The Dougler

iTrader: (1)

nah, I don't know any celica owners G/L on your quest! I should be doing mine this weekend I'll report back.

PZero

I just had the GM fluid put in my '06. Nalley Acura in Atlanta did the change under warranty. Previously they had changed the 3rd gear synchros which did not help. In fact, I then had problems with 3rd and 4th gear, as others have reported.
Gearbox is now better than new.

The Dougler

iTrader: (1)

Just completed install of the GM sauce, that stuff is wicked, my gearbox feels like it's from a hole other car. I should have done this months ago.

The Dougler

iTrader: (1)

a little tip, if you're having problems with the washer falling off the filler bolt when your putting it in, use a little smidgen on grease between the washer and flange of the bolt to help it stick

automangts

What is the difference between the friction modified, and the standard fluid? Anyone know how this GM fluid works on the Accord 6mt?

powerflow

This thread is funny, apparently some people with AT trans can't read.

It will work on the Accord if it works on the TL, they both use Honda MTF as an OEM fluid. If you do or don't have the infamous 3rd gear problem or other similar issues, its up to you if you need it or not.

teomcdohl

Quick question:

When you change the tranny fluid, do you just drain the old and re-fill, or do you flush or anything?

Having it done tomorrow! Have 3rd gear issues, what crap. Car only has 3k miles.

mn2trance

^ Yes, you can do a drain and fill. That's what I did with mine and it took care of my 3rd gear problem.

teomcdohl

thanks. id do it myself, but life is so hectic lately... besides that it hasnt been optimal temp outside, ect ect... also, im kind of afraid to touch my car, with it being so new...

o4Komodo

iTrader: (2)

Got mines changed at a Canadian Tire--I wanted to attempt to do it myself but have no clue how. If you know how to--I suggest you do. Paying someone else to do it costs a lot. I spent like 70 bucks for these people to change my tranny fluid and for some reason they took 2 hours and a half. So not worth it--I knew I should've just spent another day or two and research.

The Dougler

iTrader: (1)

How much better does your tranny feel though? Mine feels like a 1,000,000 bucks so 70 is well spent if you ask me. The day after I changed mine it was -26c and it felt like a hot knife through butter when I started on my way. I'm convinced and now my bro is throwing it in his 07 TL-S, well it will probably be me doing the swap lol. Glad you finally found the fluid too.

DMZ

The only thing not worth it was going to Canadian Tire. If it really took them 2½ hours, they probably had no idea what the f**k they were doing, unless that includes your waiting time. Did you supply the fluid or did they? If you supplied it, it should have never cost more than about ½ that for the labor. Even my Acura dealer only charged $38 for labor when I supplied the GM fluid.

ACTROS

iTrader: (7)

Another strong believer in Syncromesh here, good stuff- silky shift action and no popping!

Unfortunately Honda's "new and reformulated" oil didn't do it for me, it's only slightly better than their older formulation.

o4Komodo

iTrader: (2)

I checked my bank statement again.. it was actually 78.. almost 80 dollars to get my tranny fluid changed at Canadian Tire--what a mistake. lol.

The Dougler, Yeah I actually had the fluid for a while--I just never went to change my fluid since I went on vacation instead lol. When I came back it was the first thing I did with the TL---and as you said.. it was like a hot knife cutting threw butter! I felt the difference immediately and I wasn't even going above 15km/h! [I was in public zone with lots of stop signs].

DMZ, I provided them with the fluid. 3 bottles of it.. and the car apparently only required 2.5L [for the Canadians]. The 2 hours and a half that was spent did not include "waiting time". Once my appointment was met they took in my vehicle right away and had it up on the mechanical jack thing. I felt that the $78 was quite a lot and as you said my mistake was bringing it to Canadian Tire. On my report they gave me.. it doesn't say what they did. But when I watched them [whenever I could] they were either...
a) Not there
b) Looking around, under the car
c) Taking things apart, underneath, with that torque-gun
If I spent $78 and I provided the fluid--I hope they atleast cleaned some of the fuel lines or something.

DMZ

Like I suspected, they had no idea what the f**k they were doing. I wouldn't even go back to them for tires.

