OK, these posts are now going to require that I drink a few boxes of wine before understanding any of them. I'm following the "if it's brown, flush it down; if it's yellow, let it mellow" rule. In the case of a transmission, if you want to throw away perfectly good money, replace the fluid whenever the sun shines. For the rest of us with pennies in our pocket, if under 60,000 miles, flush it. If above 60,000 for the first maintenance, drain it, and never consider flushing again. Draining ensures that you will have "old fluid" left in the system. Mine was first done at 94,000 because the first owner was too stupid to do it. I'm left with draining forever, and that means there will always be residual "old fluid" left inside. Draining won't kill the tranny, and it will ensure that the vital components receive the lubricants necessary for a long life. Flushing an improperly maintained transmission can kill it in an hour. Floaties are killers.

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the service manual itself say to only replace fluid via drain/fill?

 

yes, except during overhaul.

Nothing wrong with doing multiple drain fills. Being a cheap bastard I do them myself. Conflicted and cheap. I've settled down to 30K mile single-drain/fills. At 60K miles I'm at about 80% "new" on the non-sliding non-logarithmic scale of newness (yes I snuck another in there in a moment of weakness). I don't feel the need to pay someone to flush it (there are anecdotes about this harming the transmission), and I can't be arsed with attempting a transfusion (disconnecting cooling lines).

I'm so ashamed. I wish I would go by the MM as God and Honda intended.

 

Quote:

Originally Posted by over40pirate

Not changing all the fluid is a joke. Also, notchanging the filter. The magnet, will not collect particles off the clutchdiscs. The filter does.

Fawk yeah! Short of dismantling the auto for a rebuild, this should be the proper way of doing it. Someone in the Fit world must have done this procedure already. The repeat drain/fill is a waste of perfectly good fluid :/

My Fit is not an auto but my Mz5 is. This same procedure applies to all autos (well Japanese cars that I’ve had. Can’t say for sure about domestics or Euros). On older cars, you may encounter the possible need to re-tap/re-die some bolts/mounts if you live in a salty wintery environment –I’ve had cross threaded bolts.
http://www.mazdas247.com/forum/showt...=1#post6166067


EDIT:
-I've changed my Mz5 MT (in my sig) for an Auto.
-Mazda5 does NOT have a service internal for ATF. Many perceive this as lifelong. For those who insist on following things by the book, god bless you and hope you never own a Mazda5, at least not for long where ATF maintenance become an issue.

 

The funny thing about this thread, is that disconnecting a coolant line and running the motor, adding atf as the old atf drains out, not only changes all the fluid, but takes less time than draining/filling 2 or more times, and never removing all the old fluid.

If you insist on just draining the pan, and refilling, then draining a few more times, it would be better to only run the engine for less than a minute. Just enough time to have the trans pump, to pump all the new fluid out of the pan.
Why drive for a few miles and mix the good with the bad?
If you did the cooling line drain method, and checked how long it took to pump out the amount of fluid the pan holds, in the future, you could use this time, to run between pan drains, and end up with less new mixed with old.

 

 

By "needing 3 quarts" do you mean you'll need 3 quarts to do 4 drain and fills, or 3 quarts (2.6 quarts) for EACH of the 4 drain and refill, totaling a need for 11 quarts?

 

Not sure about the context for that quote, but each drain/fill is 2.6 quarts per the manual, however if you let it drain a long time you'll drain more than 3 quarts. I'd have 4 onhand. So if you want to do this 4 times then you're talking about 16 quarts. Or 11 if you don't let it dribble for long.

 

I had mine on jack stands when I did it just over a week ago and I got about 2.8 quarts after 30 minutes of dripping. So yeah you'd definitely need almost a whole case for a 4x procedure.

 

Im now about to hit 40k on my 2013 Fit Sport. Have not got a code 3 or changed/Flushed the transmission fluid even once. Would now be a good time? or should i wait til 60k? I only use it to go from work and back..

 

Here's a question for you...

Do you want to follow the MM?

Yes? Wait until the code pops.

No? Then do whatever/whenever you feel like doing it.

I admit, that sounds snippy (and probably is), but lets be real here... if you're not gonna follow the MM, then you must have a reason to decide that.

In short, there's no point in asking "should I wait or not?" It's all a matter of: follow the MM or don't.

As for me... I've hit 83k miles on my Fit... still on factory transmission fluid (but that is really because I've been lazy on that one).

