hey everyone, i have a 95 accord lx auto, i was driving today n noticed that my tranny fluid is dirty, well put it this way, it was greyish color.. i rushed to autozone n bought 3 bottles of castrol atf.. wished honda was open so i can get the honda atf.. but its a saturday so, went home drained the fluid out, tighten the bolt, pour the bottles in where the tranny dipstick is.. start the car.. played with the gears a little, n i took it for a spin around the block.. came back popped my hood, checked the dipstick.. the color of the fluid went back to the same color.. well a little lighter den before.. should i drain the fluid again? n this time put honda atf?.. sorry but this is my first time changing the tranny fluid.. so any suggestions of what should i do??

well the car rides better a little.. it has a little more power now den before..

 

anyone?

well i'll just go with my instinct.. drain it again.. hope it all goes gravy.. ::crossed fingers::

 

that trans hold about 5-6 qts and what you did was a service (change ~ 3qts) so that is why it got dark so quick. Dont worry thats normal.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 5w20 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">that trans hold about 5-6 qts and what you did was a service (change ~ 3qts) so that is why it got dark so quick. Dont worry thats normal.</TD></TR></TABLE>

damn, that sucks, is there any possible way to change out all 6 quarts?

and if thats not possible, to completely change out the fluid, how many times do you think you have to change it out for it to be basically mostly fresh?

 

Well, let's say it holds 5.5 quarts and you remove and add 3 quarts. You still have 2.5 old quarts. Do it again and you are down to 1.125 old stuff.

3 times = .5 quarts old
4 times = .23 quarts old
5 times = .1 quarts old

So, of course it drops off pretty quick as to how much old fluid you have in there. Do it 5 or 6 times and you almost have it completely out.

 

ohh thanks, so drain the fluid again is a must!!

 

Actually what you did is enough. Say your car has 15k miles and its due for its first trans service, the fluid will be dark. When you do the service ~3qts and then check the level it will alittle darker than normal but that is ok. All you did is what Honda recommends you doing which is fine. You dont have to get back to the original color.

 

is it healthier for the transmission to have it completely clean, or the somewhat dark is just as healthy?

 

would it be good to have it back to the cherrish red color?.. will it be any difference as in performance wise?

 

Just as long as it is changed ~15k everytime it should be fine.

For example: When you do your oil change isnt the oil a really gold color. Drive it around the block and look at the color again. It should be noticably darker than when it was when you poured it in there. It from the residual oil that sits at the bottom of the oil pan and in the head. Same goes for the transmission because it will still have fluid in the torque convertor and the trans lines.

 

I agree with 5w20. I was just posting how much old fluid would be left for information purposes, but by no means do I think you have to completely drain the whole thing. Honda doesn't suggest getting it back to factory color or anything. I mean changing the 3 is fine and then maybe every 100,000 do a tranny flush or something.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by H2290 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I agree with 5w20. I was just posting how much old fluid would be left for information purposes, but by no means do I think you have to completely drain the whole thing. Honda doesn't suggest getting it back to factory color or anything. I mean changing the 3 is fine and then maybe every 100,000 do a tranny flush or something.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Thank you sir.

 

Since your car is a '95, it probably has well over 100K miles, and if you bought it used, it's unlikely that you know how well the prvious owners serviced the car. So if I was you I'd go ahead and do a full flush. Follow the procedure below, except you'll need just 9 qts of ATF, and skip the first drain and fill since you already did it.

This is the recommended HONDA procedure. You will need 12 quarts of HONDA ATF (you can use another ATF, but it can actually make the transmission shift firmer than before, and some people don't like that).
NEVER ATTEMPT TO CRAWL UNDER A CAR WITH JUST A JACK HOLDING UP THE VEHICLE!

