Firefighter0629

Awesome thread thus far! I had Acura crack open my ATF fill bolt on top! It was a pain the a** for me because I didn't have the right tools. However, they did do it for free since they inconvenienced me in another way. I ordered Redline ATF from www.outdoorpros.com/ for $116 which included taxes and shipping (that was for 12qts). If you google a coupon for them you will get an additional $5 off. Every little bit helps! I will be doing a 4x3 transmission drain and fill over the course of the next few months. I drive about 9k a year, but will be draining and filling at about 500 mile intervals. I love knowing I am taking something bad or okay out and putting something GREAT into my TL-Type S with 61k miles!

quanaman

iTrader: (4)

Well its time for me to do another 1x3.

Does anyone know where I can get a few quarts of this stuff cheap? I know many of listed online retailers but coupon codes and prices change so much...

Thanks!

Mondo375

iTrader: (3)

^this. Been looking around and wondering where people are getting theirs from. 73k miles on my tranny and I'd like l buy fluid and switches very soon.

MEKO

iTrader: (1)

http://www.summitracing.com/search/?...d%20line&dds=1

hleapha

I've found Amazon with no tax and free shipping is the best I can find. Nobody runs sales on red line.

frkwoo

Recently bought a Tl and notice the transmission shutter problem did research and found this forum and i quickly changed both switches and the transmission filter and filled with 2 redline racing 1 lightweight then I changed it out 500 miles later with 2 lightweight 1 racing and still feel the same amount of tranmission shutter? Any imput on what I might of did wrong?

Mondo375

iTrader: (3)

Ordered fluid from summit Yesterday and recieve it to day lol. Now just waiting on my switches! Thanks for the awesome thread!

MEKO

iTrader: (1)

That was fast.
I waited like 2 weeks
Got packages from 3 different locations

Mondo375

iTrader: (3)

Shipped from Georgia whilst I'm in Central Fl! I was surprised also lol

Gizmo 04

Ok maybe somebody can help me out , I was told that if I wanted to do a 3x3 I needed 6 quarts of D4 and 3 quarts of racing , is this accurate?

hleapha

Why don't you just use the cooler line method if you want to efficiently get a high percentage of new fluid? I haven't done it yet on our car but it was super easy on my '00 Camaro. The low pressure ATF cooler line is just as easy to access on our cars. That way you are simultaneously removing old fluid with new fluid.

pohljm

Gizmo 04

So this is good to go?

Gizmo 04

Today I did two 2x3 with 2 quarts of D4 and 1 quart of racing fluid both times , I will do my next 1x3 using the same formula , the car shifts real smooth now

justblazin

mornin folks! is amsoil a good replacement? or should i just stick with redline?

dcmodels

This is not meant as a direct response to "I hate cars", but more as a caution about using an internet calculator and info when there is _not_ full disclosure about how the calculator actually works. As an engineer, I know that the only way a non-linear graph can be calculated from only two points is when some set of assumptions have been made, in this case, concerning how ATF oil viscosity varies based on temperature - and that information is not available for this 'calculator'.

So if anyone thinks a VI=198 is high for REDLINE D4, how about a calculated:
VI=226 for HONDA Z1 and
VI=255 for HONDA DW-1

Either the Honda ATF has a rediculous amount of VI additive, or the calculator is just wrong. I mean, I just do not believe the calculator for the Honda fluids, especially at cold temps.

Honda does not provide the VI information for its fluids, which should be a hint, I guess.

Or if there is a ton of VI additive in the Honda ATF, then that fluid is going to be subject to enormous shearing problems. And that I have no problem believing. Which is why I have converted to RedLine ATF in my own car.

Just my thoughts (and sorry for the late response, as I seldom visit this thread).

JohnCollins

Yikes! Great thread, and I do apologize, but I am at work and cannot read it all verbatim, but need to get a fluid order in. Please forgive me,

But is this still the current recommendation for someone starting new? I will order 4 fills of Red Line to make a case and I want to get it right. That will get my changeover done and leave 3 qts for the next change.

