Honda DW1 ATF condition after 10K mi only. wow

Originally Posted by parshisa
That's what has been collected on the magnet. Not sure if that's ok or too much for 10K


Those magnets do a pretty good job at picking up junk, and ime, do get a decent coat in not much time.


[Linked Image from i.imgur.com]
 
I'm at 15K on our 19 Pilot AWD EXL. No tow package but now I'm considering ordering a factory trans cooler. Back when we had a 08 CRV I did 30K fills with Maxlife ATF. All ways came out red looking. 180K at trade in with no issues. I may use Maxlife or Amsoil Universal.
 
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Originally Posted by bulwnkl
Hmm... The ATFs that use little or no Zn don't turn dark quickly at all. How interesting...


Well, that may be true but that's not what I was saying. I've used Z-1 and DW-1 for years and 100's of thousands of miles and have never seen fluid that dark, not even close, especially 10k miles after a 3X drain/fill. I'm not defending DW-1, but just relaying my experience. I would think if it were just a Zn effect that you would more consistently see that in these systems. I never have, through 30-35 drain/fills with Z-1 and DW-1.
 
Wife has a 2014 CR-V with 106k miles and has had the ATF pretty much changed every time the MM came on and even a few times when it didn't (dealer scammed her into doing it). Have any of you every used Amsoil Sig Fuel Efficient ATF? Thinking about changing to that the next time it needs to be done. Also, what is involved with changing all of it instead of just a drain and fill

I used Amsoil ATF (before there was the signature version) in my 2001 Audi S4 but when I had it done like 10 years ago it was a drain and fill. I think they put in 7 quarts and the car takes about 10. I was gonna have it done again at 100k but I barely drive the car and I'm still not at 100k; just shy. Car seems to drive OK with it but hard to tell since it has so many other issues.
 
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Originally Posted by Jimzz
Try Maxlife or other LV Synthetic aftermarket fluid. I have found they hold up better in the heavier V6 Hondas.

Did a 3x drain and refill with Amsoil ATF in the fiancee's 07 Accord about 2 years ago. Initially, the shifts were a bit more "crisp" but were very acceptable. After about 20K, the shifts became extremely harsh and sloppy - especially the 1-2 shift. The Amsoil fluid was still bright red.

I performed two drain and refills using Honda DW-1 spaced 100 miles apart and the shift quality has been mostly restored to normal. Going forward, I am avoiding universal ATF's in Honda's. Not only due to the differences in the additive package, but from this experience where I experienced extremely poor shift quality.
 
About 6 months ago I was asked by my sister to saver her some money doing basic oil and ATF change on her 2005 crv with ~180k miles. She's owned it since 155k miles and had a drop and fill at western tire, and the bill said they used maxlife. ATF some 155 k miles before. It also leaked afterwards, and she took it back,. whether they drained it again to use a new crush washer or just retorqued it, I know not. I had her order a pack of 5 crush washers

There was a thread here at teh time showing dw-1 having a significantly different addpac with the Zinc, and I had her order the honda genuine DW-1, and did two drops and fills a few days apart, dropping 3.5 quarts each time. The first one was dark red and smelled burnt, the second one much pinker and much less burnt. I had to leave town before the third but showed her how incredibly easy it was to do before leaving.

With just the drops and fills she was claiming the minor shift flare from 2 to 3 was 80% better and it seemed quieter with much smoother down shifts from 2nd to 1st.
the 2 to 1 shift being smoother was noticeable to me in the few drives I took before and after.

Could be placebo effect, but she was happy with it. not sure she ever did the third drop and fill. The magnet when i did the first one was not as loaded as the pics shown in this thread, and the second drop had next to nothing on it. I don't regret using the DW-1, and using the manufacturer spec'd fluid made more sense to her than a universal and was worth the extra 2$ a quart to her.
 
Just checked the temps and it runs 195F with ambient of around 95. Is that normal?
 
What kind of driving conditions?

My Ridgeline runs cooler than that rolling down the highway in 110F temps. However, stop-and-go can increase the temp. into that range.
Note that my Ridgeline uses the 5-speed Honda tranny, not the 6-speed, and I _believe_ it also has a significantly better ATF cooling system than the Pilot.
 
Mine runs cooler at steady-state Highway op. Again, I _think_ the Ridge uses a larger, more extensive cooler system.
 
Originally Posted by ARB1977
Try adding a bottle of lube guard platinum to the DW1. I many use this in our Pilot.


Don't think you want to be using the platinum. You'll want the Red if anything. Platinum has additional FM's in it that you don't need if you're already using DW1.
 
I wouldn't go off of color too much as this stuff just gets dark, period. You'll know when it needs to be changed based on tranny performance...in my application it'll flutter in the 2000-3000 RPM range under light throttle. That being said, the OP's 10K seems very quick to need a change...unless severe service. I agree heat probably takes a toll, and trans coolers are a good choice.
 
Performance wise i had no issues. Car ran just fine, smooth shifts etc. it was more of me being bored and decided to switch some fluids. So, besides color, not sure if the fluid was bad or good
 
It's my belief, based on experience and research, that DW-1 simply does not hold up to heat. I ran it for less than 20K miles and 3 years and it smelled burnt; that's with lubegard red too. Unless your vehicle is used primarily as a grocery- getter, I would consider a synthetic ATF. Maxlife is a great alternative at an excellent value. It's so well priced that a D&F every six months to a year is not unreasonable.
 
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Originally Posted by Mainia
Doesn't surprise me, I am a WS and DW1 hater. My wife's Rav4 at 22,000 miles looked black and burn't that it made me sick in my garage. I had to open the garage door in the mid of winter. I run Redline D6 with a cocktail of 1.5 qt of Redline Racing and 1.5 qt Redline Racing Low Viscosity to come close to matching the viscosity of D6 to get rid of some of the slip agents I don't like. I like nice fast and firm shifts and both the Honda's I have had and one Rav4 have RED ATF after many many miles because of it, not black ATF. I do only 100% switch outs of ATF now. No dump and fills. I want CLEAN ATF.

My daughters Honda in my signature has MaxLife with 2 qts of Redline Racing and 2 qts of Redline Racing Low Viscosity added to stop a slip issue it had with both DW1 and MaxLife. That fixed the slip issue now for 45,000 miles.


I'm currently running something similar: Mix of D4 / D6 with one drain & fill with 3 parts Redline lightweight type F to 1 part full type F; the results are quicker and firmer shifts, but not harsh at all.
 
So for some more data, yesterday we hauled a bunch of stuff from Florida back to Louisiana. Had the Ridgeline pretty full and towing a 5x8 UHaul trailer that was probably about 2500# loaded. Ambient temps were 90-93F. ATF temp while cruising about 70mph stayed 175-180F. It would get in the 190's if I let it unlock for a while or got up around 75mph. Never got over 200F.

Again, the Ridgeline AWD comes with an ATF cooler, the Pilot does not. I think the temps you are seeing are about right for your setup. Both our Pilot (which I added the cooler) and RL would run around 170F on the highway at high 90's temps.

If your Pilot is a long term keeper, the cooler would be a good add, regardless of the fluid you settle on. I do believe DW-1 in this transmission does have thermal breakdown issues, there is even a TSB that covers this. I actually had the TSB software update done to the RL while I had it in for the fuel pump recall. I noticed a little difference in shifting, but not in actual temps. My guess based on all of this info is that the OEM ATF cooler probably gets you about 15F lower fluid temps.
 
Originally Posted by parshisa
That's what has been collected on the magnet. Not sure if that's ok or too much for 10K


That's nothing to be concerned about.
 
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