TheMuffinMan

iTrader: (1)

Hit 75k miles in my car about two weeks ago and was finally able to get my fluids done at 76k, I know this has come up in threads but I'm not sure if anyone actually had replaced their ATF filter yet - I had a few PM's from when I posted I bought it.

Here's my fluids/parts:

Engine - 5qts Penzoil Platinum 5w20 + Filter (Mobil1 M-104)
Transmission - 4qts of Acura ATF
Transmission Filter - 25430-PLR-003
Differential - 3qts of Acura DPSF
Transfer Case - 1qt of Royal Purple 75w90

We drained the transmission first from below, removed the front engine bay cover, removed the battery, the airbox resonator piece, and the battery tray.

The battery tray has two bolts up top that are visible and two below. Only one of the ones below needs to be completely removed (closest to the front of the car) and the other just needs to be loosened (the tray has a notch for it to slide out).

After that the filter is clearly visible, held in with a bracket (bracket has 1, maybe 2 bolts holding it in) and then it is secured to the bracket by one additional bolt. You'll want to have something to catch fluid as the filter and hoses still retain some fluid.

Install is just reverse of above, we did not that we used all 4qts of fluid - assumption is the filter was holding some additional fluid that wasn't changed out normally.

Note that this can only be done on '12-14 TL's (and maybe just the SH-AWD?) as the earlier models had an internal filter.

Lee C

I changed mine a couple of months ago and got rid of that gurgling sound,I used this filter here
Magnefine 3/8 Inch Magnetic Inline Transmission Filter
I changed mine without removing the battery tray,that was a mistake next time I will remove for sure.

LostProphet

I also replaced this filter a few weeks ago without draining the tranny fluid, it is not recommended but it is doable. Just be aware some fluid will spill. I followed the same procedure you did, I can not imagine replacing the filter without removing the airbox piece, battery and its tray. Acura in a TSB says removing the battery is not necessary but you will need super long nose pliers to remove the clamps. I did not have any issues with gurgling or chirping coming from this filter I just did as a preventive maintenance and the filter is cheap ($20). No noticeable changes after this service.
Btw, I wanna ask you the reason why you prefer using the Mobil1 M-104 engine oil filter instead of what Mobil1 recommend for our vehicles which is the M-110.

TheMuffinMan

iTrader: (1)

M-104 is the filter for the S2000. Slightly larger than the M-110 - I've just used that instead of the 110 on my Hondas.

ekisPinoy

When you replace your transmission filter with Magnefine, is it just remove and replace? I replaced the transmission filter once and now I am hearing the gurgle again and thinking of getting the Magnefine.

Thanks!

Lee C

Yes the only thing I did was cut about 1/2 inch of each end of the hoses it also fit in the bracket the gurgling is the reason I went with this hopefully it don't come back.Good Luck

ekisPinoy

Thanks! What about the orientation? Just follow the arrow flow?

Regards-

Lee C

Yes I just matched the ends

The way the stock was located I located the new one.Hope this makes sense.Good Luck.Take the battery tray off,I did not made it a little more work

ekisPinoy

Yup it does. Thanks again for your quick response. Will post response once I am done with this!

ekisPinoy

Finally got a chance to replace the transmission filter on my '12 TL. Took me awhile to remove the battery tray but once I did, the replacement was a breeze. The only concern I have is the bracket that is holding the Magnefine filter is a bit smaller and I really had to squeeze it to attach it together. I also cut the return line hose to 1/2 inch avoid bending the hose too much. Start the car this morning and no gurgling sound anymore! Thanks again for your help on this!

Lee C

I had the same concern but all is well.Good Job

Anicra

Anyone take any pics of the process (where at or replacement area) ? Planning to do it , just haven't been able to spot it, yet. Being -10 out , think I am going to wait to late spring

TheMuffinMan

iTrader: (1)

The process I described is pretty straight forward.

Anicra

It is Muffman, I just wanted to see a pic of it. That is all

atomlinks

I'm Jealous! My older 4g TL with 230k miles still has the original filter. Dealer wants 9 hrs to replace the $15 filter. I don't believe I have any other options unfortunately :-)

Lee C

After all the work you have done yourself this will be a breeze

atomlinks

I haven't seen anyone post about the 09-11 TL ATF Filter swap process. From the service manual it looks like you have to drop the tranny and disassemble it just to swap the filter unfortunately. I'm still jealous of the inline filter on the 12-14 TL. I'd probably do more harm than good trying to change it out myself.

Lee C

I didn't know it was a different setup.Need to find a reasonable tranny shop Good Luck
Man you did some great work on your car so far

atomlinks

Thanks Lee. I'm really loving the car so far. For the transmission and the work involved in swapping the filter I almost just want to leave it in there and put in fresh fluid in the hopes that it never clogs. For the amount of work I might as well drive it in until the tranny goes out and swap it with a lower mileage transmission as the labor involved seems like it would be about the same. It's a shame the engineers overlooked this and made it non-serviceable.

Lee C

I would change the fluid in trans with every oil change can't hurt how about putting an inline ATF filter on it might prolong tranny life.

atomlinks

An inline filter would be a great add on along with a cooler. I'm not sure if its possible or not. If anyone has info on how I could do this I will definitely put it on my list of things to do. I would guess there would need to be a hose or something right before it hits the old filter but I'm not sure there are any hoses that carry ATF fluid that I can tap into. It kind of seems like everything is self contained in this 5 speed transmission.

TheMuffinMan

iTrader: (1)

Yep the 09-11 had an internal filter that is obviously more difficult to get to. The 12-14 is maybe 30mins to an hour of work

atomlinks

I was thinking they overlooked this in the first couple years of the 4th gen production and changed it later on the 12-14, but as I looked more it sounds like the same with the 07-08 TL Type S as well.

Georgiey22

I have a FWD 2013 with 33K miles. Is the tranny filter serviceable on my model? If so, I will absolutely complete this at 50K miles.

TheMuffinMan

iTrader: (1)

From reviewing Bernardi's website it appears the FWD TL also has the filter and it is the same part number.

25430-PLR-003