Black manual tranny oil

[dloomis]

Hi folks - long time lurker, first time poster. I was hoping you could help me with a (potential) issue. 2012 Honda Fit, manual tranny.

Background: I took my Fit in for service around 15k miles to address a minor transmission rattling noise. The tech said he drained the oil which was "jet black" and said that was an indication of premature wear. Two days later he changed what I believe were some internal transmission gears and sent me on my way.

Now 45k miles later I'm almost hitting my 60k drivetrain warranty expiration. I decided to take another sample to make sure everything was fine, and low and behold the oil is almost the same color black. Picture attached.

My question: is manual transmission oil supposed to be this color after 45k miles of service? I'm trying to decide if I need to take it back in for service before my warranty expires.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Realtech214]

I would bring it in. Let them look at it. I dont think it should be getting hot enough for it to turn black. Something may be wrong? Not sure but why not bring it in while the warranty is still applicable.

 

[Mr Nice]

Yep.

Honda MTF gets dark quickly even if you do 90% highway miles.

 

[yvon_la]

No filter in manual transmission,try to wiggle a transmission oil change

 

[dloomis]

OK so it sounds like this is normal but perhaps I'm due for a gear oil change. I haven't really been experiencing any issues (yet) so maybe this is all about nothing. Thanks for the feedback!

 

[gathermewool]

Did the expected volume drain out, less or more?

 

[Tegger]

Originally Posted By: dloomis
is manual transmission oil supposed to be this color after 45k miles of service?

Have you had ALL this work done at a dealer?

Is all the "black" oil ALL from the transmission?

Please answer both questions, not just one of them.

 

[fdcg27]

No filter for the tranny, so any debris are suspended in the oil.
Also, the add pack of the HG lube may darken with heat cycling.
You could UOA the stuff.
The dealer won't be able to get authorization for warranty work based upon the color of the drained fluid alone.

 

[dloomis]

Quote:
Have you had ALL this work done at a dealer?

Is all the "black" oil ALL from the transmission?

Please answer both questions, not just one of them.


All work done at dealer and the sample was taken directly from the MTF drain plug.

 

[dloomis]

Originally Posted By: gathermewool
Did the expected volume drain out, less or more?


I just took a sample...I didn't drain all of the used MTF. My plan is buy new Honda MTF tomorrow and do a complete change and UOA the old to see if there's an issue.

 

[dloomis]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27

The dealer won't be able to get authorization for warranty work based upon the color of the drained fluid alone.


That's what I was afraid of. Like I said maybe it's normal so I'm not gonna worry about it. I'll do better at changing on a more regular interval (20k or every other engine oil change).

 

[dloomis]

Oh...one last question. I'm running about 15% low on MTF since I took a sample. My dealership is about 15 miles round trip...is the car safe to drive?

 

[GutsyGecko]

It's fine. Most will spec +/- a certain amount.

 

[brandini]

Not since you put it on the internet.

 

[gathermewool]

Originally Posted By: dloomis
Oh...one last question. I'm running about 15% low on MTF since I took a sample. My dealership is about 15 miles round trip...is the car safe to drive?


That's assuming you were right at the fill port to begin with, right? Or does this come with a dipstick for the MT?

 

[mcrn]

You could always pour the sample back in......drive to dealer and then re sample when you get back.

 

[badtlc]

Maybe consider a more stout MTF like Redline or Amsoil.

 

[threeputtpar]

If I were you, I'd put the sample fluid back in the trans and contact the dealer with your concerns to get it documented before the powertrain warranty runs out.

With the first fluid condition and subsequent repairs already documented, and now getting them to service it again or at least pull some fluid to sample it themselves, you should have a leg to stand on if anything were to happen to the trans after the warranty has expired.

It may cost you a bit to have the dealer do the drain and fill for you, but that may save you the trouble if you happen to need some goodwill later on down the road.

Oh, and don't use any other fluid than Honda Genuine so that there's no way that Honda can deny warranty for using the wrong fluid.

 

[dloomis]

Thanks for the feedback guys. UPDATE:

I ended up changing the MTF this morning in my garage. The remaining MTF that I drained from the car didn't look as bad as the sample I pulled last night...maybe that was because the car was hot from a round trip to/from the local dealership.

And it may be my own fault in that it appears the MTF service interval for this car is around 30k (I had 45k+). So short of doing an UOA on the sample I still have there may be nothing more to do at the moment. For sure the car shifts a hellava lot smoother which would be expected.

Thanks again for everyone's feedback. Hopefully this thread will help someone else down the road.

 

[Tegger]

Honda synchros have been carbon-faced since about 2004. I wonder if that carbon was the source of the blackness in your oil. The older plain-brass synchros left the oil pretty clean; it would be slightly cloudy at drain, not black.