This may sound like a stupid question but I have a 2008 Civic with a manual tranny, it has 55k miles and I want to change the fluid. I also want to change the filter but nowhere does it say anything about the manual transmission having a filter. I thought all transmissions had filters. Can someone set me straight on this. Thanks!

 

Manual transmissions don't have filters due to the fact that it's just full. It doesn't travel through any piping or anything special it's basicaly a box full of gears filled up with oil. Some people like to get magnetic drain plugs so that any bits of metal stripped of the gears will cling to it so you can clean it when you change the fluid. The easiest place to get manual trans fluid is the honda dealer. Take out the top plug, then the bottom and drain the trans. Then put the bottom plug back in and just fill it from the top until it starts to over flow. I put about 1/3 lucas oil stabilizer and 2/3 trans fluid in mine. In toronto we get temps as cold as 0 to -10˚F in the winter so it feels a littler stiff but in the summer you don't really notice it. It does reduce noise and makes it shift a little smoother but everyone has their preference.

 

Thank you Akihrio,
That was a very good explanation and makes perfect sense. Now I feel a little more confident in doing this myself. Take Care!

 

Cool... I have to do this too.

 

Buy yourself a transfer pump. It'll make it 100x easier to get the trans fluid in the fill plug. They can be had for like $5 at Harbor Freight or any other tool store. Make sure you go to honda and buy new crush washers for the fill AND drain plug. And DO NOT OVER TORQUE THEM. I work at a an Acura dealer, and we get cars where people overtorque the drain plug in the oil pan and their pan gets stripped out. Usually we try to sell them a new oil pan, but sometimes a timesert works. Regardless, it is expensive to fix. So the last thing you want to do is strip out your trans case and have to deal with that. Torque the plugs to 32 ft lbs each, give or take a few ft lbs. If you don't have a torque wrench just tighten til you can feel the crush washer crush, and then a little more. And like they said, fill until the fluid comes out of the fill plug.

 

Good call with the crush washers. Also if you haven't done it yet one bolt is a standard sock and the other you just use your 3/8 socket wrench. Like you literally connect the socket wrench to the drain plug or filler plug I can't remember which.

 

Thanks Scott, great advice. It's good to see people help you out without wanting something in return. Thanks again.