When should the tranny fluid be changed? And what type do you all use out there?

Thanks,

Joe

 

manual or a/t?

 

A/t

 

Well, I'll open the flood gates!
From a manufacturer's perspective, under normal driving conditions 100K, severe 60K, and use Honda Z1.

 

I just replaced mine at 44K. It won't harm your tranny if you do it earlier. Just check color of the fluid. If it's too dark I wouldn't risk.
And yes Honda fluid only.

 

Just an FYI-The fluid is dyed red, so changing color does not indicate contamination.

 

just did a regular drain+fill last weekend along with an oil change. noticed firmer shifts and the car just ran noticeably better. was at 34K

 

i would suggest amsoil atf over honda

 

Really?
Discolored tranny fluid is from either contamination or its burnt. Neither is good and it should be replaced immediately if you notice either. Smelling it can give you an indication of its condition. If it smells burnt change it. Better be safe then sorry especially with ATF.

 

Stupid question, is this what they use at the acura dealer? how much fluid is needed?

 

The MID will tell you. Mine threw a code A13 last week. Tire rotation, oil change, and tranny fluid change but I think I only follow the MID on the fluid change if I have an A/T. Since I have a manual, I just ignored it and did everything else.

 

+1

my mechanic friend and the tech from Acura did say that some people go for long periods without checking their AT fluid. some have turned completely black or dark red. these are the ones that typically start having tranny problems.

a simple drain/refill will set you back about $100 at the dealer (which i did, as i didnt want to do it myself). cheap insurance to protect your tranny, as well as a paper trail showing you did preventive maintenance in case something goes wrong.

 

you guys didnt do that 3x (change oil 3 diff. times) tranny fluid change?

 

That's not true. It's dyed red to distringuish it from other fluid and a change in color is not a reason for concern. Same as a slight odor, no problem.

 

If you want to use premium ATF use Amsoil. It will give much more benefits then cheaper OEM. You need to go with at least 3-4 drains/refils to achieve all the benefits.

 

It's dyed red.. the color will turn dark fairly quickly especially if it hasn't been changed in aggressive intervals. Although it will turn dark the dye will remain.. you just need a cloth to check the contamination level. The true measure is a lab analysis. I suggest everyone spend the extra coin and do this every once & a while and document the miles so you know what type of wear your A/T is seeing.

I would be very conservative on ATF changes.. It's cheap. I keep a 15k mile interval (about once a year for me). I also suggest doing a 3x3 to get all residual crap out.. when you do a single drain & fill you're only getting 1/2 maybe 1/3 of the old ATF out.. plus you haven't expelled the gunk than can build up and do serious internal damage or clog up the valve body.

If you're conservative about doing ATF changes I would stick with Z1.. If you want a bit more drive time I would switch to Amsoil (superior in physical properties, also has similar additive content as Z1). JMO and humble observation.

 

There is a suggested way of changing tranny oil on Amsoil web site when you can change all the oil at once by disconnecting oil hose from tranny and it goes without full flash. Basically it is alternative to full flash and continious drains and refils. My question is:

Has somebody done this way full tranny oil change on TL?