AAMCO is offering a special for about 80 bucks, is that good or should I keep looking?

Anyone know of any specials?

 

i'd say the cheapest way of doing a tranny flush is DIY.

 

I thought you needed a special machine to do a tranny flush?

How do I DIY?

 

drain and refill. x2.

 

DIY! It's easy as a oil change

 

I have never done this, where is the bolt or whatever I un-do to do a flush? What type of tranny fluid do I use? Where do I put the new tranny fluid?

Do I need to replace the tranny filter too?

After the first drain and refil, do I just drive around a little, park it for a while, and drain again, or can I just do it right then, and not wait?

 

Honda ATF from the dealer. It seems to make a difference.

There's no filter that you can change. It requires dismantling the tranny & you don't need to replace it routinely.

I assume it's a '95 4-cyinder...
Look under the right side of the car, forward of the front wheel. The drain plug is about a foot forward of the right axle, in the side of the tranny (not facing downward) The drain plug has a square hole so you use a 3/8" socket extension without a socket.

Drain it & see whether it's nasty dirty or smelly. If not, just fill & you're done. If it's dirty, then drive around to mix it into the torque converter (which doesn't drain).

 

If you have a stick shift, it is JUST AS EASY AS A OIL CHANGE. Nothing complicated.


I will assume that you have a auto though. There are two types of tranny fluid change. One is a drain and refill which is what Honda recommends every 30k miles. You drive around a bit to warm up the fluid. You just pull the bolt and drain it out like a oil change. Close the bolt and just put in the correct amount of Honda ATF fluid. You fill it through the hole with the dipstick for the tranny fluid, the yellow one.

The second method which some shops do is to do a COMPLETE fluid exchange. They hook up your car to a machine and pump out all the fluid and exchange about 90% of the fluid. This one cost a pretty penny. I would think about $120 or so.

The reason for the COMPLETE fluid exchange is that there is a substantially large amount of fluid that is stuck in other parts of the transmission and the torque converter. When you do a drain and refill, it does not get this out. Doing a drain and refill every 30k miles however will be sufficient to get out most of the old oil. If you think the previous owner didnt take care of the car though, you might want to go ahead and do a complete fluid exchange. There is controversy in the car community if this is a overkill or not.


I would not pay $80 for a drain and refill tranny fluid change though. That is highway robbery.

 

I have an auto, so if I drain and refil two times, it is considered an tranny flush pretty much? How much is hodna ATF fluid? How much do I need total?

 

Drain & refill.... Drive some... drain and refill... Hopefully you mixed up the new fluid with the old fluid enough to drain out the more of the old.

 

how does the transmission flush get all the fluid out of torque converter? what it pulls alot of more pressure cauing the fluid to come out of the torque converter..

 

the full tranny flush works by hooking up two hoses to hoses in the transmission system. they start the car and turn on the machine and it pulls all the fluid out the exit end and new fluid into the entrance end. with the car running, it helps circulate. i just had mine done and noticed the car drives a lot better now. the transmission shifts better and it seems to have upped the gas mileage a little.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Megaseth &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">the full tranny flush works by hooking up two hoses to hoses in the transmission system. they start the car and turn on the machine and it pulls all the fluid out the exit end and new fluid into the entrance end. with the car running, it helps circulate. i just had mine done and noticed the car drives a lot better now. the transmission shifts better and it seems to have upped the gas mileage a little.</TD></TR></TABLE>

most machines hook into the trans cooler lines and rely on the transmission's internal pump to change the fluid out. The use of a power flush machine is a big no-no since it will dislodge stuff and possibly cause it to clog the internal filter.

 

My Honda is a manual so I haven't done an automatic fluid flush.

On my Toyota Camry and Volvo 940 I have done fluid flushes, it is done like this:

a. Get a few gallon milk jugs. Using water and a pitcher, add a quart of water per time to one of them, marking the jug with a permanent marker each time. Use that to mark the other jugs. What you want are three jugs with lines showing quarts. Drain the water of course.

b. Get the right amount of transmission fluid and add a few a quarts. Get a transmission fluid funnel (will have a narrow end and a long tube), and about five or six feet of a clear 3/8" ID rubber tube (from the hardware store).

c. Figure out which line goes from the radiator to the transmission (not from). Disconnect that at the radiator and slip the 3/8" ID hose onto it (should fit, that's the size that both my Toyota and Volvo used). Put the other end into a milk jug that is on the driver's side of the car. Pull out the transmission dipstick and put the funnel into it. Open about four quarts of transmission fluid.

d. Start the car. Check immediately to make sure that that transmission fluid is going through the hose (that is, that you are hooked up to the correct line). Assuming you are, watch the fluid go into the milk jug. As one quart goes into the jug, add a quart through the funnel. One quart out, one quart in. At some point get into the car and with your foot on the brake, shift the car for five seconds or so in each gear. Put it back into park and get more fluid into the car.

e. At some point you'll see that the fluid going through the tube into the milk jug looks new, at that point stop the car. You know how much the car holds, you will have added that amount plus a quart maybe (and taken out the same amount). Anyway, reconnect the transmission to the radiator and clean everything up. Check the transmission fluid level (engine warm but off on a Honda?), add more if needed.

