Hello all,

I recently bought a used 2008 Honda Fit Sport w/ 37000 miles about 3 weeks ago. I didnt trust the condition it was in so I've been doing the general maintenance slowly (plugs, oil, oil filter, cabin air filter)

I'm about to tackle the ATF Fluid swapout and have the helm manual as reference. I've gotten versed with the process and I feel comfortable with doing the work. The only problem I have is that I want to do a full flush and replace with Amsoil Signature Series Multi Vehicle ATF and there are a few items that are not 100% clear.

Questions below:

1. I see two hoses coming from the radiator that look to be the transmission loop. I don't know which direction the fluid circulates. Hence I don't know which hose to disconnect. Looking to clarify left or right based on looking from the back bumper to the front of the car.
   
2. Where would the oil come out from when I disconnect? the radiator? or the disconnected hose?
   
3. I assume that in order to drain, I have to turn the car on and pump out the fluid while simultaneously putting in more fluid from above. Someone please confirm this is the correct approach. Does the radiator fan have to be on for the fluid to pump out?

Thanks in advance. I tried searching the forum threads but I didn't find answers to these specific questions. Apologies if I missed it.

 

Here is the thread for the ATF drain/fill.
https://www.fitfreak.net/forums/2nd-...ill-flush.html

 

Thank you. The post answers item 3. I assume that it doesnt matter that mine is gen 1 and the posting is gen 2.

My biggest concern is item 1. The photos in that post don't appear so I don't have an answer to my question. Help with that would go a long way with item 2

Thanks

 

Just drain and fill the ATF 3 times (with a few miles of driving in between D&Fs). It does the same thing without the potential mess.

Most folks use Honda's DW-1 ATF because the tranny clutches need a specific friction coefficient to work properly, long-term.

 

I already bought amsoil atf yesterday so I'm committed. I haven't heard anything bad from amsoil users yet.

Lastly, I don't think the ATF has ever been changed on this car. The helm manual called for atf-z1. I'm willing to bet that is what's still in there from 2007 when it was manufactured. So putting the replacement atf-dw1 is going to mix fluids types regardless.

I'd rather start clean. Someone show me a review of shifting issues with amsoil and I will consider going stock.

That said, even if I go that route,i would still push to replace all the old with new rather than mix

 

A 3x D&F will give you 95% new fluid. I'm sure the Amsoil will work fine.

FWIW, DW-1 is the designation for Honda's semi-synth ATF which wasn't available in 2007. It is fully compatible with Z-1 and works a lot better.

I've done the 'flush' via the donor car's tranny pump myself a few times (not on a Honda) so yeah, I know where you are coming from.

 

So I think the loop flow direction is the biggest deal for me. I'm thinking that if no-one knows, I hoping that buying a new transmission filter will solve the problem.

Since it looks to be an inline filter, i'm hoping that it will have an arrow on it indicating installation direction. That should correspond with system flow and simultaneously help me establish where the fluid is coming out of.

Once I figure this out, I'll post some pics to make this simple in the future. If not for others, for me as I'll probably forget everything by the next change interval.

 

remove the line from the rad on the drivers side to get all the fluid out. the fluid will come out of the rad. Easier to remove the line on the passenger side but you will leave some old fluid in the rad, not much. drain a liter at a time till you see new clean fluid.

 

At this mileage you don't need to to do the flush; just drain and refill.
This is how I've done it

 

Thank you! thank you!

That's exactly what I needed to know. i bought a new filter from the dealership. Similar situation to others, the parts dept first denied existence until I pressed the issue. Then came back and said, "You're right, there is a filter and I cant believe we actually have it in stock. No one's ever asked for one before."

You're info is a great help as the filter housing has absolutely no arrow or directional flow noted on it as I had hoped to establish flow direction for the loop.

As always the service personnel at the dealership were useless.

 

Funny you linked that.I came across that video on youtube during my googling and watched it a few times to make sure I wasnt missing anything.

If it was ATF-DW1 or Amsoil, I wouldn't even bother and do exactly as you said. The fact that this car has been only driven in the city (heavier load) for 38,000 miles and since the existing ATF is over 8 years old, I'm inclined to just pump the stuff out and start fresh. ATF-Z1 from what I heard was discontinued anyways and was pretty bad.

I plan on doing it this tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Thank you all for your input!

 

The filter on the auto, I suspect strongly is whats sometimes referred to as a safety filter,
they put them in to catch the crap that is left in the new trans during assembly. Once its used for a while there is not really much source of contamination.. so the filter lasts the life of the transmission. Or if you rang th trans it will catch the shrapnel. and not re-pump it though the trans.

 

So I finished the ATF fluid replacement this weekend. Once I removed the splash shield, the work was extremely simple to do. I bought a small length of 3/8" hose to connect from the radiator barb (confirming that the barb closest to the drivers side was correct) to direct the flow into a container.

The hardest part was replacing the filter. Removing the airbox and battery bracket was easy but for all those who attempt this in the future, you will save a lot of time buying a proper tool to pinch the flat band hose clamps. Those are a royal pain to deal with! I don't expect I will ever need to do that again.

I basically drained 1 quart at a time, went thru the gears and shut off the car to refill the lost quart.

Amsoil signature series atf was used. I have not had a chance to test in traffic yet so I can't comment on how the tranny is functioning. I will post review after I have a full week or two of use. I did not use the low viscosity fuel efficient signature series blend so I'm interested in seeing if there is a fuel economy hit.

Thanks all for the advice!

 

So I'm glad I waited a couple of weeks to provide a review. I had an interesting experience with using amsoil signature series multi vehicle atf on my 2008 fit sport.

To clarify, I did not use the fuel efficient signature series atf and did do the full system fluid exchange of the original atf-z1 with the amsoil (not just 3 quarts) After 38k miles the original z1 looked a tad burnt but still had hints of red in it.

As for performance, right after the fluid exchange, the results were unusual. There was no discernable improvement in shift quality at all. I wouldnt say it was horribly bad to begin with prior to the changeout but I was expecting this immediate improvement that others had spoke of.

The only noticable difference immediately after the changeout was when I would shift from park to reverse or drive, the car previously had that typical automatic transmission lurch as the gearing changed. Now it just happened seamlessly.

What's unusual is that the transmission after two weeks of use has gotten significantly better. I'm not sure if this is normal but the it's almost like the tyranny needed time to adjust. I wasn't expecting a delayed response so my original disappointment with the amsoil has been completely reversed. Has anyone else experienced a gradual improvement like I did?

I havent been able to gauge mpg as I've been on unusual commutes and can't gauge a comparison to my normal routine. That said. I dont think it improved or got worse.

Overall super happy with the change. Recommended for others!

 

Prior to change I had a knock or click in drive line (same sound like gear change on motorcycle) when shifting to reverse from park with engine cold. It disappeared after change and stays this way for 3K after change. I started hearing this sound around 55K , so this when I should be changing the ATF .

 

I put amsoil atf in my fit over 10 years ago. Good stuff! Good for life!