Should I just drain and fill the fluid, or should I get a "flush" from Honda? I have 187,000+ miles on 95 Accord EX, and I have heard a power flush is not good for these high mileage cars. To be honest, I don't like the idea of shooting pressure through a transmission this old anyway.

So should I do a drain and fill myself?? I know it only replaces part of the fluid that's in there (30 or 40%??) but I figure if I do it a few times I can get a lot of the old stuff out, even if not all of it. Then if I add some Lubegard ATF conditioner it can condition any of the old stuff that's in there. Does that sound like a decent plan?

It's been 2 years since I had the tranny fluid changed, about 35,000 miles. Never had a problem with my transmission. The last time I changed it was because I replaced the radiator and lost so much transmission fluid that I just drained it and refilled it.

The car is OK, the trans is fine but shifting a LITTLE rough once in a while, for the past couple of months. Might be normal, might be the very beginnings of a problem, but I'm probably just being paranoid. Personally, I think the tranny fluid is breaking down from the heat, it's been a hot summer and probably running hotter than usual. The fluid's still nice and red and doesn't smell "burnt" at all.

I saw that Lubegard makes a "flush" product - is that worth using? I would add some in and shift through the gears and run the car for about 5 minutes, and then drain it.

Also, I'm thinking of putting in Lubegard ATF protectant in when I do the refill. Is that a bad idea? It seems to be unlike other additives where it won't harm the trans or the fluid, but conditions it instead. By the way, I always use only Honda ATF, which I buy from the dealership.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

the honda guys should be able to tell you how it's done.

 

Maybe a flush additive could help clean things out, but I doubt any additive would improve on Honda ATF for regular use.

I think you're probably being paranoid. If the transmission is fine, it's fine. If it's going south, it's going south, and there's not a lot that you can do to alter that besides maintaining a reasonable ATF change interval.

 

DO NOT FLUSH YOUR TRANNY!!! This is asking for problems. Just drain and refill. If it still looks to be a little dis-colored or dark, change it at your next oil change. I have seen many a honda trannys fail because some one said to flush it. Most cars its not a problem and will work fine. But on hondas it has a tendance to wash and even tear off the clutch facing material.

 

+1 on drain and fill. Solved my hard shifting issues.

 

all honda does to flush the trans, is cycle fresh fluid after a couple of shifts, they use about 12 qts. i would drain and fill every 15000 mi, for a high mileage trans.