bkana

Can anyone point me to the DYI instuctions on changing the transmission fluid in our 99 TL's. I have looked all over the site and can't seem to find it.

Thanks guys,
B

joseph_99tl

search is your friend.

fsttyms1

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...y+fluid+change
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...y+fluid+change
https://acurazine.com/forums/showthr...y+fluid+change.

Filler Bolt



Drain Bolt

abp02type s

will this work for a 2002 tl type s as well ??

Thanks

fsttyms1

they are all the same

tommiesay

i have a an acura tl 00 what kind of Tranny fluid do i use and how many bottles do i use as well

fsttyms1

Use only honda fluid or amsiol.

as for how much you use, that depends on how many drain and fills you do. You will only get out 3 quarts of fluid on a drain (tranny holds 7.6 total) and atleast 3 drain and fills should be done (drain, fill, drive, drain, fill, drive ect...)

freebieman

Do you turn the drain bolt counter clockwise to get it off like other normal bolts?? I only am wondering because I am trying to get mine off (1999 tl) turning it counter clockwise and it is not budging.

01tl4tl

use a normal 3/8 drive ratchet, may take some effort to break loose
lefty loosie = counter clockwise to loosen is correct

torque is 29 foot pounds- same as oil drain bolt but corrosion can bond it tight!!
try tightening slightly- then to the left- sometimes that will do it
or spray pb or any type lube into the threads on edge of drain plug

ALWAYS make sure the filler bolt will come out BEFORE the drain is opened-
or you can end up in a bad situation

freebieman

Sweet!! After taking your advice and spraying some liquid wrench dry lubricant on the drain bolt and kicking it , the bolt came off. It was still a dark red but smells burnt. Maybe the fluid and transmission will last longer than a few more weeks!!

totaledTL

Better to use a breaker bar than a ratchet to break it loose- that's what they are for.

Skirmich

LoL that happend to me my First time, Stupid filler bolt was insanely tight.
Had to pour the ATF trough the Dip Stick < NOT FUNNY a 15 Minute Job turn out to be an Hour one.

Then when I Finally got my Break bar and remove it. I put a little Anti-Sieze on it, Never happened again!
The little bitch come out at the first pull of my Ratch every time.

01tl4tl

yes a real breaker bar is the better tool for exerting force,,if you have one
Its made to take force
otherwise a good quality ratchet and a bar slipped over the end to lengthen the entire pulling `arm` increases your torque factor

01tl4tl

lol at self- forgot the atf dipstick can be used as a filler tube!

so used to the old days of M/T fluid changes--no option once you drain and the filler wont open!! oooops

thelastaspec

So, im thinking of changing my atf myself.
Im figuring out the jack situation atm. and have some questions...

1) Do our cars have a crush washer on the atf bolt that needs replacing?
2) can i hand re tighten it after it has finished draining?
3) In case i can't get the refill bolt off (jet kit), just to confirm the dipstick tube can be used to fill the tranny?
maybe rig up some pvc pipe and a funnel to hold the fluid?

hANDYcaptd

iTrader: (5)

1. Yes, its 24mm. Not totally necessary, I didn't the first time. Second time, I changed it. As long as you torque the bolt down properly, it will hold a seal.

2. Again, there's a crush washer there. Tighten it properly.

3. Yes you can fill though the dipstick. Rule for changing trans/differential fluid - open the fill end first!

Good luck

Sperry

iTrader: (1)

I've always filled through the dip tube. No issues, but I'd like to make a larger funnel, so I can dump in a quart at a time.

The first time I changed it, last year, I had the dealer crack the drain bolt for me, and retighten. It was the original factory tight, as the previous owner didn't do any drain/fills.

The very first time one does it, the drain magnet will be covered in black metallic slime. But it gets better with each D/F. Now, this year, on the first D/F, the magnet didn't have much on it at all. By the second draining, the fluid was looking and smelling pretty nice, so I am skipping a fourth D/F, even though I bought a case, intending to do four D/F this time.

thelastaspec

Cool guys, thanks for the advice!
Its so darn expensive for stuff at shops and im more than capable of doing it myself.
The ground clearance and jack situation is the only thing holding me back...

