Honda Accord-drain and refill auto trans fluid?

[Jimmy9190]

I feel pretty dumb about this but I guess I was just ignorant all this time. Mrs. Jimmy has a 2003 Honda Accord EX Coupe, 4 cylinder V-Tec automatic, 126,000 miles on it, it is a nice little car. She bought it brand new back in 2003. I did not meet her until 2008 but in all this time the transmission fluid has never been changed. All this time I thought it was "sealed for life" as many Japanese cars are. I think I even read in the owner's manual there is no recommended service for the transmission fluid..

Anyway, come to find out today there is indeed a drain bolt for the transmission and the Haynes Book recommends it be drained and refilled every 90,000 miles. The car has been very good, needed only very few minor repairs (blower motor resistor, power window switch, routine oil changes and air filters, etc) since I have known my wife. I have been taking care of her car for her but had no idea about the trans service.

The car does have a transmission fluid dipstick and the fluid is still a nice maroon red color, not brown or black and does not smell burned at all. The fluid is at the proper level on the dipstick and there are no leaks on the transmission or anywhere else either. The transmission shifts OK, it does take a bit longer than expected to downshift when going uphill but I believe it appears to be OK. To be honest I know very little about automatics. I have driven manuals most all of my life and would rather not own an automatic if I can help it.

So, what do you guys think? I have heard it is bad to change auto trans fluids after they go over about 100,000 miles and they should be left alone. I am certain I can do the job but am hesitant to tackle it until I know for sure if it is a good idea.

Thanks for your help.

 

[rshaw125]

Change it and refill with the Honda spec'd fluid. It'll pay off in the long run.

 

[Rolla07]

Like most Toyota's its considered lifetime fluid. You willget varying advice on this forum. Personally id just do a drain and fill. Depends how you feel. Cant always judge by color.

 

[exranger06]

Changing it now will not damage the trans. Just go ahead and do it. You'll probably get less than 3 quarts out. You may want to do it again in about 10k miles.

 

[dernp]

I agree with the drain and refill. Pick up 4 qts of DW-1 at the stealership. The drain plug is a 3/8" drive. Many vids on youtube on how to do. It's easier than changing the oil. A drain and refill is approx 3.3 qts. Refill thru the tranny dipstick. Good luck.

 

[Hermann]

Do it now and every 10-15K as others have recommended, IIWM I would not do multiple drain and fills back to back. Slowly introduce the new fluid.

 

[PhillyJoe]

The 2003 Civic manual calls for a AT fluid change at 60k and then every 30k. The fluid color is in your favor, but it's such a simple change I would do it without hesitation.

 

[tommygunn]

It is only bad to change the transmission fluid if it's already giving you problems, which doesn't seem to be the case.

So go ahead and change it

And from now on change it every 30k! Honda no longer sells the Z1 fluid that came in your 2003; they have since switched to DW1 which is backwards compatible to all Honda automatics. Maxlife is very popular and works well. Castrol Import ATF is another good option. I like Mag 1 Synthetic Low-Viscosity ATF.

Also, a couple side notes:

Even Toyota's so called "sealed" transmissions still have a drain plug and dipstick tube. The Americans and Europeans on the other hand--I shudder at the thought!

Honda also requires regular transmission fluid changes in their manual transmissions (even though most companies don't recommend/require MTF changes)

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: tommygunn

Even Toyota's so called "sealed" transmissions still have a drain plug and dipstick tube. The Americans and Europeans on the other hand--I shudder at the thought!


Not quite--my 2010 Tundra lacks a dipstick. Does have fill and drain holes.

 

[barlowc]

With 126,000 miles on it, I might suggest a 3x drain/fill. It's an easy procedure and fluid is relatively cheap. Drain it and fill with the same about of fluid that came out. Drive it for a couple days or a week. Repeat 2 more times.

I might also suggest Valvoline MaxLife DEX/MERC over the Z-1 that it specs or the newer DW-1. Lots of Honda AT owners, myself included, have had excellent results with MaxLife and it's easier to get (e.g. WalMart) and cheaper (e.g. $5/quart or $17/gallon).

 

[antiqueshell]

Originally Posted By: barlowc
.

I might also suggest Valvoline MaxLife DEX/MERC over the Z-1 that it specs or the newer DW-1. Lots of Honda AT owners, myself included, have had excellent results with MaxLife and it's easier to get (e.g. WalMart) and cheaper (e.g. $5/quart or $17/gallon).


I suggest sticking with the OEM Honda DW 1 fluid, if you plan of keeping it for a long while.

Honda Automatics are designed differently than most other typical units out there and the OEM fluid was tailored to that unique design.

If you insist on using an aftermarket ATF fluid look at Castrol Import Multi Vehicle
ATF fluid, it not only MEETS Honda Z 1 spec but also the newest specification as well. It is probably the best alternative to OEM fluid.

