I wouldn't change it until you get the level issue fixed first. Just keep adding and checking until it's full. Most likely your problem will go away. You will be sacrificing comfort for lots of extra wear if you go with the Honda fluid.

It doesn't matter how much comes out and how much goes in as long as the dipstick reads right. There's really no other explanation for this other than it was underfilled. It sounds like you're going to end up adding 3 quarts to get the level right. If you had a leak this bad, trans fluid would be all over the place.

 

Overfilling by 1/2 quart won't hurt a thing. How long ago were the switches replaced? I'm getting ready to do mine again after 2 years because I can feel shifts slightly softening. These switches have a very short life span it seems.

What kind of shape was the trans in before you installed the fluid and switches, was it one of the shuddering transmissions or did you do it as PM?

Harsh shifts are not the end of the transmission. The quicker (and usually harder) it shifts, the less wear is happening in the clutches. I would be worried about the burned fluid smell. Was there any brown clutch material on the dipstick when you wiped it off?

 

Trans and fluid were in great shape before fluid change- no slipping.

The switches were just replaced about 2 months ago. I think it was low initially then I overfilled. It was at about just above low. Sometime the 1st to 2nd shift is somewhat smooth and sometimes under very light throttle is bangs. I am saving for motor mounts as future mod- I put all type f in for the 4th drain and refill. Could it be that since I used 2 qts Type F and 1 qt lightweight in my previous refills that the difference is not having the lightweight? For instance when I get on it and it shifts to 3rd- I hit gas- get engine cut as trans starts shift and the rpms go down about 2k rpm by the time the shift is complete.

 

^^ Your in the same situation as me, order switches and did 3x3, I'm going to attempt one more 1x3 and if that doesn't work then I'm going to try the new acura fluid.

 

2,000rpm at fulll throttle after the shift to third?

 

HArd to describe- basically the shift to third is not as quick as it once was- seems like when the shift starts- engine cuts out slightly and the rpms drop from say 5k to 3.5k rpm by the time the shift completes. When it grabs it is firm. Is this just a normal attribute of full type F?

 

Correct me if im wrong, but the Type S owners do not need to change out the 3rd and 4th Pressure switch.

 

What I've noticed is that you don't feel the throttle cut with Z1 because the throttle is already being reapplied as the trans is engaging the next gear. With the type f in my car I can feel it cut throttle, the shift is completed and then the throttle is reapplied. The shift happens so much quicker on type f that the ECU lags behind. I don't know if the dbw is adaptive but if it is, resetting the ECU might help.

 

I have the switches on order and am picking up 6 qts of Racing ATF w/ 3 qts of lightweight Racing ATF either tomorrow or Monday. Should I do the 3x3 at the same time I change the switches? Before? After? Does it not matter?

 

Hey IHC.... I'm going to do 4-5 D&Rs..... Do I need to buy a crush washer (for the drain plug) for EACH D&R? From Honda those crush washers cost $2.87 each, and that would translate to $12-15 bucks on crush washers if I do 4-5 D&Rs....

Or can I buy one crush washer and reuse the current one until the last D&R and then swap it for the new one?

Also...... Did you still want 3 qts? If so PM me. Your PM box is always full lol

 

Update: did a drain and fill of 3 1/2 qts and it's still at the bottom hole mark on the dipstick but it goes up to 1/4 of the dipstick over the full mark maybe the fluid is thin it drains back down into a drop on the bottom of the stick and I was reading it wrong but it still doest explain the feeling of the transmission shifting (very lightly) I've also replaced the side motor mount that was ripped and leaking, thinking that was it and most likely caused by the front mount being bad, so I replaced the front mount even though there was no rip or crack. So would it be the rear that caused the side to go? I also replaces the transmission mount. I'm going to find a solution for this!

 

Hello, I have 2007 type S also and curious about this. Also plan on buying 9 Redline ATF and 3 Redline lightweight ATF's.

Thanks,
Ps whats a good syn oil you recommend, and I'm in oklahoma so would it be okay to run 5-30 year round?

Thanks again!

 

No. I'd change it once out of those 4-5. Twice is fine but you don't need to go overboard with every drain and refill.

