Friends of mine just purchased a 96 Honda Odyssey with just under 100K miles on it. Upon having it inspected the mechanic noted the transmission fluid was dark, but recommended not changing it because the fluid "had protective value and that putting new fluid in would hurt the transmission more."

I know this is absolutely not the case with a manual trasmission, but don't know if there's any truth to what he's saying for an automatic. Should they leave the fluid in or have it changed? Thoughts???

 

i would have the odyssey taken to a honda dealership so they can change the tranny filter and put in new fluid. it has probably never been done before and that is why the fluid is so dark. if the atf is dark, then it is getting old, or something is wrong with that tranny. now would be a good time to find out, instead of waiting.

 

ive heard the same thing from toyota owners. if the tranny fluid is in a certain condition (in assuming black), changing it will cause the tranny to fail pretty quickly. supposedly it'll die eventually with the dark fluid, but changing it will make it die faster

i have no idea how that makes sense, but ive heard it a few times

even with high mileage like that, i dont think the fluid should be dark.

i didnt know they made the odyssey in 96. i thought 97 was the first year


[Modified by mr tl, 3:54 PM 2/5/2002]

 

Isn't the Odyssey like the Accord, in the sense that there is not a tranny filter that you can get to without ripping apart the tranny? In any case, changing the tranny fluid can never hurt. Just remember to use genuine Honda ATF.

 

Change the fluid. If the Odyssey transmission has one, change the filter, too. If you check the owner's manual, you'll see that the replacement interval for ATF is IDENTICAL with the M/T's

BTW, for some reason, Honda A/T's actually DO shift better (more smoothly) with genuine Honda ATF, compared to the other brands. Don't know why. I mean, oil is oil. But ATF apparently ISN'T all the same. Use the Honda stuff.

 

you just have to pull the pan off and unbolt the filter. My grandma's '96 camry was the same way when i did it. It takes a while but its very easy.

 

95 was actually the first year for the Odyssey.

And now I'm genuinely confused! According to the Honda Odyssey Owners Club on yahoo the Owner's Manual says to change the fluid every 30K. They also said that the Honda dealers recommend draining 1/2 of the fluid and replacing every 15K.

I think I'll recommend changing it in the manor the dealer suggested since it appears to provide the benefits or best of both worlds in terms of keep the old fluid properties and interjecting new life with the new fluid.

 

typer_801,

I never heard of draining half the ATF at half the recommended replacement interval -- but I like that idea. Thanks.

I don't think it would be wise mix ATF brands, though.

 

Here's more internet heresay and speculation for you... I've never had an automatic transmission car, so I can't speak from experience, but this is what I've heard:

It is best for the automatic tranny to have its fluid replaced every 30000mi. However, if the fluid hasn't been changed for a long time (100000mi) and then you change it, the new fluid will dissolve the seals in the transmission and cause it to fail. If the old fluid had stayed in the transmission, the seals would have continued to seal (a seal of gunk and sludge is better than no seal at all).

 

BTW, my cousin has a '90 Integra RS automatic with over 200000mi on the clock on the ORIGINAL automatic transmission fluid.

 

You guys are making this incredibly difficult on what to recommend lol.

 

here's the fact about a/t fluid changes. #1 If you don't change the fluid at rec intervals or not at all, the fluid loses its abilities to keep the trans clean. #2 what happens at that point, as the various additives begin to degrade, this produces a varnish that becomes an actual working part of the transmission. So to replace this fluid with new, will remove that built up varnish which in reality is is like removing a working part of the transmission, which leads to many avoidable problems.

 

unavoidable