Take the milk jugs to the same place you take your used oil.

Cost is $3 or $4 per quart of fluid so $30 or $35? (not sure how much would be needed). Add $5 for the 3/8" ID tube and the funnel.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Heat &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">
Cost is $3 or $4 per quart of fluid so $30 or $35? (not sure how much would be needed). Add $5 for the 3/8" ID tube and the funnel. </TD></TR></TABLE>

cool write-up dude

were you using real honda ATF for 3-4/quart

they told me it was like 7 or something/quart

stealership FTL

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 361 accord &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">...were you using real honda ATF for 3-4/quart...</TD></TR></TABLE>
My Accord is manual transmission so I haven't done the flush I described on it. I did it on my '95 Toyota Camry about a month ago, and on my '93 Volvo 945T a couple years ago.

Here's another writeup of how to do it though for Volvos:

http://www.brickboard.com/FAQ/...Flush

And I remember the price now, it was about $3.75 per quart for Valvoline Dexron 3 from Advance Auto Parts (similar price at Auto Zone). I didn't use Honda genuine fluid (nor Toyotal genuine or Volvo genuine fluid), I used Valvoline Dexron 3.

 

i have worked in a couple honda dealerships before and the major concensus in those places is spill and fill.... dont change the fluid if it looks or smells pretty burnt, it could ruin the trans...i have been a tech for a couple years and if there is any flush i wouldnt cheap out on...its the tranny. take care of it and it will last a long time.

 

yes, I have heard that if your tranny is on the downhill, if you replace the fluid it could get worse. The general consensus I hear is that if it is dieing, you should leave the same fluid in there.

 

i guess what a lot of techs arent conveying to the new guys is this:
honda ATF isn't your regular red 15w high detergent transmission fluid.
instead
its ATF that meets the GL-4 gear requirments(since honda transmissions use more than most) has high friction modifiers(since honda transmission pumps run higher than most and need that extra slip in order to shift smoother, and we all know that the pre 98 trannys are strong shifters) has more anti-shear stabilizers and anti-foaming agents than regular ATF fluid.

so is running honda ATF required? no, but if you want yours to run like it was designed then stick with honda ATF.

only took 300 engineers to design the car, only takes one mechanic to mess it up. so rather than try to re-engineer something why not take the advice of the guys who built it and use the right stuff. as far as the new wave of "power flushing" its just a gimmick, and 70% of the time will do more harm than good, don't take my word for it, ask your nearest transmission shop how many cars they get that just had a tranny flush. and if you think you have positive results from getting a power flush you have to ask yourself this "wouldn't i have gotten the same smooth shifting, cool running, and less vibrating tranny if i had done 3 drain and fills myself?" odds are it would have been.

 

So should I DIY or take it somewhwhere? Lots of mixed opinons.

 

AAMCO has a special for 59.95 right now, its the "Power Purge" Transmisson Flush.. Should I do it? Its like $15 more than I would spend on ATF fluid..

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 00s2KkId &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i have worked in a couple honda dealerships before and the major concensus in those places is spill and fill.... dont change the fluid if it looks or smells pretty burnt, it could ruin the trans...i have been a tech for a couple years and if there is any flush i wouldnt cheap out on...its the tranny. take care of it and it will last a long time.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Is this true also for the manual transmissions? I want to change my MTF so it will shift smoother but I'm afraid I might damage it because the fluid hasn't been changed in 100,000miles.

 

How many quarts do I need for each fill-up? Its 6.07 a quart..

 

If I take it to AAMCO, will they use Honda ATF Fluid? Its 6.07 a quart at the honda dealer, so if i need 5 quarts per drain and refil, and have to do it twice, that would be over $60. Its only $60 total to do it at AAMCO, but I am not sure if I should spend the extra 5-10 bucks and do it myself. +

 

I highly doubt Aamco will use genuine Honda ATF. They will probably use whatever they have in stock that is compatible with your tranny. Also, like many people have stated in the previous posts, just do a drain and refill. Heck, even doing it one time made a big difference when I hit 40k miles. I plan on doing it again when I hit 60k, and every 15k afterwards. It might cost you 6.07 a quart now, but if your tranny craps out, it will cost you hundreds more down the line. By way way, it's 4.65 a quart from Handaaccesories. Make sure you get the crush washer too, it's on the same page.

Also, you don't have to go to Aamco. You can just got to a local mechanic, and I'm sure if will be cheaper. However, if you have jackstands or know someone that does, you can do it in your own garage. It takes about 2 3/4 quarts. Make sure you recycle the old fluid(most oil change places will take it for free). Don't just throw it away in your garbage.