Thank you all very much.

Or is it this??

I've seen both, and I think the bottom is the one that is designed to provide more protection but spec viscosity? I'm just into keeping my TL for 250,000 miles, I do not race.

Thanks and sorry for asking, but there is a mountain of mixes thrown around here. I very much appreciate you guys and your expertise!

JohnCollins

NEVERMIND!

I just went backwards instead of reading every page. It seems that this is still best advice on how to go.

I will proceed on that assumption, no need for any replies unless I need to be corrected.

Thanks, and sorry to bother.

I hate cars

If you want a "safe" easy order, do 2 quarts of D4 and 1 of "racing". Viscosity will be low enough unless you live in a very cold climate and you will still have far less FM than Z1 and less than D4 by itself.

Or use Amsoil instead, all of their fluids have the right viscosity so all you have to worry about is FM level. An example would be 2 quarts of their regular ATF with 1 quart of their "Super Shift". This would be the equivalent of what I suggested above but a little closer to stock viscosity.

JohnCollins

Thank you, sir! I'm a little confused, though. I gleaned the schedule for fills #1, #2 and #3 and following.

Your recipe is 2 qts D4 and 1 Racing for which fill? All of them? And this is 'safer' how? Sorry to open up the discussion again, maybe I'll have to crack a beer and read from page 2 to 11, but I thought this schedule ...

had been determined to have been 'safe' and more protective of the tranny.

I am fine changing fluids in my car, rotating my tires, etcetera, but I am not a mechanic or hobbyist. I defer to you guys and trust you because you are so incredibly into this subject.

Thanks, and pardon my confusion. I'm guessing one recipe (2xD4, 1xRacing) implies every fill, but I don't want to assume before I place an order.

And between brands, I simply don't listen to the arguments. I figure Mobil 1, Red Line, Amsoil are all "good enough", I'm not into splitting hairs, and if they are all good enough, 'better' doesn't really amount to much, IMO. I used to be an Amsoil preferred customer, but my 5 years expired last October. Maybe I should renew, but it's up to $80 now??

JohnCollins

I'm good! I decided to spend an hour reading this whole thing, you guys put enough work into these without having to repeat yourselves over and over, I was being lazy.

Looks like this is still current. I understand maybe half the rationale I've read here, so I'm not going to overthink this or worry about renewing my Amsoil Pref Cust deal or anything. This is good enough for me, and I get that if I feel it is harsh I can switch to 2 D4 and 1 racing if I want, and still be doing my tranny some good.

Thanks guys! You're awesome for putting all this out there for us!

Some of you are pretty funny, too! This made me Raff out Rowd!

lusid

where is innaccurate? (can anyone comment?)

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

^^^ he found a new hobby....

I emailed him couple weeks back to make sure he was ok and he said he doesnt find much time from his new hobby and work to get on Azine

SharksBreath

iTrader: (33)

i miss tim

swoosh

iTrader: (5)

you and I both Aaron...

JohnCollins

I just discovered this procedure from Acura in RR's thread on ATF flushing

http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/p0420/B080100.pdf

It doesn't look like anyone does that, a 3X3 all at once, but rather drives a little between them. Is one preferred over the other for some reason?

About 1,000 miles ago I had the Acura dealer do a 1X3 with whatever they use now, not the Z1. I got my 12 qts of Redline yesterday and am going to put my winter tires on and do the first ATF change today. I figured I'd do the next ones when convenient over the next several weeks.

JohnCollins

Well, I just did the first 1X3 that I did myself. What a nightmare! Next time should go much smoother, hopefully, with what I learned today.

Details:

2004 Acura TL with approx. 120,000 miles on it now. I had brought Amsoil fluid to the stealership a couple times and had them do a 1X3 with it. About 1,000 miles ago, planning to do this, but I did not have the time, so I had the stealership do another 1X3 with their new DW-1 stuff. I am not sure, but I am guessing since the car was new it has had two 1X3 changes with the Amsoil, one 1X3 with the Z1, one 1X3 with the DW-1 I just mentioned, and the 1X3 wtih Redline I did today.