Next time, find a local gas/service station.
The service place I first had it done charged me $30 for the labor, period.

My local Mavis tire charges me only $10 labor to change my engine oil and filter that I supply them with.

o4Komodo

iTrader: (2)

Yeah, after that day I decided not to return to them for anything to do with the car. I was going to go local--but they closed early that day and I wanted it done and over with. Again my mistake, should've just waited.
I'm sure Canadian Tire knows what they are doing. It's just most likely the guy working on my car knew crap all. There were two other mechs where one finished 3 cars and the other finished 2... where my car was still there. lol.
I learnt my lesson though. It is just good to know that nothing is wrong with the car since then... and it's been running just as good, if anything somewhat better [due to better shifting].

ezshift5

........great info here!


How about some numbers?


I've seen 8,000 miles with the flawless GM Synchromesh FM goo so far.................

Has anyone gone further than that with the same great ease of shifting?

3 quarts of the stuff rest on my garage shelf (awaiting my 6M)..................

thanks and all the best, ez....

wi_badger

Finally warm enough here to add the GM fluid and I know it sounds like a broken record but I wish I had done it sooner. Acura replaced my factory fill with the reformulated Honda fluid at about 8k miles, worked better for maybe a week and then back to the 3rd gear issues from time to time and just general notchy feel. Well at 18,000 miles now, added the GM fluid and I couldn't be happier. Smooth, almost effortless shifts, no notchy feeling at all. I can't remember what it felt like when it was new, but this is how it should be. Don't hesitate to make the change, the return is definitely worth the investment!

o4Komodo

iTrader: (2)

Currently I'm at 99,178KMs or something around there... [that is NOT miles].
I had the tranny fluid changed at around... early 98,000KMs

sockr1

iTrader: (5)

do you guys recommend what mileage i should make the change to this tranny fluid? right now i am at only 500 miles and wonder at what point should i flush the system and put in the good stuff

thanks

jingy08

thread revival. Anyone know if the GM syncromesh tf has to be friction modified? And I went to the dealer and it costs $29.99 a quart! Is that reasonable ?

ezshift5

[QUOTE=jingy08]thread revival. Anyone know if the GM syncromesh tf has to be friction modified? And I went to the dealer and it costs $29.99 a quart! Is that reasonable ?[/QUOTE............


...the stuff that's been getting high marks for solving the 3rd gear shift resistance is indeed the "Friction Modified" variety of GM Synchromesh goo.

The part number is 12377916.....

I picked mine up earlier this year at a Chevrolet dealer in Shingle Springs for $14/QT.

best, ez....

sockr1

iTrader: (5)

[QUOTE=ezshift5] when do people recommend to do the change (in terms of mileage)?

lars161

Forget that stuff

Use redlines ultra lightweight shockproof gear oil it's about 10 dollars a quart at myoilshop.com

It's full synthetic has friction modifiers it coats all the gears and protects them really well. I actually saw a small increase in gas mileage also

lars161

http://www.racerpartswholesale.com/p...proof_Gear_Oil

Adobeman

That link is to an ATF product. Was that a mistake? We are talking about MTF here.

jeff442

I know this thread is pretty old, but I thought my update might be of value. My 2005 6MT has 195,000 miles on it and I've been running the GM fluid since 90k. It still shifts like magic! If anyone is on the fence about trying this fix, the results are hard to argue with.

jpgayan

To anyone changing their own or having a shop do it: Don't waste your time pulling out the air cleaner and battery tray. Two 10 inch extensions, a universal/swivel socket, and a $5 measu-funnel worked great without having to pull a single thing. It'll save you close to an hour of labor by ignoring the stupid shop manual.

duggan419

Siiiigh. I've been using this site for 2 months now and I wish that I has found it 3 years ago when I purchased my 2004 TL . I'm going to say between Innaccurate, IHC and countless other members on this site....the information provided has saved me probably a couple thousand dollars on the maintenance and repairs that have all popped up after NO issues for 3 years of driving this car.

