I hope this isn't a stupid questions, but if I purchase manual transmission fluid from the Honda dealer, is it the same as the Acura one for the ITR? I noticed it's less expensive at the Honda dealer than the Acura. I'm gonna call a friend and ask for some assistance. Any advice before I try it out? How many quarts should I purchase? I assume it's not any harder than changing my own oil right?
On another note, I resolved the steering wheel noise all by myself, thanks to my HT friends.
Thanks!
Lisa

 

The Acura Dealer sells Honda MTF.

Same stuff.. different location.. different price.

3 qts. will be more than enough. Purchase of one of those "fluid pumpers" will make the job a lot less messy.

Same as the oil change... just no filter.

Will
-who buys parts at the Honda dealership

 

Thanks Will!
What's a fluid pumper?
So I just unbolt, let tranny fluid drain out, rebolt, refill 3 quarts?
Sounds easier than an oil change.

 

Sounds easier but can be a pain in the *** since the full hole is on the SIDE of the damn tranny! I still cant figure out why they did this..why not have the hole on top somewhere and have a dipstick like the engine?

 

2.3-2.4 qts. is all you will need

Pull fill plug first. Then the drain plug.

Fluid pumper..... check the local parts store. It makes filling trannys and differentials a lot easier. Several different models to choose from.


Will

 

Yeah, and if you cant find one of those fluid pumpers, its a big *** mess. Or just fill it where the axle goes in

 

they sell those @ NAPA, you can use a long hose w/ a funnel as well. cheap and it works.

i normally add about 2.5 qts to account for the the little fluid that spills...

 

Its really not that bad...just have a funnel wit ha long tobe and start pouring..when a little strts to come out stop pouring...simple enough.

 

Fluid pumper - $.99 @ home depot.

Estimated time for a tranny fluid change = 20 min max.

 

Hmm, forget the Honda stuff... no offense...

Go to ur local GM dealer and get their GM Syncromesh or Syncroshift... I forget what it's called...

I remember a LOOOOONNNG discussion before on here, and several recommended this... I tried it, and after driving several other higher mileage GSRs that had been changed with Honda MTF, my is far smoother.

Come on, this GM stuff is designed for the 6sp in the Vettes and SS's... It's gotta be good!

BTW - I promise, even tho it doesn't say Honda... it won't make you lose any HP...


[Modified by Vazquez911, 2:18 PM 11/19/2001]

 

Oh you could just buy a pump for $1.00

 

FYI, local Acura dealerships here call the Honda MTF as "motor oil".

 

I used my Mighty Vac and it worked like a charm

 

I want to try synchro mesh, but since Honda uses transmission fluid is basically 5w30 motor oil, I didn't know what real transmission fluid would do to my car. It has an idiot 5th gear grind unless I double clutch, and I had the fork kit replaced under warranty about two months ago right before it expired.. apparently a Prelude problem.. guess what? The grind is back. Can the synchro mesh be used as an additive or does it replace the fluid completely? I'm gonna feel like an idiot going to Chevy to get some fluid for my Honda MTX. Oh well.

 

Why not just fill the tranny through the vent tube on the top?

That's what we did on my tranny. Leave the fill plug out so you can see some fluid run out, then simply plug it back up and tighten the plug. It won't take all 3 qts.

And no, it won't cause ANY problems, I'm sure. Gravity is cheaper than a pump, right? Have fun - it's really that easy.

BTW: use ONLY Honda MTF or it will void your warranty.

NOT 80W90 Synth **** either, trust me. Gear dope/diff fluid is not the same as gebuine Honda MTF.


[Modified by B18C5-EG6, 10:55 PM 11/19/2001]

 

Acura dealerships here swear that the Honda MTF is practically just motor oil. They are Hopkins Acura (hopkinsacura.com) and Pleasanton Acura (acuraofpleasanton.com). I know one mechanic in Pleasanton and they do use 10w30 motor oil in manual trannies. and NO NO NO, it wont void your warranty.

 

Well, don't ever take your car in for a service at thos dealerships. As Mike K has posted earlier, Honda MTF contains additives that are NOT found in regular motor oil. Granted a bottle of honda MTF costs about the same as good motor oil, that's not right. Those dealerships are cutting the costs by using regular oil and making more profit. Bastards!

 

Honda MTF is not the same as oil.

