I got my mtf fluid changed by honda, also the coolant.... the shifting does seem to be a bit better.... I think I just have to get used to the car.... the clutch is not as nice as my civic I had, but I'll get used to it i guess

 

Agreed.

Sorry to be abit off topic but what's a CVT?

Yeah I also have a 5MT, it's not the car with the best transmission system i suppose, but other then that It's a bloody fun car
Oh and im at 56k and have been with Honda Transmission Fluids all the way and my babe is doing great.

 

CVT is continuous variable transmission.... basically its the fits with the paddle shifters.

 

is there a how to on changing the manual trans fluid?

 

Coming from An srt4 I find the fits mt very smooth

 

I love driving srt4's.... do you miss it??

 

CVT = continuously variable transmission. It has no gears, and yet also has an infinite number of gears of a given range. That's because the heart of Honda's Multimatic-S CVT consists of two pulleys that can vary their working diameters, connected via a heavy-duty belt.

In some countries (e.g. Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines) the CVT has a 7-speed manual mode. Basically that locks the pulley diameters in distinct steps to give you virtual gears, instead of seamlessly changing the gearing. Japan didn't have this.

In place of the traditional torque converter A/T sold in the US, the rest of the world got this in their GDs - basically because a CVT is a better fit for the Fit/Jazz's fuel-saving remit. It's also notoriously unfriendly to engine modifications that add power.

Ever played Gran Turismo 4? If you buy a new GD Fit there it comes with the CVT stock.

 

How often are we supposed to change the MTF?

 

I'd like to know this too. I thought that the MTF was pretty much good for the life of the car being that it's not really exposed to super high temps and is in a closed system. My wife's Fit is at 45,000 miles, is it time to change it?

 

The owner's manual should have a change interval for that.

 

at nearly 95,000, my transmission is doing fine =)

 

Is there a DYI? I plan to flush the fluid on my '08 soon. I will snap photos and post up a DYI if there is not already one.

 

Here is the best DIY Fit manual gear oil change video I've seen. One thing he doesn't mention: if you have enough jack stands, get the car approx. level using a level on the threshold when you fill with fresh oil so the fill amount is about correct. In other words, don' t just jack up the front. You add fluid until it runs out the fill port. If car's not level might be off a bit. Good luck. I agree with most posters who say use OEM Honda manual trans. fluid. Some on the forum use brands like Royal Purple and Redline which are much more expensive with no proven benefit. My 2¢: if you don't trust Honda to supply good trans. oil, why do you trust them enough to buy one of their cars?

One more point. I changed my MT oil for first time at 240,000 miles. Original fluid didn't look very dirty. Let it drain overnight to get max out. The fluid was less than eight bucks a quart at local Honda dealer, pleasant surprise. Honda fluid way cheaper than Royal Purple, Amsoil or Redline. Why switch and spend more? Get new aluminum plug washers, the fill and drain are different size. The factory shop manual says fill quantity is 1.6 quarts and that's exactly what I needed. Hate to say it but it didn't shift noticeably better after changing fluid but at least I feel better knowing it's fresh.

 

I buy the actual OEM Honda transmission fluid for my Fit, and it shifts buttery smooth and easy. I replace it every 2 years, brain dead simple job to do as well.

 

I think you are wasting time and money replacing so often. See my post where my '07 Fit Sport MT went 240,000 miles on original fluid no problem. And the job is a real bear if you live in the rust belt like I do where they salt away snowfalls less than 6 inches. Took me an hour to get the drain plug out it was so corroded. A steel plug in an aluminum casting gets bimetallic corrosion.
KwazyKwaig

 

There is no way that trans went 240k miles on the original fluid as it is supposed to be changed every 30k (approx. 2yrs) and.... shift quality greatly degrades when approaching that benchmark, every time, without exception, no matter which fluid you choose to use. Either, you are lying through your teeth, or are oblivious to the fact that the previous owner(s) changed the trans oil per the owner's manual recommended service interval, or at the very least it had been changed multiple times during its life before you got ahold of it. It's especially obvious that you're full of it since you said you noticed no improvement with shift quality after changing it; because, there will be a noticeable improvement in shift quality irregardless of which fluid a person uses, every time, without exception, after just 30k, simply by changing it for something new. Furthermore, why did you reply to a thread that was 12 years old? Just to toot your own horn with clearly erroneous info? I had to call you out for spreading misinformation, as I can't stand bullshitters who make far reaching assumptions in a vain effort to make themselves look good, when clearly, they have no idea what they are talking about.