What I am doing now:

I am following this prescription, all Redline fluid:

From this thread:

https://acurazine.com/forums/showthread.php?t=834299

Note: I also posted this here: https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/rr-journals-atf-drain-refill-3g-garage-c-012-a-556044/

I have an economy socket set with a 3/8" and a 1/4" socket wrench and I have a torque wrench I use for wheel changing, 1/2". Before the job today I got what extenders and adapters I needed to do it.

What I found out ...

- My drain bolt is a 3/8" recess. I have heard some are 1/2", apparently they are not all the same.

- If you have a spot that is level both front/back and side/side, jacking onto 4 jack stands is not necessary. Like others, I used Rhino Ramps and got 3 quarts out of my tranny easily. They may recommend that, and I have the jack and stands, but it is clearly not necessary. Unless I am changing my tires I will continue using the rhino ramps. I get the jack stands out when I change summer/winter tires only.

- I wanted to try that tubing in the dipstick method because it looks easy. No way the 3/8" OD 1/4" ID tubing is going into my dipstick tube. Won't fit. I put a smaller tube inside the 3/8" tubing from Lowes and gave up, going back after the regular fill bolt. It just would not flow. It has worked for some, obviously, but I'd recommend going after the fill bolt.

- A 3/8" socket extension ten inches long is not enough to reach the fill bolt. I had purchased it at Lowes, went back and exchanged it for a 3-piece extension set and put two of them together. So part of my frustration today was having to go shopping again. I have an 18" black iron pipe to use as an extension on the 3/8" socket wrench and had no issue getting either bolt off.

- Here's where it got really frustrating. When I remove the bolts from my fuse box, the wiring into it is so short and stiff, I cannot move it out of the way AT ALL. It moves maybe 1/4 inch off the holes for the 10mm bolts, but that is the absolute maximum, so getting after the fill bolt is really tough. I can snake my bare arm down there, but just, and you have to work by feel to put the bolt back. There is no way you can see it when your arm is down there. I could not get the threads started on that thing for 30 minutes. I was freezing and really getting irritated. Finally, I found that although it felt square, I was holding it cockeyed. I had to hold it so it felt cockeyed to finally get it to thread. Now that I know that, I think it will be a snap second time around. But lesson learned, just because the guy on YouTube has a fuse box that moves all over the place, yours may not. If it is wired tightly, like mine, it may not move at all. If you have big arms, have a skinny helper!

- Getting the plastic clips back in place on the splash guard is a PITA! Here's a tip for you -- completely remove the pin from the clip body and work the body into the splashguard, then put the pin back in. If you try to work the body back in place with the pin in it while not depressing the pin, good luck. You will drive yourself crazy.

- I reused the washers for both bolts, I just hand tightened the drain bolt with the 3/8" socket. I torqued the fill bolt to 33# with the torque wrench and if I get a short, 1/2" to 3/8" ball-end adapter I'll be able to torque the drain bolt.

I was going to do a 3X3 today, but with the shopping in the middle, fiddling with the tubing in the failed attempt at filling through the dipstick tube, and my insane struggle getting the fill bolt to thread I ran out of patience and daylight.

Whew! Success, finally. Drove around a little and everything is fine.


My tips to anyone wanting to do this -- It should be easy, and apparently usually is, so don't be dissuaded by my first experience.

1. Rhino ramps are just fine, and I'm not the first to report that. Based on our collective experience, don't go buy jack stands if you have rhino ramps. If you have them no reason not to use them, but don't go buying jack stands for this. Rhino ramps are perfectly functional if you are already on flat, level ground.

2. Buy your gear ahead of time. Have longer than a 10" extension for the 17mm fill bolt because your fuse box may not cooperate and get out of the way for you. Have a piece of black iron pipe for a breaker bar extension, cheap at Lowes or HD in the plumbing section.

