Bennerman

I have a 2010 acura tl auto with 125k miles, would it be better to flush my trans at the dealership or just do a drain and fill? I was contemplation doing a flush and filling with redline d4 but I'm a bit nervous to do so..

losiglow

iTrader: (1)

Very good idea to do it. I think taking care of the transmission fluid is probably the most important maintenance item on these cars. This is my first daily driver with an Auto and based on the luck other have had with Honda AT's, I'm anal about keeping it in tip top shape.

I think you can do it yourself if you have only mild mechanical ability. It's simply a matter of draining and refilling 3 times (about 3.5 quarts per drain/refill) with driving a few miles in between each refill to cycle through the gears. It takes maybe an hour and a half plus a case of DW1 ATF from the dealer. Make sure not to add fluid too quickly through the dipstick since it has to "burp" occasionally and will make a mess if you pour it in too fast.

I haven't seen anyone try Redline D4 on the 4G TL yet but based on the 3G crowds response, I personally stick to the Honda/Acura DW1 fluid. If you want to try Redline I'd at least start by doing a 1:1 mix of DW1 and Redline. I'll never put anything but DW1 in mine. So far it's run like a champ and I'm at 130K miles on my 2012.

MarcoNorthPolo

As losiglow said, I recommend the 3x3 drain and refill. Don't flush it. Flushing it can dislodge crud that could potentially gum up the works. Drain it and add 3 liters, drive it for a day or two making sure to use all of the gears, drain again and add another 3 liters. Repeat again and after a few days drain and fill again. The reason for doing it 3 times is because it takes that many drains and refills to replace almost all of the old fluid with new fluid. The first drain replaces something like 60 something percent, the next drain replaces up another 20 something percent and the 3rd drain makes it so that up 97% has been replaced. I'm not sure of the percentages, but it's something like that.

hadokenuh

Another vote for drain and fill with OEM fluid. Don't flush it.

I do mine every 30K miles. Good piece of mind. I intend to keep the car for a long time.

losiglow

iTrader: (1)

Yeah, those transmission "flush" services have killed many a Honda transmission. Someone had the dealer do a "flush", but it's different than the conventional transmission power flush that some of those transmission shops advertise. IIRC, it's a matter of them feeding fluid into the transmission while it's running, and draining it at the same time, thus keeping the TQ and hydraulics constantly fed with fluid. From what I understand, bubbles are also a big issue when doing a power flush. By feeding fluid at the same time as draining, bubble formation is mitigated and the hydraulics never run dry.

That's not really necessary though. Considering the Honda DW-1 is synthetic and doesn't foul up nearly as quickly as motor oil would, the 3x3 method works just fine.

Zac5751

So how bad will it be if it has never been done and the car has 83k on it. I bought it at 62k and just found out it has never been done. (so my mechanic says)

losiglow

iTrader: (1)

It's a toss up depending on your situation, but I'd say if you don't have any current problems with the transmission, to go ahead and do it. Here's a video that explains it pretty well:


In short, if the clutch packs have worn due to dirty fluid, the suspended particles in the old fluid could actually be helping it not to slip. By changing the fluid, and taking away those suspended particles in place of clean fluid, you could then experience slipping. It seems ironic but that's the way it is. However, not changing the fluid will certainly cause earlier transmission death since the clutches will wear very quickly with all the suspended crap, resulting in a much quickly erosion of the clutch material.

The maintenance schedule for ATF is 60K miles. So you're well past that but it's not like you've gone twice the recommended miles or something crazy like that. There's cases where cars have gone 150K or something crazy without a change and the stuff looks like tar. I'm sure yours is pretty black at this point but hopefully not like thick tar :P

hadokenuh

I would still drain and fill it 3 times (whenever you get an engine oil change). I think you'd be still okay there.