I had that Transmission. Change it every 30000 miles if you keep the vehicle.
21 Honda Pilot 9-Speed trans @40k mile, Time to change ATF?
- Thread starter Owen Lucas
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Stick to OEM Honda fluid.....
Owen Lucas
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Update:
The drain plugs are not reusable due to integrated 1 time use gaskets.
The drain plug, level check plug, and fill plug all need to be replaced at $24.34 each.
$75 for 3 plugs.
The drain plugs are not reusable due to integrated 1 time use gaskets.
The drain plug, level check plug, and fill plug all need to be replaced at $24.34 each.
$75 for 3 plugs.
You can reuse them I have with no problems. you can get a magnetic drain plug with a gasket cheaper and it would be reusable.
Even if you didnt want to that it would be cheaper that a new Trans. I would change more often as you cant change the filter.
Even if you didnt want to that it would be cheaper that a new Trans. I would change more often as you cant change the filter.
Update:
The drain plugs are not reusable due to integrated 1 time use gaskets.
The drain plug, level check plug, and fill plug all need to be replaced at $24.34 each.
$75 for 3 plugs.
View attachment 208230
Is this the case for every ZF9?
I reused mine several times. no problems
Owen Lucas
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I'm not 100% sure if this applies to all ZF9 speeds but I would venture to say yes.Is this the case for every ZF9?
Vehicle is still under warranty. I don't want to give the Honda warranty department any reasons to deny something in the future.
IF it doesn't leak they never know. I traded mine in. The 9 speed and cylinder deactivation and all the recall made me too nervous
Owen Lucas
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Visually they won't be able to tell but if they want evidence I followed the instructions when changing the fluid, part invoices would be needed. Trading it in with no issues, no problemo.
The issues were supposedly solved with the 21's and up. Only recall is to double check the brake master cylinder torque spec and maybe an SRS seat sensor.
My 2020 had 3 recalls, fuel pump, brake master cylinder and short block. Sold it for what I paid for it 2 years later. crazy market
Sorry to resurrect an old thread, but that link redirects to the Ravenol M 9-G Serie ATF, not the ATF 9HP. Is this M 9-G ok to use in the ZF9 too or no?
I’m unfamiliar with the Ravenol fluid, but I’ve seen claims that Pentosin ATF9 and ZF Lifeguard Fluid 9 are compatible with the Honda ATF 3.1. ZF is the manufacturer of the 9-speed transmission in the Honda pilots.
I’m also considering HPL Green CC ATF for mine.
I purchased a 2016 Honda Pilot new and changed the ATF at the dealer ($335 cost) when the maintenance minder indicated it. The dealer service is a single drain and fill that only replaces about a third of the volume. That transmission failed at 130,000 miles at a replacement cost of $7,000.00.
I would say 30k is as far as you want to go on fluid changes for that transmission. The transmission had some updates a few model years after I bought mine (2018 or 2019, I think) that are supposed to help with longevity. Dealer said they had replaced a few of the original versions, but had yet to see one of the updated versions come back.
I decided after replacement to change it much more frequently. I’m 15k past replacement and just picked up 4 quarts of Honda ATF 3.1 ($32/quart) and a new drain plug ($30) from the dealer.
Luckily, I had that new drain plug, because the 8 mm hex head on the drain plug stripped out when I tried to remove it. I’m not sure if it was torqued too much by the dealer tech, but luckily the Icon bolt extractor set I picked up from Harbor Freight removed it pretty easily.
With 15k miles, I was shocked how dark the drained fluid was (the initial break-in is probably worse than the next interval). It still had a green tint, but it was more black than green. The new fluid is a very light green. I’m contemplating picking up some HPL, Lifeguard, or Pentosin to do another a drain/fill right away. I think I’ll DIY a drain and fill annually from now on.
The other fluid options can be found cheaper than the ridiculous markup Honda has via places like RockAuto, Amazon, and ECS tuning. There’s also a Mopar fluid for the vehicles that also use the same transmission.
The Mopar drain plugs and plugs on ECS tuning for the Mopar vehicles that use that transmission are also much cheaper.
I’m also considering HPL Green CC ATF for mine.
I purchased a 2016 Honda Pilot new and changed the ATF at the dealer ($335 cost) when the maintenance minder indicated it. The dealer service is a single drain and fill that only replaces about a third of the volume. That transmission failed at 130,000 miles at a replacement cost of $7,000.00.
I would say 30k is as far as you want to go on fluid changes for that transmission. The transmission had some updates a few model years after I bought mine (2018 or 2019, I think) that are supposed to help with longevity. Dealer said they had replaced a few of the original versions, but had yet to see one of the updated versions come back.
I decided after replacement to change it much more frequently. I’m 15k past replacement and just picked up 4 quarts of Honda ATF 3.1 ($32/quart) and a new drain plug ($30) from the dealer.
Luckily, I had that new drain plug, because the 8 mm hex head on the drain plug stripped out when I tried to remove it. I’m not sure if it was torqued too much by the dealer tech, but luckily the Icon bolt extractor set I picked up from Harbor Freight removed it pretty easily.
With 15k miles, I was shocked how dark the drained fluid was (the initial break-in is probably worse than the next interval). It still had a green tint, but it was more black than green. The new fluid is a very light green. I’m contemplating picking up some HPL, Lifeguard, or Pentosin to do another a drain/fill right away. I think I’ll DIY a drain and fill annually from now on.
The other fluid options can be found cheaper than the ridiculous markup Honda has via places like RockAuto, Amazon, and ECS tuning. There’s also a Mopar fluid for the vehicles that also use the same transmission.
The Mopar drain plugs and plugs on ECS tuning for the Mopar vehicles that use that transmission are also much cheaper.
Owen Lucas
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I am at 53k now and will be changing the fluid this weekend hopefully. I never got around to doing it at 40k.
I'll be doing 2 drains to help remove old fluid from the torque converter. It will be double the cost but IMHO worth it to make sure the transmission has clean fluid.
Good tip about the drain plugs. I think I spent close to $75 for all 3. I'm also replacing the transfer case fluid, rear differential, and changing the engine oil. Memorial Day will be exciting!
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