03 Civic 5MT, Honda MTF, 115k miles

[himemsys]

Yeah, I went way too long on this fluid. Also have had bearing noise when idling in neutral for probably 30k miles. So far it's just noise when idling in neutral. The tranny shifts as good as ever. I know it's a bearing, probably the input shaft bearing according to this thread:

DIY: Diagnose manual Tranny Noises (and save some $$$) - Honda Civic Forum

Interior DIY - DIY: Diagnose manual Tranny Noises (and save some $$$) - If you hear an odd noise coming from your 5-speed transmission, this post is for you. There are 2 common things that happen to the 5 speed transmissions in our generation Honda. The first of which is somewhat common. This is...

www.civicforums.com

Any thoughts on the Aluminum? Or iron for that matter.

 

[himemsys]

Hmm. If you look at PPM per 1000 mi, the numbers actually compare favorably to universal averages.

Universal AVG:
AL - 5/15.4 = .325 per 1000 mi
FE - 34/15.4 = 2.21 per 1000 mi

My results:
AL - 25/115.104 = .217 per 1000 mi
FE - 192/115.104 = 1.67 per 1000 mi

I don't know enough about UOA of MTF to know if this is an accurate way of looking at these results.

My main hesitation with servicing the tranny is I know it'll probably cost around $1000, and this car isn't worth much more than that. I drive it only ~4000 mi a year for work and my work commute is only 5 mi each way. Even if I get a breakdown, I'll be walking distance from home or work. So I'm having a hard time justifying getting it looked at.

 

[deoxy4]

Doesn't look too bad to me in comparison.

2013 Civic Si - K-Series - Honda MTF - 15,227 mile

I drive this car very hard. I treat it nice with fluids. Wanted to make sure the transmission was looking good for break in period.

bobistheoilguy.com

 

[Bullwinkle007]

Hmm. If you look at PPM per 1000 mi, the numbers actually compare favorably to universal averages.

Universal AVG:
AL - 5/15.4 = .325 per 1000 mi
FE - 34/15.4 = 2.21 per 1000 mi

My results:
AL - 25/115.104 = .217 per 1000 mi
FE - 192/115.104 = 1.67 per 1000 mi

I don't know enough about UOA of MTF to know if this is an accurate way of looking at these results.

My main hesitation with servicing the tranny is I know it'll probably cost around $1000, and this car isn't worth much more than that. I drive it only ~4000 mi a year for work and my work commute is only 5 mi each way. Even if I get a breakdown, I'll be walking distance from home or work. So I'm having a hard time justifying getting it looked at.

You can try Redline MTL, Honda shifts way better with Redline than the Honda MTF. The Redline flows out like motor oil, but is tacky feeling like a bar chain oil

 

[Revving2Redline]

Try the MT85 or MTL90

 

[MolaKule]

Hmm. If you look at PPM per 1000 mi, the numbers actually compare favorably to universal averages.

Universal AVG:
AL - 5/15.4 = .325 per 1000 mi
FE - 34/15.4 = 2.21 per 1000 mi

My results:
AL - 25/115.104 = .217 per 1000 mi
FE - 192/115.104 = 1.67 per 1000 mi

I don't know enough about UOA of MTF to know if this is an accurate way of looking at these results.

My main hesitation with servicing the tranny is I know it'll probably cost around $1000, and this car isn't worth much more than that.

You should be able to drain and refill it yourself for less than $50.

 

[himemsys]

You should be able to drain and refill it yourself for less than $50.

And I have been.

When I mentioned transmission service costing $1000+I was talking about getting the input shaft bearing replaced, which I talked about in the first post of this thread. It involves completing dismantling the transmission case.

I've been driving with the bearing sound for 7 years/30k miles and it's gradually gotten worse, but still shifts normally. If you read the link in the OP, it describes my issue exactly for input shaft bearing going bad:

Now, the second (and seems to be more common) problem is the input shaft bearing.

This is how to diagnose it.....
-Start your car.
-Roll up the windows, turn the radio off, and turn the blower motor for the AC/heater off.
-put the car into neutral, and take your foot off the clutch pedal
---- if you hear the noise now, it is the INPUT SHAFT BEARING. if you press in the clutch, the noise should go away.

The reason for this is because when you have the clutch engaged (foot off the pedal) the motor is spinning the input shaft on the transmission (even when in neutral). The bearing has a plastic cage inside of it that holds the small ball-bearings equidistant apart. This plastic cage can be broken by even a completely stock car, if it is driven hard (shifting hard, running sticky tires, etc). When this plastic cage breaks, the ball bearings load up one side of the bearing. This allows the input shaft to walk side to side slightly, which causes the gears to not mesh up right. This causes a whining and growling sound. But when you press in the clutch, the input shaft stops spinning, so the noise goes away.

The way to fix this is a lot more difficult. You have to completely remove the transmission from the car. Then you take the shifter assembly out of the tranny, remove the speed sensor. Then you have the split the case apart. Next you have to remove the differential and the Spider gears. Now you will have access to the bearing. The bearing is $23 from your local honda dealership. Once you install it, put the tranny back together and slap it in the car.

 

[MolaKule]

And I have been.

When I mentioned transmission service costing $1000+I was talking about getting the input shaft bearing replaced, which I talked about in the first post of this thread. It involves completing dismantling the transmission case.

I've been driving with the bearing sound for 7 years/30k miles and it's gradually gotten worse, but still shifts normally. If you read the link in the OP, it describes my issue exactly for input shaft bearing going bad:

Yes thanks. I was referring to the fluid change.

Sorry to hear about the bearing.

 

[himemsys]

Yes thanks. I was referring to the fluid change.

Sorry to hear about the bearing.

Thanks. I've been babying the car, hoping to milk several more years out of it. I only drive it ~5500 mi/year and that is pretty consistent year in and year out. It'll eventually go and then I'll decide whether to fix it or get a new ride. There's not a lot of tranny places around here.

 

[joekingcorvette]

Honda's last a long time with good maintenance. If you do have to fix it the cost would not be that much money in the long term. A car payment is probably $400.00 for a lot of people.