1) Put the front of the car up on jackstands with the wheels off the ground. Put a large container under drain plug.
2) Remove the transmission drain plug (3/8" drive ratchet works fine). Let transmission drain and wipe sludge off drain plug.
3) Reinstall drain plug and snug (not tighten). Fill transmission with three quarts of ATF.
4) Start engine and shift into drive. Gently accelerate and let transmission upshift through the gears (don't go over 50 MPH).
5) Step on brakes and bring speedo to 0.
6) Shift into reverse and accelerate to 20 MPH.
7) Bring speedo back to 0 with brakes. Shift to park and shut off engine.
8) Repeat steps 2 through 7 TWO MORE TIMES.
9) Drain the transmission once more. Reinstall drain plug and tighten firmly (don't forget to reinstall crush washer).
10) Remove jackstands and put vehicle on level ground.
11) Fill transmission with 2 1/2 quarts of ATF. Start engine. Shift to drive, then reverse, then put back in park and shut off engine.
12) Check transmission fluid level. Top off if needed to bring fluid level to the top of the crosshatch marks on the dipstick.

 

And do try to use honda ATF. It is best.

 

thank you.. very detailed.

 

At what milage should I consider dropping the pan and changing the Trans fluid filter ? My 97 has 77k miles...
Thanks

 

Are you talking about the oil pan? Hondas don't have a transmission fluid filter.

 

I think the best way to clean out the tranny is just to do a transmission flush. Though I've heard from some people this can't be done, I know that it can because I saw a Honda dealer do it. Just a thought.

 

It's a standard Auto 4sp - 97 Civic EX D16Y8 (not CVT) there is an internal tranmission filter....anybody know ? (original question: Is it worth dropping the trans. pan and replacing at 77k miles or are the internal filters good for 100k miles or more + ....
thanks

 

Honda transmissions do not have pans or filters. That is why you should service your transmission every 15K.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by alotawatts &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">It's a standard Auto 4sp - 97 Civic EX D16Y8 (not CVT) there is an internal tranmission filter....anybody know ? (original question: Is it worth dropping the trans. pan and replacing at 77k miles or are the internal filters good for 100k miles or more + ....
thanks </TD></TR></TABLE>

Since your trans is getting up there in mileage you could:

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by cmrvi1 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Since your car is a '95, it probably has well over 100K miles, and if you bought it used, it's unlikely that you know how well the prvious owners serviced the car. So if I was you I'd go ahead and do a full flush. Follow the procedure below, except you'll need just 9 qts of ATF, and skip the first drain and fill since you already did it.

This is the recommended HONDA procedure. You will need 12 quarts of HONDA ATF (you can use another ATF, but it can actually make the transmission shift firmer than before, and some people don't like that).
NEVER ATTEMPT TO CRAWL UNDER A CAR WITH JUST A JACK HOLDING UP THE VEHICLE!

1) Put the front of the car up on jackstands with the wheels off the ground. Put a large container under drain plug.
2) Remove the transmission drain plug (3/8" drive ratchet works fine). Let transmission drain and wipe sludge off drain plug.
3) Reinstall drain plug and snug (not tighten). Fill transmission with three quarts of ATF.
4) Start engine and shift into drive. Gently accelerate and let transmission upshift through the gears (don't go over 50 MPH).
5) Step on brakes and bring speedo to 0.
6) Shift into reverse and accelerate to 20 MPH.
7) Bring speedo back to 0 with brakes. Shift to park and shut off engine.
8) Repeat steps 2 through 7 TWO MORE TIMES.
9) Drain the transmission once more. Reinstall drain plug and tighten firmly (don't forget to reinstall crush washer).
10) Remove jackstands and put vehicle on level ground.
11) Fill transmission with 2 1/2 quarts of ATF. Start engine. Shift to drive, then reverse, then put back in park and shut off engine.
12) Check transmission fluid level. Top off if needed to bring fluid level to the top of the crosshatch marks on the dipstick.

</TD></TR></TABLE>

But IMO i would just service if you have been doing it at the right mileage intervals, but if you haven't then i would go ahead and do the flush.