 

[Jimmy9190]

Thanks for the info here. The car is in good shape and was paid off long ago so we do want to keep it as long as we can. There is a good Honda dealer near where I work so I will pick up 3 quarts tomorrow and change the fluid soon as I get back home. We are going on a trip next week, about 1,000 miles round trip mostly on the interstate. This may be a dumb question but is it OK to change fluid and drive it on an extended highway drive with the cruise control set at 70? I watched the Youtube video on changing the fluid, it doesn't look too hard at all, just like changing oil. I just wish I had known, I would have been changing it all along.

 

[barlowc]

Originally Posted By: antiqueshell
Originally Posted By: barlowc
.

I might also suggest Valvoline MaxLife DEX/MERC over the Z-1 that it specs or the newer DW-1. Lots of Honda AT owners, myself included, have had excellent results with MaxLife and it's easier to get (e.g. WalMart) and cheaper (e.g. $5/quart or $17/gallon).


I suggest sticking with the OEM Honda DW 1 fluid, if you plan of keeping it for a long while.

Honda Automatics are designed differently than most other typical units out there and the OEM fluid was tailored to that unique design.

If you insist on using an aftermarket ATF fluid look at Castrol Import Multi Vehicle
ATF fluid, it not only MEETS Honda Z 1 spec but also the newest specification as well. It is probably the best alternative to OEM fluid.

Curious, and I don't mean to pick a fight, but have you owned a Honda and have first-hand experience with various AT fluids?

All the material that I've seen for both Valvoline and Castrol say they are "recommended for use in". Neither one is certified or approved by Honda. And while I've read of many also having good results with the Castrol, I'm not sure how one could say it'd be a better choice for than MaxLife for a 2003 Accord.

 

[antiqueshell]

Originally Posted By: barlowc


Curious, and I don't mean to pick a fight, but have you owned a Honda and have first-hand experience with various AT fluids?

All the material that I've seen for both Valvoline and Castrol say they are "recommended for use in". Neither one is certified or approved by Honda. And while I've read of many also having good results with the Castrol, I'm not sure how one could say it'd be a better choice for than MaxLife for a 2003 Accord.


No problem, this IS a discussion forum so of course we should talk about differences for why we use various products.

I actually own an older Honda Accord 1994 LX, and have used the old Z 1 most of the cars life, and also the Castrol Import Multi Vehicle ATF fluid as well as my most recent fills of Honda OEM DW1 fluid.

The car works perfectly and the transmission has been flawless. Fluid is changed every 30k miles. Only one change was done with the Castrol because I wasn't near a Honda store to pick some up. I didn't find any significant difference in shift behavior with the Castrol IMV fluid, it seems to work exactly as the original Honda Z1 fluid. I currently have DW1 fluid in the car and I notice no difference in shifting between Z1 and the Castrol IMV fluid.

I just think that since the Honda transmission is a unique design compared to others that they have probably designed the fluid for optimal longevity compared to a all makes fluid.

Also Castrol fluid MEETS both Honda ATF specs Z1 AND DW1 while Valvoline MaxLife only meets Z1 spec. That shows me that the fluid is not up to current standards as set by Honda.

 

[Eosyn]

I'm about to change the ATF in my Corolla in a couple months and after doing research on Castrol AND Valvoline Import multi-vehicle ATF, I've decided to go with Valvoline. They're both approved for use in Toyotas and Hondas, but the deal breaker for me was Valvoline is full synthetic, while Castrol is mineral oil. I'm surprised no one's mentioned the valvoline import multi-vehicle

 

[barlowc]

Originally Posted By: Eosyn
I'm surprised no one's mentioned the valvoline import multi-vehicle

Is that a new(er) product from Valvoline? I don't recall ever seeing it before, nor do I recall ever reading about it. Everything I've read has been about Honda OEM, MaxLife, or Castrol Import. Hmm...

@antiqueshell

It was the longevity factor that got me to try MaxLife. Z-1 felt great when new, but over time I felt like it got a little sloppy in the Honda 5-speed AT that is on our VUE. I've only had the MaxLife in there for about 10K, so I'm interested to see how it feels after another 10K. (I've been doing 3x drains/fills every 30K.)

 

[Eosyn]

Originally Posted By: barlowc
Originally Posted By: Eosyn
I'm surprised no one's mentioned the valvoline import multi-vehicle

Is that a new(er) product from Valvoline? I don't recall ever seeing it before, nor do I recall ever reading about it. Everything I've read has been about Honda OEM, MaxLife, or Castrol Import. Hmm...


I'm not sure if it's a new product or not, since I've just researched it today, but here's the link to it and it costs $6.49/qt at AAP.

Valvoline Import Multi-Vehicle ATF

 

[rjundi]

If it means much I noticed absolutely no difference changing over from Z1->DW1 in a 5 speed Acura MDX.

 

[davebarnum]

Originally Posted By: Rolla07
Like most Toyota's its considered lifetime fluid. You willget varying advice on this forum. Personally id just do a drain and fill. Depends how you feel. Cant always judge by color.


No, it's really not. Drain and fill, but do not use a power flush machine. That may dislodge some stuff that keeps the transmission working.

 

[garlicbreadman]

1 drain and fill then re-do it in 15-20k miles

You need to gradually get new fluid in there, not all at once as the new fluid could be too slick for a high mileage transmission.