WAAAY better shifting after fluid change

[BrianWC]

Holy cow. I just did a drain on my 02 Honda CR-V. Previous fluid was Maxlife which had replaced the OE fluid at about 60k miles. Well, I don't know if I just didn't get all the old Z1 out last time or what. But 40k miles later, I did another fluid change. I used Castrol High Mileage and the last .3 quarts I used Lubegard Red. I know people have differing opinions about Lubegard but it's worked for me in the past. If I had thought about it I still had an equal amount of arx sitting out but I can't shake the whole arx=crankcase association.

Anyway, I drove the car this morning and I had to stare at the tach to make sure the thing was shifting! I have NEVER felt the V shift so smooth. Incredible improvement to say the least. Don't know if it's the Castrol High Mileage or the Lubegard but I've used Lubegard plenty of times and it has never been a miracle worker. Anyway, I know there's still a "use Z1 only crowd" out there, but this Castrol seems to be good stuff.

 

[bmwtechguy]

It probably was not the LG Red. That has never really changed shift quality for me. I have tried to use it for that reason and it did not help smooth shifts in an older Acura that we had just changed/flushed with Z1 fluid. But a third or half bottle of LG Black did the trick! Owner was happy. I have not seen Castrol High Mileage in stores. How much was it?

 

[BrianWC]

I got it at Autozone. It was a tad under $5. Advance sold it for $5 and change. Really, I went looking for Maxlife but neither store had it. Well, Autozone had 3 quarts but I wanted to stock up. Both my Advance and Autozone really only had Castrol ATF's in any quantity. I didn't see M1, Pennzoil or any other main brands. Just Coastal and Advance private label...

 

[BrianWC]

Oh, first I did a refil with basic Proline ATF that I had picked up from Advance or PepBoyz or somewhere. Then on to the Castrol High Mileage. I didn't know which would be better, the Import vehile or the HM. But since the HM was pricier, I was a sucker for it.

http://www.castrol.com/castrol/sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=9018758&contentId=7033928

 

[crazyoildude]

My brother (owned a transmission shop for 12 yrs. until last year) always said that the smoother some transmissions shift the more clutch wear because the smoother it shifts the more the clutches wear due to a very very slight "slip" i dont know if that applies to some of the new electronic ones. I will ask him later he went to get parts.

 

[BrianWC]

That's not good to know!

 

[Max_Wander]

Originally Posted By: crazyoildude
My brother (owned a transmission shop for 12 yrs. until last year) always said that the smoother some transmissions shift the more clutch wear because the smoother it shifts the more the clutches wear due to a very very slight "slip" i dont know if that applies to some of the new electronic ones. I will ask him later he went to get parts.


Yea, thats basically it. Thats why some transmissions that shift "positively" (hard) like those old Honda 4speeds last quite long. It also depends on the amount of clutches and band width used. You can have a smooth shifting slushbox and get long life with a good design. If the shifting is smoother with fluid alone, then you can bet on the fluid having better friction properties (since line pressure is assumed to remain in spec) and while the shifts are smoother, the wear shouldnt be increased.

 

[mechtech2]

There are at least two ways an auto trans can shift smoother.
One is by design, with a slow actuation and engaging of the clutches for passenger comfort and perceived smoothness.
This will wear things faster. High performance shift kits make the trans shift quicker =- better grab and less wear.

But a fluid change that causes smoother shifts[without changing the mechanical innards] may not result in much faster wear. It could be slicker [additives] or a bit heavier in viscosity, and simply allows a different engagement feel . It does not mean the clutches are grinding away against each other.

 

[BrianWC]

Good to know. I didn't realize how pronounced my shifting was until I changed the fluid. Since I haven't had this car as a dialy driver since 03, when I gave it to the wifey, I didn't pay that much attention. I just changed the oil regularly and the ATF once before now. I had gone with Maxlife since everyone said it was not a bad substitute for Z1. I'm beginning to think they are wrong, although in fairness to Maxlife I can't remember if I cycled any fresh atf through the torque converter. This time I at least did that with some cheapo Dex III.

 

[wgtoys]

Honda's procedure for changing the ATF calls for doing the drail-fill-drive, repeat procedure FOUR times. Total system capacity is around 11-12 quarts and they are using a progressive dilution procedure to get most of it changed. For some reason Honda doesn't want flush type machines used.

 

[The Critic]

You should just do a complete flush through the cooler lines with new fluid. Use one fluid and no additional additives.

It might shift even better!

 

[BrianWC]

Yeah, I just hated not to use the Lubegard red since I had so much of it. I've had it on the shelves since 06 and still have another bottle left. Got a closeout lot of it at an Advance one time. I think I got 5-6 for $10. But who knows, I may go Castrol High Mileage solo. Tomorrow I will be back to commuting so maybe I'll let the 120 miles or so stir up the fluid and get some more stuff on the mag drain plug. Which, btw, is there any point in magnafine if you have a mag drain plug? The V has a great big bar mag mounted in the plug.

 

[Ken2]

Lubegard Black would have been the right ATF supplement for a Honda.
http://www.lubegard.com/automotive/trans_atf_hfm.html

Hondas and a few other makes have transmissions that drain much more of the fluid that most. It makes it easier to do a quite complete fluid exchange with drain & refill.

 

[stockrex]

why bleep with other fluids?? better? does what honda cannot?
I get a case of honda atf and drain and fill evry 20k miles. 18x miles still shifts like new.

 

[BrianWC]

Oh I knew it would come to this. Well, first, when I switched to Maxlife it was b/c it was significanlty cheaper than Z1 and claimed by many folks on here to be as good or better than Z1. So why not? When I went to Castrol High Mileage, there was no goal of finding something better than Z1. There was only the need to find something compatable with Honda transmissions that was close to my house. As I have an Advance and Autozone within a mile of my house, this is where I went. I'd point out that even Honda states that plain jane Dex III is a suitable replacement at least temporarily. So it's not like it's liquid suicide.

Third, yes, I am sure that there are a variety of fluids I could use and achieve great shift quality for 20k miles. But as my goal is to not have to drain every 20k...