2003 Acura TLS260-Silver

Has anyone used Synthetic ATF for their Automatic Transmission? For example like Redline ATF. The Acura manual recommends Honda ATF with Z1. Is it mandatory to use Acura ATF or are Alternative brands to use like Mobil, Amsoil or Redline? Also, does the 2005 TL have a transmission filter for the Automatic Transmission or do you only have to change the fluid only?

Tight TL

I think Roadrage recommended Amsoil ATF after he used it with no problems. If he says it's good...it's good. A search for Amsoil or Amsoil ATF might show the thread.

Ron A

Item 7 is shown as a filter element. Until I looked for it and found it here, I would have said there is no filter for the ATF, but here it is. There is no mention in any manual for changing it, so maybe someone can tell us if it ever needs to be changed.

Click here for the parts list.

Here is a good thread by Road Rage about changing the ATF.

2003 Acura TLS260-Silver

To Tight TL,

Just signed up with the Acura TL forum. Everyone in this community has been very helpful in providing information about the Acura TL. Never knew there were so many devoted fans of the Acura TL. Thank you for your reply. To Tight TL

2003 Acura TLS260-Silver

To Ron A,

Thanks for the very, very helpful advice on ATF fluids and the wonderful parts list at Sunnyside Acura. Nice blow-up schematic diagram of the automatic transmission. Now I know the Acura OE numbers to correspond with aftermarket part numbers. Have you personally changed the ATF filter in the Acura TL? By the way, Road Rage is very knowledgeable about the automotive field. Does he/she work in the automotive industry?

My previous car was 1978 Buick Skylark with 240, 000Kms ( 149,129 miles) on a 231 ci-V6 motor with a Turbo 350 automatic transmission. I service the transmission every 2 years or 50, 000 Kms (31,068miles). Car was still operational when I sold it.

I would like to know as much as possible to keep my Acura TL healthy for 300,000Kms to 500,000kms( 310,685miles). Ideal goal would be 1 000 000 miles. Maintenance, TLC, driving style and habits are the key towards automotive longevity right? Once again, thanks for your input.

Ron A

Glad to be of help, and welcome to the 3G TL forum.

Do you still have your 2003TL-S?

I should have stated that there is no filter in the pan, so the fluid change is all that's necessary. Road Rage has mentioned that he does it 3 times, to get most of the fluid changed. This is what they did with my 96TL when it would start to chuggle during shifts, and it cured it. I never knew about the element in the picture, and I haven't found anything that says to change it, so maybe they only do it if there is a problem with something else.

mickey3c

I would tend to stick with what acura has to tell you since they have had transmission problems in the past. This way if you follow their schedule and service and if you have any tranny issues, you have more of an argument for them standing by the product.

The other item is that acura does not flush the tranny, they typically just drain and refill. You might want to ask about flushing it than just a drain and replace..

DarkWraith33

How often does one typically change ATF fluid??? When does Acura recomend???

I can't say this is something I've ever done before other than in the 96 Blazer where we had to drop the pan... Is the process on the TL difficult?

Legend2TL

Most Honda's and Acura's were 30K miles, with 15K miles for severe duty. As a precaution I've always changed the ATF ~15-20K miles for our Honda Pilot and previous Acura Legend, it's cheap insurance. Our Legend went to 230K miles with never a transmission problem.

I always change the ATF with Honda/Acura OEM ATF. When I used Castrol Dexron 3 ATF in my 89 Acura Legend it did not shift well, went back to Honda OEM fluid and returned to normal smooth shifting. A couple Acura Legend user websites strongly suggested only using Honda's OEM fluid for the automatics.

For transaxle fluids (auto and manual), radiator coolant, and power steering fluid Honda/Acura insists on their OEM stuff. There's some good reasons for it besides adding revenue to their balance sheet, Honda gets some control over the fluid's formulation and quality control.

I know there are alot of threads here for using aftermarket stuff for the auto and manual transaxles, but for my investment I'll stay with what is recommended from the people that designed and developed the product.

HuKaShI

Does anyone know if it is good enough to just drain the fluid and refill?

Or do I have to go and get the whole thing flushed and refilled?

I am going in for service this wednesday and may have it done.

I'm at 19K and wouldl like to get some fresh fluid in there but don't know which procedure is good. Probably the flush but would a drain and refill be good enough?

Thanks in advance!

Legend2TL

The owners manual calls for a drain and fill.

A few others in this forum have suggested a flushing. A sorta compromise is to do a drain and fill twice to replace ~5 quarts of the ~8 quarts of ATF in the transaxle.