The following was posted to the NSX e-mail list by our "inside source" at Acura HQ ("in the Woodwork", as he likes to put it):

">>it seems that Acura was originally putting in regular motor oil,

Early in the NSX lifetime Honda was putting in motor oil. It works well.

There was an oil producer on the East coast that when that specific motor oil
was put into the transmission the differential clutches would chatter around
turns.

The easiest way to fix this was to take the motor oil out and put in Automatic
Transmission fluid. Drive the car in circles and figure eight's several times
and then drain the A/T fluid and put in another brand of motor oil. The A/T has
excellent lubrication characteristics and can be driven in the car but may let
more "rollover" noise through because it doesn't dampen all the gears that are
just idling.

Because of this and other problems on other Honda models our chemists decided
what the best stuff was for our products and we contract w/an oil company to
blend it for us.

From the factory standpoint the Honda MTF is the best thing for your trans and
diff.

HTH.

Woodwork"

I use only Honda Manual Transmission Fluid in all my Honda automobiles, including my ITR.

 

just to let you guys know i have tried the following and will rate them all on a scale of 1-10,(i'll tell you why too) btw this is just MY OPINION so take it as you will but i have driven many miles on my cars so here goes:

1_Honda MTF (scores 9.5)
2_Mobil 1 synthetic gear lube(scores 6)
3_Mobil 1 synthetic oil 5w30 (scores 6)
4_Quaker state 10w30 oil (scores 6.5)
5_Redline MTF (scores 7)
------------------------------------------------

1_Honda MTF
imo its the best fluid for my manual honda/acura trannys (GSR+civic EX)

my theory is its a single viscocity weight oil beacuse on cold days the tranny does feel notchier until fully warmed.I also noticed it is a very lightweight oil,thinner than 5w but not as thin as 0w (mobil 1) it does seem to me that at about 15-20k miles of use the fluid does start to breakdown and needs changing. imo i think the honda engineers found the perfect blend to keep the synchros lubricated yet be light enough to let them spin freely. other fluids i have tried gave excellent results at lower rpms but not at redline like the honda mtf.

2_Mobil 1 synthetic gear lube
i tried this on my GSR tranny after reading about it in hybrid.org
i was having a nasty 3rd gear(@8100 rpms) grind while using Redline mtf,i tried it and it seemed to work well at lower rpms but was too thick to be effective at higher rpms. the 3rd gear grind was still there but not as harsch. after reading a lttle more about gear lubes i discovered or so read that the properties could wear the brass parts inside the tranny,i have no clue if its true but i wasnt taking that chance.
needless to say i flushed it out within 48 hrs.i was going to add honda mtf but the dealer was out so i used quaker state oil, i used it because this is what the dealer said it uses.

3_mobil 1 syn oil
4_quaker state oil

are about the same as far as feel,the quaker state oil did seem to be a better overall performer,im sure the mobil 1 would last longer but there wasnt enough to warrant the added cost.imo it wasnt as smooth shifting as with the Redline oil but gave a better feel at higher rpms.most likely cause of their oil weight (30w) the redline mtf is much thinner.

5_Redline mtf
this is the most expensive of the bunch, it gave excellent gear change feel but not as good as the honda mtf. i could scratch 3rd at 8100 rpms but at lower rpms the gearbox felt nice.
ironictly this fluid did feel a little better than the honda mtf when i used it in the sohc tranny but not in the gsr tranny. i also noticed that this fluid outlasts the honda mtf and didnt seem to feel like it needed changing till 30k miles.as it should at $10/quart,in summation the honda mtf feels best overall plus i dont get the 3rd gear scatch and provides the right amount of viscosity weight and isnt that pricey.

sorry for the dumb post~~ i'm high as a kite!




[Modified by lucas569, 4:45 PM 11/19/2001]

 

oh btw i have HEARD that a half and half mix of gm synchroshift and honda mtf works very well too.

 

Acura's techline suggest GM Synchromesh fluid as a first attempted repair for gear grinds on ITR and NSX. That's what I run in my tranny.

They can't build an engine with a decent specific output, but they can get a good oil made!

 

I'm going for 100% synchromesh then. 3 quarts, 28 bucks But if I lose the grind, I'll jump up and down. I'll post up results. Thanks, guys!

 

where do u get the syncro mesh stuff?

 

GM syncromesh.