DavieJoe

I've called a few places, and most of them are asking for about $80, but then this one mom-and-pop place said "oh, Acura's have a drain/refill thing goin for them, it'll be $25" I dont have my Car Guide, which would probaly tell me. Should I go for the Jiffy-Lube for 80, or does the mom/pop place know what they're talking about?

Also, Should I change anything else out, i'm at 75k?

r3mix3r

Ya I'd go with the mom/pop shop over any mainstream shop anyday to begin with. Usually they take more care in what they do, and most of them have alot of experience. Also I think a Drain/Fill is alot better then a Flush especially at 75k. A flush will flush out the whole thing and probally cause dirt and other contaminents into the tranny. Just go with the drain/fill, 25 bucks seems like a great price to me. Make sure they use Honda ATF.

wilp99

werd, many people on this board have had to have rebuilds done 1k miles after a total flush. just get the drain and refill, and maybee have them put a tranny cooler on. u can get one at autozone for 40$, and it will save ur tranny, and bout 2k$ in repairs on your tranny.

dondos2

Im in the same predicament with the fluid change... Is this something i can do myself (like an oil change?) or is there more to it. I went to jiffy lube and they also told me $80 because they suck it out with some vacuum or whatever

Motohip

It is deff. something you can do yourself. I don't understand how they can do it for 25 bucks when it cost me almost that JUST for Honda ATF.

wilp99

thats cause thier usin dextron III, which is a big no no. remember u have to use the honda atf. like 4.50$ a quart, but u only need 4 qts. and it takes like 10 min. just drain out of the lower plug. reinstall plug. make sure the car is off when u refill it, (unlike most other cars) just fill it till the dipstick reads full. again make sure the car is off and not running when u refill it.

r3mix3r

I've been doing the tranny drain/fill every other oil change i figure it can't hurt it can only help...

Ya alot of shops use Dextron 3 + an additive to make it equal to Honda ATF which is OK i think. They have to be using that because the Honda ATF alone for 4 qt's is almost 20.00. The shop that rebuilt my tranny used that I think

But when I went to my mechanic I made sure he did the drain/fill with Honda ATF.

dloveswm

Is it really that easy? I also want to do that to my 98 cl but I am just afraid there is some kind of trick and thats why they charge $75-80. Plus what exactly do they do when they flush? I thought that was better.

Cocoa

iTrader: (2)

To flush it yourself without the vacuum you simply.....

1. Drain fluid
2. Refill with tranny fluid of choise.
3. Put it through all gears and drive it for 5 min. This way the fluid in the torque convertor gets circulating through the tranny again.
4. Drain fluid again.
5. Refill fluid again.
6. Drive around or just put it through all gears.
7. Drain fluid.
8. Refill with the fluid of choice

You dont have to do it that many times, but that's what I did. I bought some cheap fluid as my waste fluid that I kept draining. And kept my good one for last. Our tranny holds about 7.6 quarts of tranny fluid including the torque convertor. This procedure is done for the obvious. To drain the fluid in the convertor. A drain and refill consists of 4 quarts simply because it does not include the fluid in the torque convertor.

The problem with trannies with high mileage that has never seen a tranny flush in it's life, is that it will start to slip sometimes afterwards. The reason being is that the contaniments inside is what still holding the tranny together, lol. So after draining that fluid, the new fluid would actually cause the clutch pack to slip, resulting in a tranny rebuild.

A simply drain and refill should be sufficient enough. This can be done at your own home and is easy to do.

AS3.0CL

yes you can do it yourself. like they said above use the honda atf. but if you want a smoother shift and actually lube the tranny better buy a quart of Lucus Transmission Stop-Slip and then add 3 quarts of regular tranny fluid. go check it out on thier website. i put it in my car and it really shifts smooth. it reduces the jolt from first to second gear shift by like 50%. my dad has a 04TL and he put it in his, it even improved his tranny. i change it every 3 oil changes or about 9,000 miles if i have the lucas in it and if don't then every oil change i drain the tranny.

Cocoa

iTrader: (2)

i like lucas...

Cocoa

iTrader: (2)

I thought you only needed tranny flushes every 15k....?

cantCL

I just did a tranny oil change today. No flush. I did it at school and it was quite easy. It is Automatic which needs to be checked while engine is off.. not Manual or so I was told.