 

Type-S owners don't have to worry about the switches because we have a different transmission than our 3.2L counterparts. Apparently, the Type-S has the same tranny as the "bulletproof" RL.

Considering the switches are not very good in the 3.2L TL and given Honda/Acura's tranny track record, it's probably a good idea to replace the switches when you get 60-75k miles as a preventative measure.

I'd still recommend replacing most of the factory Z1 tranny fluid with Redline fluid. If you want a simple OEM replacement get the Redline D4 that still contains friction modifiers or go straight to the Type-F fluid that many of us are doing.

 

I believe the 07-08 base TL 5AT has the RL transmission as well.
Switches are external to the transmission and can be faulty on their own.

 

Update- after getting the level worked out the trans is shifting better- under throttle 1st to second is firm and quick- under very light throttle it is felt quite strong but no slip. Other gears mirror what you said in regards to feeling the engine cut and shifting. Should I put freash fluid and just be sure about the level or leave whats in there?

 

Same situation, I thought I over filled so I drained and put in 3 1/2 qts, how did you get the level right? Drain a little then hurry and put the plug back?

 

I should have listened to IHC, replaced all motor mounts and transmission mount and issue is still there leading me to believe it's fluid level issue. Spent alot of money on mounts to diagnose this minor problem. However to those that say the side mount is usually broken is cause by front or rear mounts breaking is not always true. All my other mounts are fine just the side had a minor rip in it. I don't get it I drained the fluid and put in 3-1/2 quarts in, how can I have less fluid??

 

Update again, I checked the fluid in sunlight and it's over filled by twice the distance from the bottom to full mark. Is that ok?

 

Are you putting in 3 1/2 quarts each Drain and Fill?

 

Update: it turns out when I was looking at the fluid it slid down to the end making me believe it was low. Today in sunlight I wiped the dip stick clean put it in after a drive it was almost half of the dip stick, I couldn't see this before because the fluid was so thin. After draining and rechecking I'm slightly a tad over the full hole and my problems almost all disappeared. TIP: when checking the fluid wipe stick dry and stick it all the way in. When you pull look for a solid straight line across the Dipstick and you will see it both front and back but look closely. I failed to do that and it was dripping to the bottom which caught me off guard.

 

Lol. When you pull the dipstick out always turn it horizontal immediately. Glad it worked out for you.

 

Unless Acura completely redesigned the switches and source them from a different manufacturer, the RL trans needs the switches too. Bad switches will make any trans wear out. The RL trans might have more clutch area which might take longer but the end result will be the same. You could take a TH400 (one of the strongest if not THE strongest autos ever built) and put it behind a 100hp 4 banger and if you lower line pressure enough, it will burn up quickly.

I still recommend replacing switches based on time and not mileage. Every 2 years seems to be safe. You could probably do it every 3 years. Looking over these threads, time seems to have more of an influence than mileage.

 

Hope this aint off topic, but its regarding Racing ATF... When i took my Tls to the shop to do it, they said i needed 16 quarts of fluid to go through the torque converter.? can I get away with only 9 qt??

 

More than likely they were doing a flush. A proper flush (one that uses the trans to push the fluid through and not a pump) only takes 7-9 quarts.

 

yes i was asking them for a "flush" dont know if thats a drain and fill?

Is it safe for me to use the 7qts I have now and have them do it?

 

Hey IHC or Innacurate,
Can I do all 5 D&Rs in one day? Or should I space it out? I'm getting mixed opinions and I'd like to know from either of you guys for sure.

Thanks

 

Either way will work with no significant difference. I ran mine a long time on the last fill because I had plans to seal the trans up for the next 100,000. I would do the first 3 back to back and drive it for a while on the 4th to clean all of the crap out of the trans. When you do the 5th it should be clean and you can leave it in there for a very long time. This is just what I would do, you can't go wrong doing it either way.

 

Cool thanks for the response.

So I think I'm going to do it your way. For the first three, should I just leave the car where it is and shift through the gears and then drain again? Or should I drive for a couple miles, and then drain in between?

Just want to make sure I utilize the D&R method good.

