I wanted to know what the transmission fluid maintenance consists of. Is it simply a drain and fill or is it something more?

I hate that you cant find the basic info in the manual anymore. I wanted to see what the interval is that this alerts the owner and they dont give you a mileage at all. Just that it has a code. Also no way to tell if it was ever dismissed. *sigh*

 

You can only drain and refill 3 or so quarts at a time, so it's recommended to do the 3 x 3 ATF fluid change. Acura recommends doing it the 3x3 way and has it in there service doc here:

http://www.urvi.net/forumfiles/SB/B18-047.PDF

You can buy a case of 12 quarts of DW1 ATF usually cheaper than the individual quarts at dealers.

 

to explain further; automatic transmissions have clutch packs that hold fluid, thus when you go to undo the drain bolt, only 3 quarts will come out. to fully cycle the fluid; drain 3 quarts, fill 3 quarts and drive around. do this process 2 more times...

hence the name of the method; 3x3x3

if you have a manual transmission; ALL of the fluid will come out at one time


edit* there is no set mileage because everyone drives differently. and the computer knows how YOU drive, so it will alert you when it reaches that threshold...
No one is stopping you from changing it out early or later than what the computer tells you.
The computer knows how often you drive, how fast you drive, how much you idle, etc..etc.etc.

in the owners manual, it also states that if you live in harsh conditions that you dont have to follow the MID...and will advise you change out fluids more often.
you're totally overthinking it

 

My car takes 4 quarts on a drain and fill.

 

right, a logical person will measure the drained oil, and put back the same amount

so, we would amend the name of the method to 4x4x3, 4 quarts drained. 4 quarts filled, 3 times to equal 12 qts

 

I pour the old ATF into an empty oil jug then add that amount of new ATF back in. And yeah, I can get about 4qts of ATF out if I'm patient and let it drain for a while.

If it's the first time you've done the ATF, I'd do the 3x drain/flush method. After that, I find that just a single drain and refill is sufficient. I do mine every other oil change, so about a single drain/refill every 15K miles.

Another part of the maintenance is replacing the inline filter. This doesn't have to be done as often. I'd say every 30K - 60K miles or so. I do mine every 30K. It's a bit of a pain to get to. It's mounted on the subframe under the battery tray so you have to remove both the battery and tray. This applies only to the 2012-2014 models. The 2009-2011 has an internal filter which can't be changed unless the transmission is disassembled.

 

Does the inline filter also apply to the 6MT?

 

No. Only the automatic.

 

You didn't mention what year you have (common problem in this forum) but only the 2012 to 2014 (6 speed auto) have the external inline fluid filter.
The 2009 to 2011 automatics have a filter located behind the torque convertor and you have to remove the transmission from the vehicle to gain access.

BTW: My TL requires (as mentioned above) 4 quarts for a proper fill.

 

I have a '12 base with about 125k and it looks like the trans fluid hasn't been changed in about 60k miles (when the software updated.) Putting aside the fact that it should have been done way before now, would you guys suggest the 3x3? I'm reading that introducing too much new fluid can have a negative impact but I'm getting differing opinions. So do I:

A. Just drain and fill once
B. 3x3
C. Nothing

 

B

 

Any value in changing the filter? I guess it can't hurt since I am in there anyway. I can guarantee it has never been changed. Just didn't know if it was worth the extra effort.

 

Yes I recommend changing the filter. It's on top of the transmission and difficult to access.
I have found it's easier to remove the battery and battery tray to gain acceptable access.

 

Did the 3x3 (or 3x3.5ish) tonight with the directions on here and it's shifting noticeably smoother. Ordered the filter, I wanted to go ahead and change the fluid since I'm going out of town this weekend so I'll switch out the filter next week when it comes in. I saved a quart to replace what's lost during that process. Thanks for the help fellas, I know there are like 100 threads on this so I appreciate the info!

 

Ditto on the 3x3 drain and fill, did it this afternoon. It's a consistent 3.75 qts +/- for me. Jack up the driver's side front, put a jack stand under it. That slight angle helps get out a bit more than 3 qts. Transfer case is right there, drained and filled that as well. Took about .6 quarts.

 

It's the torque converter that retains a significant volume of oil (ATF).
The oil that drains easily comes from the lower part of the transaxle.
The purpose of the 3x3 or other processes is to try to get the oil that is "trapped" in the converter when the engine is not running.
So you add 3 L or quarts of fresh oil to 6 L of "dirty" oil when you only change the readily accessible (easily drained) oil.
You then have (e.g.) 9 L or quarts of less dirty oil.
If you do it regularly this is adequate. The oil is supposedly good for 100,000 mi.
But heat is the enemy, so anything which causes excessive heating is what causes the oil to deteriorate.
There are very few reasons for mechanical debris to accumulate in a properly functioning transmission.
You do not get carbon buildup or acid formation or water in a transmission (transaxle) like you do in an engine.

 

The dealer may offer to change your cabin air filter for some ridiculous price also. That is an even worse scam.
They do have nice tile, glass, marble, coffee nook etc. at the dealership.