If you added 4 quarts to the CVT and not only is nothing coming out of the overflow hole but the fluid isn't even close to the overflow level, you have either discovered a rift in the space-time continuum or you didn't add fluid in the correct location.

Four quarts into a 3.6 quart container (according to the 2016 owner's manual I pasted above) doesn't add up.

 

I agree. So I slept on it and I have a working theory. So far no one has disputed the picture I posted isn't the correct overfill / refill location so I must for now assume it is "the place."

I spent last evening / this morning reflecting on my process. 1). My car was on ramps in the front. Meaning more of the old fluid would come out of the car then by someone who might drain it level. (The dealer for example). I saw several videos where the car was either on a car lift; or front and back of the car were raised the same. 2) I had to my chagrin a brief moment where my tube came apart from the funnel and leaked fluid down the car. It really didn't seem like no .4 of a quart (4.0 -3.6).

The only logical course of action at this point is to purchase another quart and add it to my "black hole." If my theory is correct, it should not take very much.

One other observation I make is when I put my finger in the hole where I have been pouring the oil, my finger is not able to go directly down. There appears to be some metal structure in the housing preventing my finger from going directly down. In other words, it is not like being able to put the tip of one's finger in a glass and touch inside with no obstruction.

 

If you're 100% confident that you're putting the CVT fluid in the correct location, and if you spilled some while filling, then you could be correct.

Hopefully someone with more Fit CVT knowledge can respond to confirm whether 3.6 quarts is the total system capacity or merely the drain/fill amount. For my 2010 Fit Sport A/T the manual lists two separate values for these quantities to avoid ambiguity.

 

Epilogue. :-)

So I picked up another quart from the dealer and removed the fill plug, and hooked up my hose and funnel to the opening. This time I duct-taped the hose to the funnel. I carefully poured in just a little bit, couple ounces I reckon. Removed the hose from the overfill and saw no overfill coming out.

Then my desire not to keep playing games with this thing, I put the hose back in the fill and gave it a good 1/5 of the quart. Looked down and saw some drips and removed the hose (it fits snug in the hole). Out came (so it seemed) all the fluid I just poured in on that last go around. It literally was a nice mess to clean up since I knew then it was full.

So I have to believe draining the transmission fluid out on those ramps isn't how the dealership quantifies the amount needed for a refill. They use a car lift where the car is level whereas my ramps put the drain plug at a angle. I would say prior to this last filling, mine took more like 4 quarts rather than the listed 3.6 quarts.

Couple closing remarks and lessons learned for the benefit of those who follow in doing their own transmission change.

1). Make sure you have all the fluid you need, crush washers and hose besides the tools mentioned in this thread. I had three trips to the dealer.
2). The fluid will come out slower until you open the overfill plug. If you loosen that while draining, expect not a stream like your oil, but a river. I had a bit of mess to clean up as I was caught off guard.
3). In my case, I had it on one set of ramps. Before I drove it down, I had added three quarts of fluid. I added the fourth afterwards. I shifted the gears of the transmission before adding the entire fourth (as it turned out) quart.
4). The underneath splash guard is a pain. The snap plugs I purchased to hold the rear portion up (supposedly Honda OEM (uses two) didn't hold so I used zip ties.
5). Everyone on this forum is great. Special thanks to everyone who assisted me on this journey.
6). My parts with 4 quarts used and 1 mostly full quart, and two crush washers was basically $65.00. I would be curious what a dealer would charge or an independent shop. Obviously, in 30k miles from now, I will have my experience to guide me and will likely do the change when I also have to change the oil.

 

Glad it all worked out for you.

Worth noting that I purchased a bag of each of the 14, 18 and 20 mm aluminum crush washers so that I would never have to worry about these again. The 14 mm is used for the engine oil drain plug. These are intended for one time use only although you can re-use them in a pinch if you really, really, really have to. They were fairly cheap in bulk on Amazon a few years ago. And of course you also buy them individually from your Honda dealer although they'll cost somewhat more since they've been blessed and purified by Buddhist monks.