Thanks again

 

The first one will be mostly mixing the old fluid in the converter with the new fluid in the pan. It will be so diluted with old and new that all you really have to do is leave it running for a couple minutes, shift to drive and reverse, and drain again. For each one after that it wouldn't hurt to drive it, go from a stop to 60mph twice and change the fluid. The only thing you really have to do is hit every gear and converter lockup a couple times. This makes sure every hydraulic circuit is used and old fluid flows out of them. There's not a whole lot of fluid in these circuits which is why it's pointless to drive the car during the first drain and fill. No need for extended driving.

 

Thanks, I will try this. I only drained it one time before (Im the first owner) drained at 88k -Im at 93k now which is possibly why my transmission sticks when going over a speed bump at slightly higher speeds than suggested.

 

So if I'm understanding this whole thread correctly....

1. It is ok to do a full 3x3 D&R from Z1 straight to Redline Racing ATF (not lightweight)
2. I should do this several times (around 4) to get all the Z1 out.
3. It seems to be well documented that going full Redline Racing ATF is in fact much better for our trans as the Z1 has a large amount of FM's in it which cause the dynamic friction to essentially ruin our trans.

If IHC, Bert, or Inaccurate could confirm this for me it would be greatly appreciated. Also what would you guys recommend for the filter? Any brand in particular or just use OEM? Thanks! -Matt

 

1. Yes, it's fine.
2. No, it takes a lot more than 4 times to get all of the Z1 out. 3 gets the majority out of it. Inaccurate did the math, it's somewhere in this thread.
3. Yep.

IHC uses a Magnefine inline filter. I have no experience with it.
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...gnefine+filter

 

I don't think it's possible to get all the Z1 out (100%) without actually opening the tranny or reservoir. Do a 3x3 that is sufficient enough and change switches.

 

After the 10th refill, there will be just 2-1/2 tablespoons of the original Z1 remaining in the trans.

Here is my post showing math work for the percentages of atf (click here).

 

Thanks soo much for that info! I will try to get at least the first 3 out of the way tomorrow (today now I guess)... I only bought 1 new crush washer for the drain plug from Honda... I will buy another one "today".

I will reuse the current crushwasher for D&Rs 1-3, and replace with the new one at 4, drive for like a day, and then replace with the new one at the 5th D&R and be done with it.

 

Wow! Thanks for the math Inaccurate, my apologies I must have just scrolled right through that post.

But for all intensive purposes it is 100% ok to go from Z1 straight to Redline basically because of your math? And this will cause no ill effect on my trans? Sorry for asking the same question twice, I just want to make double sure before I do the D&R. I'm also going to be spacing out the 10 D&R's over a period of several months just to ensure I don't have any issues. (Probably once every weekend for 2.5 months)

 

I did the 3x3 with the Type F on my car. My wife has even now mentioned that she feels it lunging. Now with mine I only feel the lunging when I am just causally driving. When I romp it, it feels smooth. I switched the fluids back around the end of November, this lunging has started to feel more and more pronounced. It feels like it lunges the car forward then shifts and you can feel it, it's quite annoying actually, anything I could do? I have about 3.5K miles driven with the Racing ATF now. Since it's my wife's car, I'm not really sure which gear it does it in, but I can feel it lunging in more than one gear. I will have to drive it today to try and pinpoint when it's doing the lunging.

Since my car is a 2007 I never looked in the 3rd & 4th gear pressure switches, should I look into doing them before going back to the Redline D4 or whatever is the recommended other fluid? Do you think the switches will help at all with the car? Fluid levels are at the proper location on the dipstick.

The car has 44.5K on the OD, the first transmission flush was with 40,866 miles on the car.

 

Update so driving the car today, I have come to the conclusion that I feel it throw you forward as the car shifts 90% of the time through all the gears, no specific gear. Just while gentle driving, as when you get on it gear changes happen very quickly and almost impossible to tell then.

So when I stopped to get gas, I found that the oil level was an 1/8th of an inch below the low mark on the dipstick. So this is the second time since the switch that this has happened. So when I get home tonight and I will top off the levels, hopefully that will clear up the lunging.

Either way should I still look into the pressure switches?

 

m7r7m,

You can go straight from Z1 to Redline with no ill effects. Doing a single drain every weekend is an excellent plan.

It is my stance that the switch to Redline can be made as quickly as you wish provided that you do a short drive, hitting 60 mph for at least a minute, to mix the fluid between each refill.