for two more weeks? if I have 140,000 on my car, what kind of tranny fluid do I need?

boomersooner02000

You have to look hard to find at first. I'm not at home or i'd post the link. far right under auto, then fluids or something like that then transmission. i just got my case last week from them for $112.45 including shipping.

Fatfrii

i switched to redline ATF about a thousand miles ago...i felt the difference my first drive but then again i also changed my ATF filter at the same time as well. The shift were not all that quicker but you can feel a dramatic increase in the smoothness of shifts through out the the car and in your feet.

i am very pleased with redline's ATF and i will be using redline engine oil in my next oil change

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

yes i would....at 140K you want to make sure you are not dumping something in the system that the car doesnt like...so i would do a 1x3 and see how the car reacts to it and take it from there....

i searched redline and I couldnt find it at all....maybe i have gotten blind or some like that

smoothness come from FM's...the redline racing ATF has no friction modifiers so the shifts are quick/harsh and not very smooth....i think you added a little added smoothness from replacing your filter...

yes I would recommend redline engine oil....

Fatfrii

also my RPMS do not drop as much between shifts

boomersooner02000

http://www.outdoorpros.com/Prod/Red-.../64914/Cat/140

gogators22

what kind of filter do you recommend?

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

i am blind...thanks for the link bro.....will buy from here next time....

i would recommend genuine honda filter....but if you want to change it often you can get it from rockauto dot com

TheChamp531

iTrader: (3)

Whoever lives in Texas, I recommend getting the Redline motor oil for the summer. So far with 2k miles, it "feels" like the engine is running the same as it would when the it's in winter.

CincyWDP05

Use this code for $5 off Outdoorpros site!

OPSSAFFFB8A79

natedoggydog

Sweet. Just ordered my racing atf from outdoorpros. Thanks guys. Swoosh...might want you to give me a thirty minute assist on changing the atf if you have time. Thanks. Nate.

natedoggydog

Should I have gone with the d4 atf from redline since I only have 74k miles? Or should I keep the racing atf without the friction modifiers?