Honda Transmission fluid

GreeCguy · May 10, 2013

So a friend of mine changes the transmission fluid in his Honda Van. I'm guessing it's about an 02-05, somewhere in that year catagory. He tells me he always uses Honda transmission fluid which he buys from the Honda dealership. I ask him for his old fluid, which he gives me, (about two gallons, I'm thinking I can use it in the soon to be world famous "Luv" machine at some point in time).

My question is, what is the difference between Honda transmission fluid and regular good ole American DexIII/M?

michaelluscher · May 10, 2013

Do you have any more stories about "Luv" ?
There sooo interesting.

But OT, Honda's atf is a special blend, I doubt its close to our american specs.

dh19440113 · May 10, 2013

Originally Posted By: GreeCguy

My question is, what is the difference between Honda transmission fluid and regular good ole American DexIII/M?

Friction modifier additive. Put DEX in your honda and expect hard jerky shift.

caravanmike · May 10, 2013

i thought honda z-1 was highly friction modified where dexron III is only friction modified?

anyway the increased friction modifiers should counter act the 40 weight diesel oil you put in the luv machines transmission!

SwampSurvivor · May 10, 2013

Originally Posted By: dh19440113
Originally Posted By: GreeCguy

My question is, what is the difference between Honda transmission fluid and regular good ole American DexIII/M?

Friction modifier additive. Put DEX in your honda and expect hard jerky shift.

In the owners manual, it says that Dex III can be used in an emergency.

JavierG · May 10, 2013

Originally Posted By: GreeCguy
I'm thinking I can use it in the soon to be world famous "Luv" machine at some point in time).

OT, but I must have been sleeping under a rock...what's the "Luv" machine? A Chevy Luv pickup? I had one of those.

Doog · May 10, 2013

There is no luv machine.

GreeCguy · May 10, 2013

I should have posted info on original post as the soon to be famous "Luv" machine is still in the "soon to be" stages.

Said "Luv" machine is a 1986 Chevy Astro Van, 4.3 V-6, 700R4 transmission. No windows or doors, fuel tank is a five gallon bucket which sits behind the drivers seat, (I did install a piece of plywood as a "safety/firewall"). The seat is "cushioned/covered" with cardboard. It has no alternator so I am using old panty hose for a fan belt, (I've learned that if you tie knots in them about every four inches, they last longer). The rod bearings are held in with JB Weld. The rear bumper is made from old lawnmower blades welded together as I finally ripped the original bumper off while pulling a tree out of the ground. The PVC system is a garden hose covered with window screen, (to keep the bugs out of the motor) and I haven't changed the oil in the motor in over three years, (although I did drain it out a couple of months back to make sure there was enough in it as the dip stick broke off about seven years ago - after measuring, I poured the old stuff back in).

If you happen to be on facebook, you can go to the "Bob is the oil guy" page and there is a picture of said "Luv" machine. I keep trying to post a video, but so far, no luck.

GreeCguy · May 10, 2013

My bad, go to facebook and type in "Bitog," that will take you there.

gofast182 · May 10, 2013

I can't speak to ATF but I know Honda MTF is a little thinner than Dex however it doesn't break down nearly as quickly as comparable Dex does.

tommygunn · May 10, 2013

Many multi-vehicle ATF's will work for Honda Z1

Maxlife ATF is very popular among Honda people. Castrol Import Multi-Vehicle is also widely accepted.

NOTE: Honda no longer makes the Z1 that was spec'd back then. They have since switched to DW1 which is backwards compatible to all Honda automatics. DW1 is a low-viscosity synthetic ATF similar to Dexron VI.

Pep Boys sometimes has Mag 1 Synthetic Low-Vis ATF which meets Z1/DW1 requirements, and is a fair price, especially by Pep Boys standards. Amazon has it even cheaper.

PandaBear · May 16, 2013

Previous discussion with Molakule and a few other experts here point to the Zinc based additive that would have plugged up a non Honda transmission's clutch pack.

With so many universal ATF doing fine in Honda, it is probably a bigger concern if you put Honda ATF in a non Honda than a universal atf that is "recommended" for Honda in a Honda.

Hokiefyd · May 21, 2013

Originally Posted By: PandaBear
Previous discussion with Molakule and a few other experts here point to the Zinc based additive that would have plugged up a non Honda transmission's clutch pack.

With so many universal ATF doing fine in Honda, it is probably a bigger concern if you put Honda ATF in a non Honda than a universal atf that is "recommended" for Honda in a Honda.

This is my understanding. I wouldn't use Honda fluid in a GM transmission for at least two reasons.

1) Honda's ATF uses a lot of zinc in it (among other things I'm sure). Honda's transmission clutches are apparently designed with this in mind. Non-Honda transmission clutches will load up with the zinc and fail.

2) Honda's ATF apparently has "more" friction modifiers in it than a fluid like Dexron has, so Honda fluid in a Dexron-spec'd transmission will allow too much clutch slip during shifts. Combined with the zinc issue, I would think this is a recipe for failure.

Honda Transmission fluid

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