The DIY video for the CAI....
The Bumper removal video.....
The RV6 cat delete J pipe....
The Misfiring engine in 5 cylinders...which was just ONE ignition coil...
My 105k preventative maintenance overhall (ie water pump,tensioner, ect.)

AND NOW....the transmission that I always thought it was me being tired or just ignorant of the stiffness of my 2nd to 3rd gear change...apparently is crap tranny fluid...I am in the process of finding a shop with the GM fluid to purchase and buying the washers to replace the old ones.

So I guess what this really long post is trying to say is....THANK YOU ACURAZINE and all of gearhead TL owners that love sharing their knowledge.

lummer23

I Agree... I bought my '07 TL-S 6MT from a local guy in Phoenix a few years back and noticed this gear issue. The 3rd gear popped out for me all the time and I took it to the dealer in Peoria. They replaced the 3rd gear and it definitely was a lot better, but all the other gears seem to be a pain in the arse to lock in at times and feels like im trying to work through a maze and keep hitting walls as i switch gears.

My car is at 42,000 and I havent changed my transmission fluid yet. But am thinking of doing it this week after reading so many good things about the GM fluid.

ImagePree

^^ Changing out the tranny fluid was the very first thing I did after acquiring the TL (even before putting in another tank of gas.) Experience from owning a Prelude the previous 12 years told me to do this.

Stop procrastinating and go get the fluid changed.

sourial84

iTrader: (1)

To rebirth this thread thanks to jeff442 I did have some doubt on the long term use of this trans fluid b/c I did read in the another forum (non-honda) that it "liquefied there trans internals" but I will trust azine over any other forum I will be purchasing this fluid soon

nfnsquared

Been running it now for over 100K miles. Haven't examined my transmission, but if it's liquid, it rocks!!

nothome17

I have to agree the GM Syncromesh does work. I had the 3rd gear grind in my 1992 Acura GSR. People said it was just a "band aid" and I'll need to rebuild my tranny later but it's still running strong over 300k miles.

After thinking of that, 1992 Acura GSR 3rd gear grind and it's still happening on the 3rd Gen TL's. WTF!!??? Get your act together HONDA/ACURA.. 12 or so years later... WOW!!

gideon's_test

LOL...My RSX Type-S had the 3rd gear pop-out problem also...

nothome17

You figured like it's been a decade and Acura/Honda still hasn't fixed the infamous 3 gear issue. Maybe there fix was the new Z-1 formula. No Bueno..

tuine2006

Hi All,

Thanks for repost this forum. I've been having the same problem with the 3rd gear for my TL 2005 ( almost 90 K miles on it).
I am going to try the STF-Friction Modified, but I don't know how many quarts I need. Also, I found a URL (show below) that sales this stuff.
http://paceperformance.com/i-7335347...d-1-quart.html

Can anyone please confirm it's the right one?
And also, please tell me how many quart I need to have for my car?

Thanks,
Tuine

nfnsquared

Dude, did you read the first two posts in this thread?

SouthernBoy

You will need 2.3 quarts (U.S.) which equates to 2 quarts 10 ounces rounded. Make sure you use a torque wrench for your drain and fill bolts. You do not need to remove the check (sight) bolt for this procedure. And use new washers, too. The torque specs for the drain and fill bolts are 29 and 33 ft/lbs respectively.

As was already stated, you do not need to remove anything up top. Just use the proper tools and all will go well. If this is the first drain and fill, expect the fill bolt to be hard to remove and you might need a breaker bar. You can make one of these with a piece of galvanized conduit slipped over your ratchet handle (this is what I do). Make sure your car is level for the drain. Use a carpenter's level to confirm this.

This is a very easy and simple drain and fill and even if you take your time, which you should, it shouldn't take more than a hour and a half at the most.

Surferboy

Thanks to you all for this wonderful tip! My 2004 RSX Type-S finally shifts into 3rd and 4th relatively smoothly! Yes, even though the service manual says 1.6 qts. when you change the fluid and 1.8 qts. when you do a complete overhaul, it did indeed take 2 qts. "plus a little more" as I read in some posts. My Chevy dealer now uses AC Delco part 88900399, about $15 per qt.