.

 

I have never changed my ATF this way. My opinion is it was just easier to do the drain and fill a few times.

you drain it out fill, drive around for a few minutes, drain it out fill, drive around for a few minutes, drain and final fill.

 

Just drain and fill every 20k miles, no need for anything special with the cooler lines.

 

Are you just trying drain the ATF out of the cooler? That simple enough, disconnect the lines and blow compressed air through them and reconnect. If you're trying to powerflush it though, don't. They aren't meant to be powerflushed. The filter is buried in the transmission and all power flushing does is blow all the dirt trapped in the filter throughout the trans.

 

Unhook one line from cooler and put a piece of hose on the disconnected fitting, put both hoses in drain pan, start car, pump about a gal out,shut it off put in a gal, repeat until fluid starts coming out of hose clean, then hook line back up and check level,don't remove drain plug.usually flush like 4 gals through it. I've used this method for years at my shop of most auto vehicles and never had any issues as long as it has a fill tube/dipstick for trans.

 

I'm sorry the correct answer was not the answer you were looking for.

If the tranny fluid hasn't been changed for an extended amount of time, say 100k miles doing a flush like you wish can wash the bands off, dislodge large particles which could clog the NON-serviceable filter, then you've made a bigger headache.

Honda recommends NOT doing a flush like you are wanting to.

 

thats not a "flush" per say, thats more of a "powered fluid exchange" vs using gravity to drain the fluid and pouring it in the fill hole

 

i did this way on a 89 chevy celebrity, 92 nissan maxima. best way i know how to fully change all the atf fluild

 

BrianL, think about this

91 Civic, 294k miles, original slushbox
94 Civic, 202k miles, original slushbox
95 Civic, 260k miles, original slushbox
96 Accord, 185k miles, original slushbox

All these I bought used, unknown service but have followed the 20k rule as explained to me by a Honda Tech. years ago before the Oddity trannys started having issues, about 2000-2001

I don't use Honda ATF either. I use Castrol ATF for Imports.

 

I would do as Mista Bone suggest he knows his sht.

 

98-2005 V6 Honda automatics were the troublemakers.

You'll NEVER be able to change it all with a full teardown.

BTW Honda suggests 30k service intervals on the ATF.

Seems you already had your mind made up before you posted, so you were just looking for positive reinforcement, or rudely put, wasting our time. You've "done a lot of reading over the years", but until you have serviced these trannys like I and others have, keep reading with an open mind.

 

Ok dude, we get it. You want to replace the fluid by pumping the old fluid out. Fine, go do that. It's not exactly rocket science, especially if you've done it on other cars as you've suggested. If you're so set on this why haven't you just gone and done it already?

Just as an FYI Bone's been building Honda trannys for over a decade, unless you're a transmission shop chances are he's built more of them then just about everyone else that isn't a transmission shop. But hey, what does he know, right?

Also, I have previous experience working as a tech at a Honda dealership, if we thought we could save time or money doing what you're doing and not risk damaging stuff we would have done it.

No one's trying to be a dick to you. People that have a lot more experience with this stuff are trying to warn you about the dangers of what can happen in an effort to prevent you from making a costly mistake.

 

I've had to R&R a few trannys that the fluid swap was attempted, it didn't work, so the vehicle was taken to a shop I was helping at.

The flushing of the fluid or trying a full drain like you want to NEVER helped it just wasted ATF.

PS: I never wanna see another Dodge/Chrysler V6 FWD automatic! All the damned updates that had to be done + codes out the wazzoo!

 

Has anyone done the radiator return line method to flush out their ATF: YES

I did this on my Frontier a few years ago and although it was a little messy, but pretty easy, and worth it to get all the fluid changed: KOOL

Is there any reason the Civic would be any more difficult: NO SAME AS FRONIER


Since it's a different vehicle and it's been so long, on the Civic which line is the return line that needs to be removed: BOTH LINES INTO BUCKET

And I can't remember, do I need to remove the drain plug at all when doing this method? Should I get a replacement washer: U DON'T NEED TO REMOVE THE PLUG SO NO NEED FOR A WASHER BRUH.

 

Just to chime in here (old thread I know), I have done this procedure on a 250k civic and a 275k accord with zero problems. Neither one of these cars had good transmission maintenance previously. The accepted theory is that the new fluid might cleanse/dislodge buildup and clog the non-serviceable filter, but this has not been the case in my experience. I usually drain 3 quarts using the conventional method, pour 3 back in, disconnect the ATF hose after the cooler (at the transmission, top one on my 97 accord, driver's side on my 95 civic) and put it in a 1 gallon milk jug, have lovely assistant start car for 1/2 full milk jug (2 quarts). Have lovely assistant stop car, pour in two quarts, start car, fill jug up, 2 more quarts, another jug, 2 and 2, 2 and 1, done. Reattach line, make final level adjustments. ONLY GENUINE HONDA ATF. During flush have lovely assistant step on the brake and shift through the gears.
In my experience, the first 3 quarts and 1st jug comes out black/brown, the second jug comes out red. This happens even though the fluid looked sparkly clean and red on the dipstick. This means the 3 quarts drain only technique leaves a whole gallon of black burnt sludgy fluid in the transmission.
I suspect the whole "flushing your transmission ruins your transmission" myth came from people with a failing transmission trying a flush in desperation and when the trans died they blamed the flush.
Cue the haters hatin'