One last question, when i re-tighten it, i don't have a torque wrench... can i just use my socket wrench and get it on there ~the same tightness it came off at?

russianDude

Can someone list tools required?

1) Is it 3/4" ratchet or breaker bar to remove drain plug
2) Extension for ATF fluid opening (where you pour ATF). What size bolt is?
3) Is there only one 24mm washer for the ATF plug? How about drain bolt.

hANDYcaptd

iTrader: (5)

I've done it without raising the car.... I'm not lowered though.

Its about the same torque as the engine oil drain. Just don't go crazy on it. DON'T tighten it as you described above. If the bolt has been sitting for a while, it'll take a lot more tq to remove than the actual spec.

hANDYcaptd

iTrader: (5)

Drain plug is 3/8" drive.

You're going to need at least 9" of extension. Preferably 12" extension with deep socket for that extra bit. It's 17mm at the fill.

Fill washer is 24mm. Drain washer is 18mm.

russianDude

great, thanks, so 17mm for ATF is the same fit as motor-oil drain bolt?. No raising car required?

hANDYcaptd

iTrader: (5)

Yup, same. And no, raising isn't required. May be helpful to get leverage on the bolt though. And make sure the pan fits under, mine was a tight squeeze.

Sperry

iTrader: (1)

I couldn't get a good push against the short ratchet the first time, even after the dealer loosened it. I had to hit the ratchet handle with the wide end of a six-foot tunneling bar. After a year, from last change to this one, it seized itself back up. I knocked the [same] ratchet handle with the 4" end of a length of 4"x4", to break the bolt loose.

hANDYcaptd

iTrader: (5)

^ Yea, I raised the car the first time and still had to use a hammer on ratchet handle. Second time wasn't as hard.

mikee46

I have a question about trans fluid.
I could get DW-1 from Honda. Can I use that one instead Z1?

Thanks.

Karanx7

iTrader: (2)

You can and you should.

01tl4tl

honda has discontinued z1, and replaced atf for our use with dw1

Bxscig

What was the reason for replacing it?

01tl4tl

uhhh the old stuff sucked??? maybe thats why our trans have such a short life???

01tl4tl

the newer cars needed a different fluid,,,they get a different fluid change method too
and acura trying to reduce failures under warranty for gen3 or 4 or 5

all speculation on my part

Karanx7

iTrader: (2)

From what I've read, the new one is a true synthetic.

mikee46

Thank you guys.

prompe

So, are the two products compatible? Can I mix Z1 and DW1 by doing only a3x1? Or must I perform a full 3x3 drain when switching from Z1 to DW1? I especially went out and bought Z1 from the Acura dealer but now I think I'll retrun the bottles and exchange for DW1.

A side question: Can I use a cheaper ATF than Honda ATF-DW1 for the first two flushes (10 minute drive in between) followed by a fillup with DW1? Or must it be DW1 for all three drain/fill cycles?

TIA. I'm a noob at this stuff.

01tl4tl

the trans holds a total of 7.3 qts,,about half of which is trapped and cant be drained,,result is a 3 qt draining

the --5 minute MAX-- drive using each gear is to push old fluid forward thru the system

using a cheap fluid will result in that fluid being left in the system

01tl4tl

ask the dealer about new and old formula mixing

please stop using the word flush around the TL!!

fsttyms1

New formulas are compatible, but i would do a 3x3 just to get as much of the old out and new in.

farmdevil

FWIW I used Redline ATF for my last change and it was shifting better for 5-10k miles thereafter. With the Z1, I was getting a little searching around 3rd. It's getting to be about time to do it again any week here.

sysuleman

Service manual says the car should be flat. Is it ok to put the front end on jack stands or ramps for better access from a drainability point of view?

farmdevil

If you think about what you're doing, an incline certainly will affect the amount that drains out (for better or worse, depending which way you incline I guess). However, I can't imagine a few degrees of incline is going to have any significant impact. You're already doing it three times, with the understanding that you won't get it all on a given iteration.