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.

 

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.