 

Heat destroys oils and wear and tear contaminates oils, which renders it less effective. Here are a few questions to ask yourself so you can think about it logically.


Do you live and drive in a harsh/hot environment?
-Hot environment+ driving it hard in said hot environment would break down the oil sooner.

Are your miles typically from stop and go driving, max HWY cruising, or easy backroad.
-Most auto tranny logic is programed to hunt for the top gear when possible for lower NVH and increase MPG sake. Depending on how/where you drive, say city stop and go, the auto is consistently shifting between gears. If you are racking up miles on country backroads on a steady cruise, it would last longer.


At the very least, you should do a drain and fill. I can understand this is likely perceived as the easier task instead of having to hunt for the ATF cooler return hose. If you are deathly afraid of a failing auto tranny and/or drive under harsh conditions, you can always add-on an aux ATF filter (typically magnetized) or even add-on aux ATF cooler. The filter helps with keeping the fluid clean while the cooler keeps the temp down which greatly prolongs the lifespan of whatever fluid is you decide to use.

 

My #3 just come up at 66000 miles, planning to drain out 3qts and refill with 3 QTS of fresh dw1- like the owners manual says- how come everyone else seems to be over complicating the matter?

 

I have had mine for just over two years, drive mostly highway, and have gone from 34k miles to 94k. Problems? Tpms light has been on for about 15k miles, needed a new battery xmas of 2013 (car was 5 years old after all), new wiper blades (cause the last person didnt know honda sells refills on the stock blades and its cheaper to replace than going aftermarket), and now im having a wierd ac issue (could be my imagination but its not too serious atm). I usually use full synthetic oil and go about 7-8k miles between oil changes. I did the transmission fluid at 58k and again at 88k (just a drain and fill) and though i myself have heard the same grinding sound in third gear at low speeds as most people with the automatic fits have heard, so far i havent read anyones transmission go out because of that. Hell i even found an 09 fit sport just like mine on youtube with 205k miles, and still running like new!

Now a valid argument can be made that we don't know the maintenance schedule the car had, but considering i follow the maintenance on it to the tee, i haven't had any major issues so far. I think its safe to say that if you want to be overlly preventative and do the fluids in much shorter intervals, than fine. But you can take my word for it. Mines still going just as strong as the day i drove it off the lot.

 

I want to have my AT fluid changed in my 2011 Fit. I have around 39000 miles on it. This is not something I can do myself, so the dealer will have to do it. Should I ask them to do the drain/fill/drive four times? Should I make sure they don't flush the transmission? What would be a reasonable price for this?

 

 

In other words, should I assume they'll due it the right way, and what's the going rate?

 

Did you get a #3 on your maintenance minder? If not, changing it is like removing a working light bulb and replacing it with a new one just because.....if you do have your #3 already, then drain out 3qts of trans fluid and replace with 3 QTS of new fluid, this is per the manual that came supplied with the vehicle when new, with a limited supply of tools you can do this yourself, like a 3/8 ratchet, extension and a funnel, as long as your physically able I'd do it yourself, if not I'd go straight to Honda dealership on this, a quickie lube place might do more harm than good. Your local dealership should be able to give you a price estimate over the phone, hope that helps, but I implore you to not underestimate your ability to do this yourself. It is very straight forward

 

What do you think about what some have said about it being too long to wait for the #3?
i think when i take it in for an oil changhe this week, I'll ask them to show me where the bolt is (and I need a new washer, right?)-----well, they can show me where everything is! i used to do this kind of stuff on my old cars, but I'm not as confident with a new one.

 

Please do not make more out of this than it is.

If you do not have a #3 in the Maintenance Minder code stop now and wait until next oil change to see if it appears then.

IF YOU HAVE NUMBER 3 on the oil change Maintenance Minder code, then pull the drain plug which takes a 3/8" square drive like a 3/8 ratchet without a socket on it. Drain the fluid. Clean the end of the plug off and replace it in the hole. If you have a new washer, then replace it on the plug. Otherwise reuse the old one. Tighten it to around 30 ft pounds. (Snug + a little bit) Pour 2.5 quarts into the fill on top. Go drive it for a few minutes. After it is warm turn, the engine off and let it sit for 60 seconds. Check the trans level dip stick and add any additional fluid if needed to make it reach the full mark.

You are done.

I strongly suggest using Honda DW-1 Fluid and nothing else.