3. Have one of those extendable magnets. I did not mention that, but it's good for retrieving the fill bolt.

4. Remove those pins from the plastic snaps before reinstalling the splash guard.

5. Having a torque wrench is nice, but I suspect not necessary, just don't gorilla the bolts. (Note to self, check the torque specs on both bolts since you do have a torque wrench).

6. I got away with using the plastic snaps and washers. I will order extras, just in case. Having them and not needing them is cheap insurance. If I was not lucky, needing them and not having them would be bad.


Thanks to all you guys who provide such excellent guidance for us non-mechanics! I am very grateful! I want this car to go well over 200,000 miles and there is no reason it should not do just that, thanks to your expert guidance!

Marooned TL

I've done a lot of reading but have to ask this dumb question. What transmission is in a 2008 Nav TL?
Is it different from lets say to a 2004-2007?
I was looking for the transmission filter but I think I read somewhere the filter is not accessable for the 2008 transmission.
The other question is do I follow the 3x3 flush procedure for the 2008 model?

I ordered a case of redline racing ATF and then I stumbled upon this thread. So I orderd 6 qts of redline D4.
This was the method I was going to use:

1: drain and add 3 qts of racing
2: drain and add 3 qts of racing
3: drain and add 1 qt of racing and 2 qts of D4

My thinking is I wanted a little more FM (Just in case there is needs to be).

If I do the 4x3 what would be the ratio?

4: drain and add 2qt racing 1qt D4?

JohnCollins

Marooned,

I am no car expert, but I've done a ton of reading here lately, and you are correct, the 04-06 TLs had one transmission, then the 07-08 TL had a different one. While the service manual does not recommend it, those with the 04-06 TLs have found a way to replace their transmission filter. From what I have read, it is not accessible in the 07-08 TL, so you cannot get at yours.

Other than that, I won't even attempt to answer your other question--I'm taking my cues from Inaccurate and other more knowledgeable folks. I have an opinion, based on what I've read ... but I hate steering people wrong from lack of knowledge, so I'll keep my mouth shut. Good luck!


Edit: If any of you more knowledgeable folks do come by to answer this gentleman's question, please answer one for me? Here is the thread on changing the tranny filter on the 04-06 TL.

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/c-036-diy-transmission-filter-replacement-pics-787078/

How much value is there in doing this??? I only ask because I've been pretty good about changing tranny fluid in my '04, several times using Amsoil (though not always). It is funny to me that Acura does not recommend replacing these even though it appears to be easily done. I am given pause by the one fellow in that thread who said his filter became A "jigsaw puzzle" (fell apart I assume), and the issues I had with my first 1X3 drain/fill.

If you think there is some good value in replacing this thing, I will bring that thread to my mechanic and have him do it when he replaces my pressure switches. I want it done on a lift just because of the aggravation doing it any other way. If you think the filter change is worthwhile, I'll order those parts and have him do all of it totgether.

Thanks!

Marooned TL

John, thanks for the reply.

Well, I'm not replacing the filter if the trans has to be removed.

My other question was since the 2008 transmission has been redesigned, does the same 3x3 procedure apply as the 2004-2006 models. My TL has 30k miles on it, the only service was when i took it to the dealer. Not sure if they did a 3 qt trans flush.

I just went over the service records and it does not appear that the dealer has not flushed the trans.

The othe question was about the pressure switches, do thet apply to the 2008 model? If they do when should thet be replaced?
Thanks

JohnCollins

The pressure switch replacement is considered a preventative procedure, so there is no repair manual 'schedule' for it. I believe 30,000 miles is probably too early, I've read that the guys who came up with the suggestion think somewhere around 50-60K intervals is about right. I stumbled upon it while reading about the fluid changes, so I'm just doing it for the first time at about 120,000 miles, and I'll make a note to do it about every 60K for me. I don't know there is a 'right' answer, but I am fairly certain the switches don't go bad so fast that a 30K interval is needed.

