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dw1

Comptechtl2367

Dude, READ! The DW1 is the newer better version of Z1.

I use Redline Type F in my S/C TL and have never had any isues at all, shifts feel stronger and it pulls hard. I change out 3 qts of fluid every oil change until i go through another case after the 3x3 just so i know i can get all the old crap Z1 out!

pro50gt

I finished my 3x3 on my 2001 CLs (132k miles with rebuilt tranny) about 3,000 miles ago. I did my 3x3 trans oilchange with the following Redline transmission fluids and wanted to share some info.
- 1x3 - 3qts. Redline ATF D4
- 2x3 - 3qts. Redline ATF D4
- 3x3 - 3qts. Redline Racing ATF
But before I did the 3x3 I read a few blogs about G2 and G3 TL and alot of people love the firm shifts on their hooked up rides when using pure Redline Racing ATF. Some people also started that the Honda Z1 fluid is garbage, even thought Acura/Honda recommend it. Some people even blame Honda's transmission fluid for their premature transmission issues. But all I wanted was to firm up the trans a bit. So I decided to only add 3qts. of Racing ATF. Well it definitely firmed it up, a little too firm.

Listed below is my dislikes:
- Firmer shifts in all gears during regular driving (especially on half throttle)
- Very firm downshift (on steep hills- My head jerked a bit when down shifting. regular driving- My head still jerked but less)

Below is my like:
- Holds 5 gear all the way down to 2,000 with out downshifting
- No converter shutter
- Good cold start shifts and shifts the same till proper temp is reach
- Shifts great during hard acceleration
- Shifts great during hard downshifts to accelerate on D5

I do like the firmness of the shifts but the car lost its smooth sport coupe feel. It feels a bit like an Automatic Honda Civic with a V6. This is my daily driver and drive it everyday in NYC and want the comfort/Luxury of the CLs.

I am about to do another trans fluid change and add 3qts of Redline ATF D4 to soften the shifts. I will try to update again.

I hate cars

Before changing out the fluid, swap out your 3rd and 4th gear swtiches and the shift quality will improve, especailly the downshifts.

Cheval

Does it have to be done in this order? I have my 10 bottles of Redline (F, LW, D4) and will do the first 1x3 in the next week or two. After reading the HOWTO on changing the switches, right now switching them out is just more than I feel comfortable doing at this point in time. I figured on growing a bigger pair and giving the switches a shot later this year. It's a big step going from taking it to the dealer for all its maintenance to now doing it all myself.... lol

BTW '08 base TL 19,000 miles

vectorracer

i did a 3x3 with honda dw-1, notice a big improvement when car is cold and faster, smoother shifts in general. i Do think the new fluid is alot better then z1. Been driving around with it for about 3 thousand miles and still good shape. don't know why every bashing the z1. my dad had a 98 honda accord v6 sedan and we sold it with 287,000 miles and still good working order except for minor stuff one window didnt work and 2 speakers blown. I had a 2000 4cyl honda accord coupe and it lasted me 300,000+ funny i had almost same problems as my dads car when i gave it up windows not working but only one speker blown. what iam trying to say is z1 wasnt the best fluid out there but if you change it every 30,000 to 40,000 miles 3x3 the tranny should last.

wise_optimist

I think it has a lot to do with how you drive the car. If you drive mostly on the highway, then you are not putting much stress on your transmission. You are not shifting much at all (and with torque converter locked up). I would guess the cars with mostly highway miles would actually be doing rather well. I, for example, drive 85 miles a day and 80 miles of it is on the highway. I don't think I'm putting a lot of stress on my transmission at all.

pohljm

You do not need to be changing pressure switches with 19,000 miles on the clock!

I hate cars

Pressure switches seem to go bad based more on time than mileage. It's just a little diaphragm that loses it's elasticity over time, I guess that's why time makes more of a difference. I'm sure heat plays a role as well but the constant bath of atf even when not running probably doesn't help either. I certainly wouldn't tell anyone to do them on a 19,000 mile TL but if it were my own and it had 19,000 but it was 4 years old I would do them.

To the guy that asked the question, you can do the fluid and switches in any order. If the downshifts are smooth, up shifts are smooth without a bump shift, you probably don't need switches.

Cheval

ihc thanks for the reply. yeah it's not much mileage but 4 years is 4 years....

The transmission about a month ago did some hesitating and jerking going from 4th to 5th at 45mph. I tried to replicate it and couldn't get it to do it. A little later it did some weird shift (can't recall what specifically..guess I forgot). Up until those 2 moments it shifted 100% correct all the way from buying it new (and I'm the only one that drives it). so....this has made me start thinking that getting the redline in there and looking over the info and doing the pressure switches in the near future might be a good idea....

bmcale

Just changed the atf fluid on my 08 rdx today. Used the dw1 fluid that replaces the z1 fluid. It def. shifts smoother and I noticed a difference. Should be ok to mix. the 3x3 seems excessive. If you want to do it for a peace of mind go ahead but several quarts of new fluid is good and my opinion is some old fluid is good I hear that's left in.

Jbat

what opinions are out there on the Castrol semi syn stuff that is compatible with the 5AT, any good?

I hate cars

If it's a DexIII equivalent (it will say on the bottle) or even a DexVI equivalent it will work. I use a Type F fluid and it works great as well. DexIII is very safe, it will give lower wear than the stock fluid and is fully compatible.

Just keep in mind that "semi-syn" is a way of charging more for the same stuff. Most non synthetics can be classified as a semi-syn as well. The rules regarding labeling are very loose.

Jbat

Thanks, thats what I needed to know.