Best oil for Honda manual transmission

[sr17]

I am about to change transmission oil on my 05 Accord. The car is approaching 187,000 km (116,000 miles) and as far as I know, the transmission oil had never been checked or changed

I want to put in the best oil possible. What should I use?

 

[Ndx]

Amsoil
Redline
RP (Makes good MT Oil )

 

[2oldtommy]

I no longer have my Mazda 626 with manual 5 speed but I improved the shift quality by switching to Redline MTL. I believe your Honda calls for a light weight 75w-80. Check the redline website or give them a call. They are very helpful with tech stuff.I also used the MTL in my sons '90 Taurus SHO. Too bad the new SHO isn't available with a manual tranny. FWIW Oldtommy

 

[sr17]

just looking my owners manal, it says "Honda Manual Transmission Fluid preferred, or an SAE 10W-30 or 10W-40 motor oil as a temporary replacement"

does that mean that the Redline, Amsoil, Schaeffer or whatever fluid I get will have to be 10W-30 or 40??

 

[donny939]

You are supposed to change the tranny fulid every 30,000 miles. If i were you i would bring it to the dealer and let them use honda tranny fulid and a flush and filter changed. its only 60 bucks

 

[sr17]

Originally Posted By: donny939
You are supposed to change the tranny fulid every 30,000 miles. If i were you i would bring it to the dealer and let them use honda tranny fulid and a flush and filter changed. its only 60 bucks


Does a manual transmission have a filter??

 

[roadrunner1]

Originally Posted By: sr17
Originally Posted By: donny939
You are supposed to change the tranny fulid every 30,000 miles. If i were you i would bring it to the dealer and let them use honda tranny fulid and a flush and filter changed. its only 60 bucks


Does a manual transmission have a filter??


no

one of my sons has a 95 accord and manual states;
5w-30 motor oil of the same quality used in the engine

so thats what it got. shifts fine when cold, shifts fine when hot, so it must be ok

 

[ThirdeYe]

I second Ndx's notions. Those three are top notch.

 

[bepperb]

The post 2006 Honda MTF you'll get from a dealer is actually really good and only about 4 bucks a quart. On the cheap end, I'd use this.

On the high end, both Redline and Amsoil get great reviews.

Either way, you're in for a real treat especially for cold weather shift quality. Any of those three are way better than the pre-06 Honda mtf.

It'll be two quarts. You'll need a IIRC 17mm open ended wrench for the fill plug, which is a bear to get open. The drain is a 3/8" square. Hard to miss, they face driver side which isn't typical Honda.

Of course there is no filter. There is no flush. This is a MTF, right?

 

[JHZR2]

Honda MTF itself is good stuff, Id use that. We never had cold shifting issues in our integra, it was always very smooth.

 

[benjamming]

Be sure that you open the fill plug first prior to draining it & then having problems getting the reservoir filled.

 

[CivicFan]

I would stick with the recommended 10w-30 oil. I once tried Redline MTL in my Accord transmission and changing gears became very difficult. After a 1,000 or so miles I drained it and put 10w-30 in it. The shifting went back to normal.

 

[sr17]

Originally Posted By: bepperb
The post 2006 Honda MTF you'll get from a dealer is actually really good and only about 4 bucks a quart. On the cheap end, I'd use this.

On the high end, both Redline and Amsoil get great reviews.

Either way, you're in for a real treat especially for cold weather shift quality. Any of those three are way better than the pre-06 Honda mtf.

It'll be two quarts. You'll need a IIRC 17mm open ended wrench for the fill plug, which is a bear to get open. The drain is a 3/8" square. Hard to miss, they face driver side which isn't typical Honda.

Of course there is no filter. There is no flush. This is a MTF, right?


Thanks bepperb, that is extremely useful information!!

It is a manual transmission and the filter thing had me really confused for a bit.

I have a quart of redline 90W gear oil that I had originally purchased for a different purpose. Could I just purchase another quart and use that stuff??

 

[donny939]

yea my bad about the filter.. but since it has so many miles and has never been changed i would def flush it. put some honda tranny fluid in and drive it around for a couple hundred miles and then change it again with honda tranny fluid

 

[wantin150]

According to the post, the 10W30 or 10W40 can be used as a "temporary" replacement, not a standard, 30K fill. Although gear oils are rated 75W90, 75W80, 70W80, or whatever, their viscosity (depending on their rating) is that of a 10W30, 10W40, motor oil.

Use the Honda fluid or the Redline if it meets your needs. Does you manual state GL4 or GL5 or both?

 

[Craig in Canada]

My last Honda product (1990 vintage) specified 5W30 PCMO in the MT but Redline MTL was much, much better. One had to use dino as well, since most owners found that the synthetics of the day didn't give the synchros enough bite to work effectively.

sr17: You can NOT use GL5 rated gear oil in the transmission unless the owner's manual says GL5 is OK (which it probably doesn't).

 

[cos]

Definitely either Redline MTL or Amsoil MTF - you'll love the shifting. Also, since Honda specs a manual fluid change every 30K you should treat your trans to the best from here on out.

 

[mechtech2]

The new Honda manual trans fluid is supposed to be OK - better than before.
But Redline MTL or Amsoil MTF are great, for sure.

 

[sr17]

Ok, based in the excellent input from this forum, I have decided to try Redline MTL.

Problem is, I can't find it anywhere in Vancouver, BC. I also searched in Bellingham, WA without any luck.

Does anyone here know who might carry Redline MTL in my area?

 

[cos]

If it helps - Amazon.com sells Redline.