About the switches for the '08, again, I am no expert, but I found one who is, who says the '07-'08 TLs adopted the MDX transmission. He posted his switch replacement here.

https://acurazine.com/forums/1-2g-mdx-2001-2013-166/03-06-mdx-3rd-4th-gear-transmission-switches-sensors-diy-747378/

The only problem you have now, that I cannot answer is whether you can follow the A110 DIY or not. I don't know how much the tranny changed, so the pics there may not be what you should follow ... or they may. Unfortunately, the link above is for swapping out the switches on an MDX, so I KNOW your engine won't look like that.

Good luck!

Marooned TL

Thanks for the link John! I will bookmark it.

wilztlxs

iTrader: (8)

This is the correct DIY for the switches on 07-08

https://acurazine.com/forums/3g-tl-2004-2008-93/110-b-diy-guide-replacing-3rd-4th-gear-pressure-switch-3g-tl-2007-2008-a-840630/

Marooned TL

Thank you for that link, bookmarked.

JohnCollins

Second drain/fill today with 2 X Lightweight Racing and 1 Racing ATF, Red Line. Went much better this time (see post #427), since I had experience from last week. Took maybe half an hour this time.

Same tips as before, the Rhino Ramps are just dandy, no need to bust your ass jacking up the whole car unless you enjoy that sort of thing. If you are level front/back and side/side, you'll get your 3 quarts out on ramps. I measured in a milk jug again today and got just about 3 qts again, maybe a tad more. I will not be fiddling with jack stands for this job, ever. Put my 3 quarts in and I have fluid right between the two holes on the dipstick after two cycles of this.

The fuse box still did not move much but I detached a square thing from the side over the fill bolt using a flathead screwdriver. made it easier to get the bolt back in, but it is still kind of fiddly. The washer gets cockeyed on it and it can be hard to thread. But with the little extra room and knowing where I wanted it this time it only took me 5 minutes to get it back in, not the half hour it took me last week. Everything underneath was fine.

I must sound like a total klutz to you mechanics, but I think today went much better. If you are not a car guy, don't be afraid of this. If I can do it, anyone can!

I'm trying to work up the nerve to replace the tranny filter. I still can't figure out if it is necessary and am wondering why the manual does not call for it. But I might. My biggest fear is the filter coming apart on me. Car runs and shifts great. Last X3 next weekend, 1 Racing, 1 Lightweight Racing, 1 D4, Red Line.

JohnCollins

You never got a direct response. Did you see I Hate Cars, #419 below your post?

Amsoil and Red Line are both highly thought of around here, I doubt it makes as much difference as the bandwidth wasted on it would make you think. Flip a coin. Disclaimer: I'm repeating what I've read, I am not an expert. There seems to be a slight preference for Red Line by some, Amsoil by others, and most of the experts say, despite their preference, they'd be satisfied with either.

I was an Amsoil preferred customer but that expired, and I decided to just go with Red Line. Bought a case (12 bottles). With what I'm reading about quality dino oils and syn blends these days, I will likely never renew my Amsoil Preferred Customer deal and stick with Red Line ATF and whatever quality syn or syn blend motor oil is on sale.

To a certain extent, I gather taking such good care of our cars is much more important that what brand you take care of it with (except the syn ATFs are much better than the Honda stuff--even the new Honda stuff).

justblazin

never did get something direct but it is ok, i went with my gut and purchased the Amsoil Super Shift and Amsoil Muliti Vehicle. Completed the 2x3 with the super shift, then the last 1x3 using 1qt super and 2 qts multi.... also changed the pressure switches the same time. I can say there has been a noticeable difference in the way the car shifts, very quick, sharp, and once it warms up, you don't really notice it unless you are looking down at the tach. So far i have been happy with the results and can drive the car with a little less stress knowing that i have some quality fluids coating the delicate internals of this transmission.

aIRpeACE

iTrader: (2)

does anyone know the part number for the 3rd and 4th gear switch for the 05 TL? Thanks

aIRpeACE

iTrader: (2)

what's the product number for the red line racing fluid? 30304?

Project 04TL

correct, that is the part# for 1 qt of racing


http://www.redlineoil.com/Products.aspx?pcid=9