Car shifts nice and smooth when car is cold, but shifting gets more pronounced when it warms up. Would a trans "tune up" - oil and filter - improve things? When draining the fluid, how much actually comes out?

Also what type of fluid goes in there?

TIA

 

tranny fluid def. helps your car shift better if you havent changed it for a while...
you can easily bring it to any mechanic to change it if you dont know how to for like 20-30$'s.

you can either use Honda fluid (more expensive) or use other fluids they sell off the rack... i dont always use honda's fluid though, when i dont use it i change it with every oil change to be on the safe side. otherwise i change it every 10k if i use hondas.

 

every 10K for trans fluid?!?! no way! I changed it, uh, every 40K on my Galant!

 

Honda auto's can do a "drain and fill", just like you would on a manual tranny. However, the big difference is that you're only changing a small percentage of the fluid, like 1/3 or something. (Can't remember exactly.) Even if you take it somewhere to have them do it, it's only like 20 bucks. I do a "drain and fill" about every 10k miles.

There's also a full flush available... where they hook a machine up to the tranny lines that go to the radiator. Basically, while your car is running, the fluid leaving the tranny goes to the machine instead of the radiator, while the machine pumps new fluid in through the return line. This should give you nearly 100% new fluid. This service runs about 60-90 bucks, depending where you go. I'd do this one every 60-80k.

 

Thats what I was thinking as well..
I will do the flush and fill and few times in 1 week so that most of the fluid gets changed. Then I'll do it once again and change the filter as well...


SO ATF dextron will work ok?

 

There is no filter to change.

 

no way!!! every automatic transmission car I've had had a filter that's accessible when you take the pan off..

Is there a Honda service manual I can get, or do I have to get Haynes?

 

haynes is fine for fluid exchanges and maintenance walk throughs...

 

I would use the honda ATF only.

 

Some lube places hook up a machine that flushes the entire tranny of the old oil. Last time I checked, Express Lube wanted $75 for a 4th gen auto.