- Drained out about 3 liters initially
- Put plug back in
- Ran engine for about 30 secs. then shut off
- Drained out another liter
- Put plug in and filled 4 liters (careful not to overfill) Very IMPORTANT!!
- Check level with engine off (only w/ Automatic)

Total Time - 1/2 hr.

wilp99

no no no no no no no no no pimp. do not run ur tranny when its dry. u will sease up ur survo's and ur pump.. thier like little pistons.

ajtcl

The only way a tranny flush is going to hurt you is if your tranny is already screwed. If you are doing this flush to try and solve a slip, FORGET IT, been there done that, $2000 later, I've got a new tranny. But, If you are doing flush or drain and fill, every four oil changes, and your tranny is in good condition, the flush does not hurt. The machine they use does not have a pump. It uses the transmission's pump to move the fluid. I've watched the Acura guys do it. Not a hard proceedure. They hook this thing up to your tranny cooler lines coming off the tranny to the radiator (your Acura already has a cooler). As for debris, that shouldn't happen unless your tech is a slob. Best advice, do the flush if your tranny is in good health, otherwise, leave it alone until you are ready to replace the whole thing. A fluid change will only worsen a damaged tranny. I know this for a fact, as I said, BEEN THERE DONE THAT. Previous owner of my CL never did tranny fluid change and ruined it for me. So now, I have started over and do the flush on a four oil change / once a year basis. The High cost is mostly overhead, but if you have friends in the business, they will help you out for less.

cantCL

You're right, but there was still 3 liters in there ( mostly in the torque convertor) that needed to be drained out, hence running the engine for 30 secs. The 2.x tranny has a capacity of 6 liters so I basically swapped a little more than half.

cantCL

^ sorry I meant
- Put plug in and filled *1 more liter (careful not to overfill) Very IMPORTANT!!

wilp99

right those three leteres stayed in the torque converter, what u got out was all the stuff in the servo's causing them to run dry for 30 seconds.

wilp99

the debris in the tranny everyone's talkin bout is the stuff in the bottom of the tranny. remove your drain plug, and run your finger across te inside of the plug, that stuff... theres bout 1/8 inch of it which lines the entire bottom of your tranny. thats the stuff that gets choked up in the pump and servo's which cause low fluid flow and burnes out your clutch packs. if u dont flush it it stays on the bottom of the tranny which is a good thing.

DivineCL

Approximately how much should I expect to pay for a drain and fill or is this
something I can do myself?

DavieJoe

Acura Dealership prices:
drain/fill: $34.58
or, what they "strongly recomend" tranny flush: $160

...i took the drain/fill.

The Honda ATF alone is about 20, so I figured "let them do it, why not, they clean my car for free, and that would cost me $10, I'm almost winning here"

wilp99

i would say its easier than changin your oil. pull the drain plug, and drain. put the plug back in, remove the fill plug, and fill till it reads full on the dipstick.. but like he said if its only 35$ to have someone else do it why not. i wouldnt cause i dont trust no one.

ajtcl

You are right about the sludge, but the flush is not moving that debri (noramly warn material from the moving parts of the transmission) any more than the drain and fill or the normal fluid movement inside the transmission under normal driving conditions. The machine simply replenishes the fluid as it is removed. The transmission's pump is doing all the work. It is a misconception to think that the machine is actually pushing fluid in or sucking it out. Fluid is simply drawn from a clean resivour while old fluid is drained into a collection container. The machine does however show the preasures and vacumes being derived by your transmission's pump not to mention the sight glass which will show you how dirty your fluid is. It should never be graphite colored. If it is, you waited way too long and you have probably killed what was left of your clutches and bands by changing the fluid anyway. Noramlly worn fluid will have an orange tint rather than being pink as it is when it is first put in. In addition, it will have a mildly burnt smell. Not cooked like some transmisions I've seen, including the one I replaced. My CL and my wife's Accord are both flushed once a year and there has never been a problem. It all boils down to what school of thought you subscribe to. Keep it up-to-date, or let sleeping dogs lie. I tend to be of the keep it up-to-date. and that hasn't failed me yet.