2003 Acura TLS260-Silver

Yes, I still own a 2003 TL-S, came close to buying a 2004 TL but there was a rebate of $6K off the MSRP for the 2003 TL-S and I didn't think the extra 10 HP was enough to justify paying over $40K Cdn for it. Probably go for a 4th or 5th Generation in the future. I usually drive my cars until the boneyard, which is usually 10-20 years of service life. The 3rd Gen Acura TL is definitely more refine and overall a better car to acquire.

To get the ATF completely change, you need to do a transmission flush. However, I have only drained the ATF and refilled it with new ATF according to the manufacture's recommended service. I was rather surprised that no transmission filter change was required. All other cars I have owned involved changing the ATF, pan gasket and transmission filter. For now, I an not worried about the filter element. I am still a long way from servicing it and my primary purpose is to be a knowlegdeable consumer of Acura products. Meanwhile, I am going to ask various Acura technicians about this ATF element. I know the manual has no mention about it. Manual recommends Honda ATF-Z1 but you can use Dexron 3 (GM fluid) as temporary replacement but it can affect shift quality. The transmission should be drained and refilled with new fluid according to the time and distance recommedations in the maintenance schedule.

ATF Mantenance Schedule for Normal Conditions: ( Mainly Highway)

*** 120, 000 miles (192, 000 Kms) or 6 years, whichever comes first (Milage or
time).

Then every 90,000 miles (144,000kms) or 5 years after the first intial ATF
change.

ATF Mantenance Schedule for Severe Conditions: (For mostly city driving and short trips)

*** First initial ATF change is at 60,000 miles/ 90,000kms or 3 years, whichever
comes first.

Then every 30, 000 miles (48, 000kms) or 2 years, whichever comes first
after the initial ATF change

Mind you, most people do city driving with stop and go traffic and usually fall under the Severe maintenance schedule and not the Normal schedule.
That's what I know so far but I will ask the Acura dealers more questions about ATF maintenance as they arise.

2003 Acura TLS260-Silver

Yes, I would follow the Acura maintenance schedule closely just for the sake of maintaining the warranty coverage. I don't want to give Acura an excuse for not covering my transmission. I am aware of the transmission recall about the second and third gear issues.

Drain and refill is adequate servicing but if your a major car enthusiast then yes a complete transmission flush is warranted. Acura recommends draining the fluid, then refilling the ATF and driving the vehicle around. Repeat that procedure three times and it gets most of the fluid out. I personally would just drain and refill the ATF. I think that's adequate. After keeping a car for 10 years or more, there is very little residual value remaining. Generally most people would buy a new car after that time period. Once again, thanks for your help and feedback.

2003 Acura TLS260-Silver

Can't go wrong following Acura's maintenance schedule. I follow it religiously. No, the process for servicing the ATF is easy. Just drain and refill from what I know. Have to find out if there is a ATF filter to change for Acura Dealer, however service manual makes no mention about it. Road Rage has written an extensive article about it. Just do a search on this forum for The Journals of RR. He seems to be the foremost expert on automotive issues.

2003 Acura TLS260-Silver

I agree with your view points and conservative approach. I will only use aftermarket parts if they are better than OEM or are cheaper than the dealer, provided they meet the Acura Specs.

2003 Acura TLS260-Silver

It's good enough to drain ATF and refill it with Honda ATF-Z1. A complete ATF flush is only recommended if the car is not regularly maintained or very contaminated ATF. 19K is too soon to service the transmission. Just follow your Acura owner's manual to the teeth. You don't want to over or under service your vehicle. If you have questions, ask the service manager or phone Acura customer service. Acura recommends 30,000 miles but the initial ATF change is 60, 000miles or 3 years. I recommend it be done at the dealer to ensure it is done properly and to have it documented to maintain the warranty coverage. After the warranty coverage is expired, you can service it yourself or have it done at an independant shop that you feel comfortable with. I plan to do all my own servicing after the warranty coverage is expired. Dealers do charge a premium for service done but it's justified for the marketing, training costs, parts research and development. Acura's are pretty reliable, trouble free and have low maintenance costs. Most important is changing the oil, filters and fluids according to the maintenance schedules.

I also drive a 1980 Chevrolet Malibu with a V8 for a daily driver to go to work or do grocery shopping. It' got close to 100, 000miles. I change the fluid every 30,000 miles or every 2 years. I am sure I can change it every 60, 000miles with no problems. I have known people who have never changed their ATF for the life of the vehicle and they surprising are still driving with no problems.(Not recommended though) I use my Acura TL as a highway or weekend car only.