 

I see you are a new member. You sound like you may be an armchair psychologist with your evaluation that I am seeking to make myself look good. As such, I'll cut you some slack about not being at all nice with your posting. People on this forum try to be respectful to each other and help each other out rather than criticize and tell them they they are full of it. If you search my posts, you'll realize I try hard to provide accurate and useful info to share with and help other owners of these great cars. Did you know MT is the commonly accepted abbreviation for Manual Transmission? Do you even know how to drive a stick shift? The Honda owners manual that came with my 2007 Fit Sport does NOT specify a change interval for manual tranny fluid. Nor does either the hard copy or CD of the Factory Shop Manual. That tells me Honda is not concerned about fluid replacement for manual tranny. You say Honda recommends a 30,000 mile oil change interval. Please post a photo of the page where you say Honda provides that info for the manual tranny. I have a strong suspicion you are talking about automatic transmission oil change. That's a totally different subject. Many people on this forum have had very long service in the hundreds of thousands of miles on a manual tranny without gear oil change. When I learned my Honda dealer charges less than $8 a quart for official factory manual gear oil, I decided it couldn't hurt and might help to change after 240,000 miles. A side note, the oil that drained from my transmission wasn't very dirty, it looked almost new. And yes, the car shifted pretty much the same after the oil changeeven though you won't believe me. I bought my Fit when it was just three years old and the service records showed the manual gear oil had not been changed. Perhaps you know more about the history of my car than I do. Lastly you criticize me for replying to a twelve year old thread. Where is it written that a new reply to an old thread can't be helpful? Many things about car repair are timeless and I'd say this topic is one of them. Have a better day tomorrow my friend. If you decide to stay active on this forum I hope you are nicer to others than you were to me :-)

 

I'm with @Breezer and the other MT fluid changers around here. I change mine every 9k-12k miles. Always with Honda OEM MT fluid. Very happy with the results.

After all this time, I am surprised that there are still so many people who object to changing fluids in their cars, whether it be MT fluid, engine oil, brake and clutch fluid, or coolant. Leaves me scratching my head. I guess money is always the most important thing. Welcome to America, sports fans.

 

Well, it's your money and if you do the work yourself, it's your time. If someone changes the oil in their car every 1000 miles and they say their car runs fine so they must be doing the right thing, isn't that a lot like this old joke? A guy walks past a fellow standing on his head on the corner spitting jelly beans out of his mouth. The guy asks him "why are you standing on your head spitting jelly beans?" The fellow answers "to keep the pink elephants away". The guy says "I don't see any pink elephants". The fellow says "so you see, it's working!"

Having driven manual transmission cars for over 60 years, I've never changed manual gear oil any more often than 80,000 miles with no problems. When the manufacturer gives a change interval, I follow it. Honda does NOT give a manual gear oil change recommendation for the Fit. I rebuild my own manual transmissions including synchro rings when they wear and cause hard shifiting and bearings when they get noisy. Like I said, changing gear oil frequently can't hurt anything except your wallet and your time. My Fit now has over a quarter million miles and it still delivers about 35mpg city and only uses a quart of synthetic oil about every 6000 miles. Both numbers have not changed in the 13 years I've owned the car. I keep careful track of every maintenance item done on the car in a three ring binder. I'm on page 23 of single spaced college ruled notebook paper.

 

This photo was taken of the Honda Fit shop manual I purchased from a former Fit owner, who is also a certified Honda Technician, who owned his own Fit.