wilp99

first off our cars do not have bands. and the graphite stuff i was refering too is not the fluid. it is a sludge that is on the bottom of the tranny. the only way to 100% remove it is to crack the tranny in thirds and take it out. it isnt necessarily bad to have it in your tranny. its just the outcome of what is made when two pieces of soft metal grind togather under normal wear and tear, it does not come from the clutch packs, that is a black powder (looks like pepper) and will be cought by the tranny filter. so your let sleepin dogs lie method sounds like a pretty damn good idea. i do agree however keepin it up to date is a good way of doin stuff, but in many cases we get these cars when the dog is already sleepin. i never said that theres a huge explosion of pressure goin thru the tranny when they flush it, they just flush it in a way to where it disturbs the dogg.

es335

i just got my 3.0cl tranny rebuilt about 3000 miles ago and need feedback from our smart guys on wheather i should start the flush and fill or just the drain& fill...also would other tranny additives clash with Honda fluid? are they needed? which ones are recomended? should i have started a new thread? i am a noobie bear with me...thanks

DivineCL

OK. However, I have no idea where the drain plug is located, i'm sure its underneath the car but where? Also, tranny fluid do you recommend me
filling up the car with once I do the flush? Thanks!

Motohip

^^ Honda ATF

Seattle Cl-S

The Honda ATF is a relative bargain compared to the $7-8/qt I've been paying for the Redline ATF I've been using since the blower.

DivineCL

Honda's Alcohol, Tabocco, and Firearms?





























Automatic Trasmission Fluid. Got it!

ajtcl

You could do either one, just be sure that you do it with regularity. As you can see, it is bad for the CL to let it laps and do nothing. A drain and fill only replaces some of the fluid, a flush gets all of it, though it is debatable wich one is better for the life of the tranny. Since you have a fresh tranny, the flush would be better. Just do it once a year. No big deal, cost a bit more than a drain and fill, but in the long run it is worth it. By the by, Honda ATF (Automatic Transmission Fluid). Not those moonshiner killing, gun-totting FEDs.

wigglesworth

did a transmission oil change today. I live in boston and acura service cost me a total of $150 to do the drain and fill. a total of 12 quarts of acura atf was used and a total of 3 hour waiting time. they had the flush option and normal option which is drain fil 3-4 times i guess since it is 12 quarts. i wanted to do it myself or better yet in a non acura service but i just didnt want to risk it. what i noticed after the oil change was that 1-2 shifting was very smooth and vibrations as i press the gas pedal was minimized. i have never driven my car so smoothly since i bought it. so i would suggest to anyone with tranny slipping, jerking, irregular shifting... trans oil change is the best thing to do.

gotguinness?

Hey man,

I'm in Dedham, MA...Which dealer did you go to? the one in Walpole? I need to get this done soon but $150 for a drain and fill seems a bit steep for me...i notice my 1st to 2nd is a bit rough though for sure adn coming out of first is a bit rough.

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

He had a flush of clean fluid run through, you could do just a drain and fill for a lot cheaper, I did mine I think it costed $40 worth of fluid, there's a drain plug on the bottom of the tranny and a fill plug on the top

aznboi2424

iTrader: (10)

adding the lucas stop-slip helps? i saw some stuff like this at the parts store that said that it helps with hard shifts and slips. i might be buying some if it really improves the transmission...

spiderman3098

well be carefull because honda doesnt reccomend adding any additives to ur tranny as it will void ur warranty. Also honda atf is so damn good u dont need the extra crap from my opinion all lucas does is make the fluid a lil thicker so it coats the gears better but it also oxidises ur fluid meaning u have to change sooner than normal fluid. also it might not take away heat from the tranny as good either.

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

Don't add anything to the honda ATF, all those things do is thicken the oil to prevent leaking out of leaking seals or gaskets, thickening the oil will only gum up your solenoids and sensors.

gotguinness?

I have a 5 spd...I'm assuming I need a different type of Tranny fluid than the ATF?? Also, how big of a bucket should i get to drain all the fluid into...I think I may do this after work today. Thanks

97BlackAckCL

iTrader: (6)

Yes, it's MTF i believe, just manual transmission fluid? And you'll need a BIG bucket

qstorm78

My tranny shifts hard from 1st to 2nd. took it to a shop they said to replace the tranny oil pressure switch. someone on here also recommended cleaning the inlet screen. Would you guys recommend these in addition to a flush or a drain and fill?

Wanna try a DIY this weekend.

kraftey

Never heard about the oil pressure switch. Mine shifts hard from 1st to 2nd also, and that's it. I always thought that was a sign of the tranny going really soon...