i am at 40,000 miles right now on my 04 Civic AT. I want to change the tranny fluid and maybe the brake fluid. But my dad claims that i shouldnt because it can cause leaks. And he also said that there is not really any benifit from changing it?. Anyone have any input on this?

Change it. Just make sure you use HONDA auto tranny fluid. It is a good idea to change it now.

If the tranny fluid is old and nasty, definatly change it. The trans runs of the fluid and if the fluid is no good your trans is gonna run badly. Also, make sure that you use Honda trans fluid but also FLUSH the trans. Don't just replace the fluid in the trans, make sure you flush it.

why is everyone saying to use honda stuff?..i was going to do my stick tranny fluid and use somthing synthetic...

Why are you wanting to change it so early? Are you driving your car over aggressively? If not, there's no need to change it. But then again, there's nothing wrong with wanting to maintain it.

General question for anyone who can answer this: No one seems know the exact answer in the forum, but can anyone tell me what kind of aftermarket ATF is compatible to Honda Transmission fluid? I really don't want to stick oil or just any ATF in my tranny.

In case anyone is wondering, I have a 98' Auto Civic EX

Michael

I'm not one of those people that sticks to the OEM fluids. One thing, the ATF 4 is crap compaired to ATF 3. The newer version will actually allow the clutch packs to slip before ATF 3.

I know that for a fact, because I've seen it on several race trucks when I was in the world of diesel.

Also, I really like Redline MTL for manual transmissions... I've always used it and it makes shifting smoother than any other fluid I've tried.

why is everyone saying to use honda stuff?..i was going to do my stick tranny fluid and use somthing synthetic...
The autos require some special chemical engineered stuff I guess that Honda has specially designed for their transmissions. For the long term costs it's better to use Honda brand and not a generic. <-----------I'm basing that off of what I've read in the past on this forum and my Haynes manual recommends the same for Honda auto trannys. As for your manual transmission, I don't know what year you have but the my 4th gen owners manual and Haynes manual just require the proper viscous and weight transmission fluid. I imagine it is the same for yours.

Well.. umm mill$civic... you use Honda stuff.. Becuase that fluid is made for that tranny.. You cant use Mercon V or Dex III, you have to use Honda.. sure go with synthetic.. but the Honda Tranny Fluid is proven work in your tranny.. synthetic is not..

Manual trannys use engine oil....automatics use ATF and I'd use honda stuff if I ever had an auto

You always want to use Honda tranny fluid. The trans is runs on the fluid. The chemical make up and viscosity of the fluid is very important. The viscosity of the fluid will determine how fast the fluid enters and leaves the various clutches, bands, and passages inside the trans. Honda knows thier trans and knows exactly what the viscosity of the fluid should be. The generic stuff isn't made specifically for Honda trans so it won't work as well.

you should check your owner manual to see when to flush the tranny.
mill, I would stick to Honda stuff

Well i need to change my tranny fluid and wanted to know if its okay to use 10-W40 Synthetic blend for my manual transmission.And what do iuse to flush it out? Its 93 Civic Ex. Thanks

Use Honda MTF

ORIGINAL: burnindesirez02

Well i need to change my tranny fluid and wanted to know if its okay to use 10-W40 Synthetic blend for my manual transmission.And what do iuse to flush it out? Its 93 Civic Ex. Thanks


Manual transmissions do not have to be flushed out. After you turn the car off, all the tranny fluid (in a manual) drops to the bottom of the trans. There is a drain bolt. Remove the bolt and all the fluid will drain out. There is another bolt towards the top of the tranny, fill it with fluid until fluid starts to come out of the hole. It is not as important to use Honda fluid in the manual trans as it is in an automatic trans. Any 10W-30 or 10W-40 fluid should work. Synthetic oil will work better because it will allow the synchros to mesh a little bit better.

Regular 10W-30 > Honda MTF. I can't tell you why, I can only say some of the most knowledgable Honda tranny gurus alive use 10W-30 over Honda MTF. Search around the web if you don't believe it.

For autos though you have to use Honda ATF.

will it allow my synchros to not grind in 3rd gears as much as it does when using Synthetic? Somebody says to flush it out.

When you switch gears, the synchros mesh with the hub for the gear. There is oil in between everything but when the synchros contacts the hub, the oil has to leave the space in between. The properties of synthetic oil are such that it leaves the space in between the synchro and the hub alot quicker than regular oil, allowing for smoother shifts. If your grinding, then you synchro may be bad and i'm not sure if synthetic oil will fix this problem. As for flushing the manual trans, ask whoever told you to do this how you flush a manual trans. I am not aware of any method and I also do not believe such a method exists.

ORIGINAL: Kedawei

Regular 10W-30 > Honda MTF. I can't tell you why, I can only say some of the most knowledgable Honda tranny gurus alive use 10W-30 over Honda MTF. Search around the web if you don't believe it.

For autos though you have to use Honda ATF.


Interesting, I'll have to look around and try to figure out why. For the time being though, I'll stick with whats tried and true by the manufacturer. A couple extra bucks for peace of mind is more than acceptable to me.

ORIGINAL: Forty04

Interesting, I'll have to look around and try to figure out why. For the time being though, I'll stick with whats tried and true by the manufacturer. A couple extra bucks for peace of mind is more than acceptable to me.


What I figure is that Honda does not actually make thier own oil. I wouldn't be surprised if the Honda oil is repackaged 10W-30 from a major oil manufacture.

Where can i find Honda ATF? Do they sell it at most autosupply shops or do i have to go do a dealer? How much does it cost? and how much will i need? Thanks

98 DX coupe 1.6L

go to a honda dealership and in the honda manuels it says u can use 10w30 for only temporary use adn MTF should def be what u use so ill stay with forty and stick with mtf