 

I could swear the documentation said 100k for transmission oil flushout....
Obviously that was wrong because my 2nd transmission has been shredded with 80k on it

 

I had an experience similar to FitHit's. The first time I did the CVT fluid (60K miles) it took a little over 4 qts to bring it up to the bottom of the fill hole. I did pretty much the same thing with the ramps that FitHit did. I guess I over drained the CVT and then had to fill it more than the 3.6 qts specified. I was puzzled, but I just let it go. When I changed it again at 127K miles, I think I added only the recommended amount, or there abouts. Not sure why the difference, and I don't recall if the car was level or on ramps when I drained it, probably on ramps since it's nearly impossible to get under the car without jacking it up or using ramps. Puzzling. I'm now at 187K and ready to do the job for the third time. I plan to get genuine Honda CVT fluid, but I did note that there is a product called "Idemitsu CVT Transmission Fluid HCF-2, Type H2 Transmission Oil for Honda Continuously Variable Transmissions (5 Quart)" advertised on Amazon for $62. It gets rave reviews, so it's tempting. Has anyone used the Idemitsu product?
This time I plan to put the car on four jack stands, as level as possible, and see how things go.
[Follow up]
I just finished replacing the CVT fluid, now my 3rd time. Unlike my first two times, I lifted the car in the air level with two ramps and two jack stands. It does make a substantial difference. If you lift the front only, your refill will not be accurate, unless you drop the car down for the refill. I bought 5 qts of genuine Honda fluid. Can confirm FitHIt's experience with the velocity of the drain stream changing dramatically when the side (fill) plug is removed. Yikes! Big mess. Here's the one unexpected thing. I drained out about 3 qts to the point just a drizzle was coming out. Then my daughter needed a ride into town, so I put the drain plug back in and took off. Three hours later I got back and thought I would pull the drain plug out to see how much might have accumulated during the 3 hours. Holy cow! I got nearly another half quart out (another mess because I wasn't expecting a stream at such considerable velocity). In total, the used fluid nearly filled a gallon jug. I filled the CVT up until it dripped a bit, closed it up and went through the gears, opened it up and filled again until it dripped. In the end, I got just under 4 qts in, about what I took out. I'm not sure why the quantity is different from the 3.6 qt. spec. If I had not let it drain for 3 hours, I suspect I might have removed and added right at 3.6 qts. One might conclude that letting it drain a good long time allows for a more thorough fluid change. The car has 190K miles on it now. I'll do the job again at 250K miles. After that, who knows? The car, a 2015 EX, still runs great. I bought it mid 2014, so it's a very early Gen 3. It was made in Mexico. Nice work amigos!

 

After reading all these posts about CVT Transmission headaches I'm glad I got the 6 Speed Manual Transmission. 😁😁😁

 

Tell us about wearing out a clutch in less than 100k again?

 

i had 200,ooo KMS + on a 99 civic with oem clutch. i would vote maula over the labyrinth of hydraulic connections on an automatic.....or the steel rubber band of CVT. possibly auto shifted manual is the future...like the smart car...that gets stuck in 2 gears?

 

I've never had either car tell me it wants new CVT fluid. I just change it.

I use this to keep track of all maintenance. Automotive Wolf Car Care & Vehicle Maintenance Software for Windows

 

Honda's Maintenance Minder is a joke. The intervals (beginning with oil) are far too long. I never used it, instead relying on maintenance items and intervals which I came up with and manually track myself.

 

Speaking of a joke, CarFax says I should change my oil once a year or after 10,000 miles. 😳

 

Well in fairness virtually all manufacturers seen to use that 10,000 mile number for oil changes when giving advice to their customers. It's comforting to know that almost everyone is in agreement on the same bad advice.

 

Consumer Reports did a test some time ago and concluded that there was no wear difference between an engine with 3K oil changes and one with 7K oil changes. Their method seemed quite careful. There are a lot of claims one reads on line, but I seldom see them backed up by studies or data. And I am skeptical that all the manufacturers are recommending oil changes so infrequent as to cause damage or shorten the life of an engine. Dealerships make a lot of money on oil changes. It's an opportunity to up-sell for other services as well. So what's the incentive for manufacturers to specify oil change at intervals that will damage the engines in their cars? I'm not convinced that there is solid evidence for the benefit of changing oil more than every 5K, and I doubt there's even evidence for changing more often than 7K. I'd be happy to be convinced the manufacturers are all wrong, but just claiming they are wrong, without evidence or actual studies to back up the claim, isn't convincing.
For the record. My 2015 Fit has 188,000 miles on it. I have done all the oil changes myself at about 10–20% on the maintenance minder. An anecdote isn't evidence, of course. I'll post again when I hit 300K. I have had very few problems with my Fit.

 

Three months or 3,000 was the standard recommendation fifty years ago. A lot has changed since then - especially the price of oil. Remember when it was $0.99/qt? Now, it's often $7.95/qt. I buy 5-quart jugs for $25 or less. A 7,000 mile oil change is not a problem.