I just wanted to know if someone can tell me at what mileage the maintenance minder comes on to tell you to change the transmission fluid. My car has 60K miles and the new code still doesn't include it. Also is the fluid the long life (100K) type? 2006 TL AT

 

you change it when it starts changing colors (ie from a light honda pink to a more darker red) or when the MIDS tells you that it is due.....

with 60K on it I would go for a change.......

 

The stupid maintenance system might tell you to change it at a horrifically long 100k+ miles.

Honda was completely insane in 2003 when it wrote in the Accord maint schedule that transmission fluid should be changed at 120k miles, then 90k miles thereafter.

Transmission fluid in these cars should be changed at 30k mile intervals at the most, and only with HONDA AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLUID. Nothing else!

No flush machines, unless you are trying to kill your transmission. Just drain and refill.

 

Do you really believe Honda/Acura would recommend changing the trans fluid at 100K under normal driving conditions if it were to contribute to transmission failure? If that were the case, they certainly wouldn't warranty the drive train to 100K.
The fluid is dyed red to distinguish it from other fluids and changing color is not an indication of contamination.

Having said that, recommending fluid changes every 30K mile is not a problem, but mandating the change is a gross overstatement and a waste of money.

Guess I'll ask the question again; show me transmission failures that were the direct responsibility of the Z1. From what I see, the early transmission failures were due to a design flaw that resulted in improper lubrication of the secondary shaft second gear that then resulted in chipped/broken teeth, or even a broken gear.

I'm done, time for breakfast!

 

can someone else comment on the use only honda at fluid....

 

I'm a firm believer in using the recommended viscosity and fluids as directed by the manufacturer, but if you do a search many have the opinion that any transmission fluid that will replace Z1, as indicated on the container, is just fine. Some even use a fluid that is not recommended as Z1replacement and say they haven't had a problem...........yet.
That's what it is, an opinion, not actual test results, so I guess the choice is yours.

 

i use only honda products for my acura. my mechanic truly recommends it and he works on my 88prelude, 99tl, and my former 02 type s. so yeah use honda atf.

 

You ATF-Z1 fans should really visit bobistheoilguy.com. Honda ATF has been proven to be crap over and over again. A staunch lubrication engineer who normally only advocates using oem atf (regardless of make) privately said that Z1 is one of the worst atf's he's ever come across and is an exception in that another fluid should be substituted.

Amsoil seems to work great in Honda trans' and isn't much more expensive than what Z1 costs.

 

More B.S.!!!!
I'll still ask, show me an engine or transmission that was destroyed because of inferior oil properties.

 

You should go see the uoa's that prove Z1's ridiculously horrid oxidation properties. Honda's trans problems are very much heat based. Any informed person can without a doubt realize that their poor lubricant has exasperated the existing problems and might have not been the issue that it is at all otherwise.

It's probably a Group I oil based on how awfully it performs.

 

I'm going to change mine at the next Oil Change Interval. Should be very close to 30k miles.

Regards Honda ATF - I'm scared to use anything else. IF the transmission fails or has problems, the last thing I want to hear from Acura is that I used the "wrong" fluid.


.

 

I guess I'm not informed, but please enlighten me. You say that any other fluid might have eliminated the transmission problem. There's that word again, might have, but then again it might not have, right? If it's a fact, please show me proof rather than charts, graphs, fluid contents, and a lot of useless opinions.

Also, with the millions of Honda/Acura vehicles sold using the Z1, once again, please show me transmission failures caused by poor fluid characteristics. In this day and age, do you really think any manufacturer would produce a product and use inferior quality lubricants that would possibly cause the demise of any component at an early age, and it’s their dime to do the replacement?

You are aware that each transmission failure is examined by corporate to evaluate the cause.

I see the same argument over on the Jeep Grand Cherokee site where owners chime in with their negative opinion of the ATF+4, or the 247 T/C fluids. Seems as though everyone has an opinion of factory fluids, but no facts to back them up. They just keep beating their gums.

 

Go look at the UOA's if you need proof that Z1 is crap.

 

Yup, same old rehtoric!!

 

How is a UOA rhetoric.

 

I don't know enough on the issue to chime in from a scientific standpoint since finding Z1's datasheet is near impossible.. any help.

Anyways.. from what I understand.. transmissions fail due to sludging which is proportional to heat wear. Extended use under high heat stress will break down and oxidize the lubricant which starts to clump and sludge which stresses the cluches and bands and starts breaking down the internals.

I do know that M1 and Amsoil have excellent viscosity temp ratings and high flashpoint ratings as a testament to their durability. I haven't read any threads claiming a change to an excellent ATF related to transmission failure, but I wouldn't go with another ATF unless it meets spec and is recommended for Z1 with the exception of ATD.

 

Doesn't mean much to me, but maybe the MSDS will help:
http://selubeproducts.com/LinkClick....bid=58&mid=377

 

sweet.. thanks!

 

Blind leading the half-blind. Gotta love it.

 

was speaking with an Amsoil wholeseller over the weekend and he was telling me that Amsoil's transmission fluid has gotten better should provide a better performance.

I was thinking about moving to Amsoil oil, trying to get a good price, but as usually they segway into all the other products. I think he was somewhat sincere though.. I was the one who pulled him over... he had an amsoil sticker in his window and I asked if he use the product and how he likes it...low and behold he was a wholeseller...LMAO

 

Change it every 30K. Just my .

 

Checking out the Z1 MSDS.. I can see that the Amsoil products have a lower specific g meaning it's less dense than Z1, this means Amsoil is probably less prone to heat up as fast as Z1, but that relationship is governed on the actual composition and physical characteristics of the ATF, more specifically the equipartition of the elements and their relationship to vapor pressure and heat. The flash point rating of Z1 is ridiculous in comparison. So while I can't state that Amsoil is a superior ATF for our vehicles.. it is safe to say that under the same use, it will not heat up and wear as fast or come to pressure as fast as Z1. All MSDS composition reports are pretty lean so I can't contribute much more on this front. Does anyone have chemical composition of these ATF's? That would be awesome.

 

i got a pamphlet saying the 1st change should be done at 30K and then every 15K after that

 

DOIN mine at the dealer right now... PAID $89.00,
58K miles 04TL
not too bad cosidering you gotta leave a paper trail if ur tranny ever goes out.

 

Still waiting for the proof of failures that is the direct responsibility of the fluid.

SAE papers are unbiased, and they have to go through a peer review process before they are published.

Comparison of OEM Automatic Transmission Fluids in Industry Standard Tests
Document Number: 2007-01-3987

Date Published: October 2007

Abstract:
As a result of raised awareness regarding the proliferation of individual OEM-recommended ATFs, and discussion in various forums regarding the possibility of "universal" service fill fluids, it was decided to study how divergent individual OEM requirements actually are by comparing the fluids performance in industry standard tests.

A bench-mark study was carried out to compare the performance of various OEM automatic transmission fluids in selected industry standard tests. All of the fluids evaluated in the study are used by certain OEMs for both factory and service fill. The areas evaluated included friction durability, oxidation resistance, viscosity stability, aeration and foam control. The results of this study are discussed in this paper. Based on the results, one can conclude that each ATF is uniquely formulated to specific OEM requirements. In addition, the results show that a customer should not deviate from the automatic transmission fluid specified in the vehicle's owners manual.
$15 and you can have the full article.