Hello all,

I just purchased my first Honda, a 91 civic ef sedan. It is very clean and runs like a top and I want to keep it that way. I am going to change the motor oil and the transmission oil. I see a lot of people saying that the new honda mtf is not good anymore and to use the gm friction modified stuff. So do I use this stuff: or this stuff?
Also I will need 3 quarts right? Think it takes 2.5.

It had the timing belt/water pump changed out at 120k and is at 170k right now. How long are they good for. 60k? Is there a way to check the condition of it easily?

 

youre going to get the same opinions. nothings changed.

new honda stuff works.

gm stuff works.

pennzoil stuff works.

motul works.

just keep it fresh.

the only thing i wouldnt use is engine oil. the 1988 factory service manual stated to use engine oil that because there was no other option. tranny oil was created in the 90's and all honda service manuals changed. engine oil is not the same as it was then. its made for engines. you cant get the engine oil spec called out in 1988 anymore. and tranny oil, still good for transmissions, just made better over time.

 

Regarding Honda's 5-Speed manual transmissions, it is my understanding they are pretty tolerant of most MTF gear oils on the market. The 6-Speed units used with the V6 engines are a different matter entirely; for these transmissions, the only MTF which consistently gets reports of eliminating the widely reported 3rd gear grind/pop-out issue is the ACDelco Synchromesh Friction Modified (that last bit is important as there is also an ACDelco Synchromesh offering without friction modifiers and it is pretty terrible in the 6-Speed units). In the case of my TL, the original owner sold the car because of persistent issues with 3rd gear (I tracked the original owner down a few months after I purchased the car), I didn't notice the issue when I test drove the car as the MTF was probably fairly thick due to cool weather. The next week things warmed up and I experienced huge 3rd gear issues; a little research pointed me to the ACDelco MTF, and once the fluid was changed, the problem was cured immediately.

 

90,000 miles

 

My k24 TSX 6spd is fine with Honda mtf .
Just rolled 200k miles.
If you have pop out issues, it ain't the lube.

 

The issue has nothing to do with the 6-Speed units for the 4-Cylinder engines; it is very well documented as a V6 6-Speed issue only; and like it or don't, believe it or not, it is in fact lube related.