UOA - Honda AT5 ATF, 8600 mi, Amsoil SS ATL (2/3) + DW1 (1/3) + Shift Restore

Fredxt

Fredxt

Joined
May 9, 2023
Messages
210
Location
San Diego
Here is the UOA for Honda 5 speed automatic. The car is Crv 2014 with 86k mi. I did a 3x drain n refill 8.6k mi ago with (2/3) Amsoil SS ATL and (1/3) DW1 and added HSS shift restore later (at 1 oz/qt). Comparing to other Honda ATF UOA I think the wear metals are OK, but since the milage on the oil is still low some might have not be accumulated enough to be detected.
The oxidation is mostly indicator of esters AFIK since the oil still "looks" fresh and I forgot to mention signature series...
The analyzer didn't read the memo about DW1, so is wondering where zinc/magnezium are coming from (it's DW1, VOA)

1701495893022.jpg
 
Just a couple questions:
1. Why would you purposely mix an OEM and aftermarket fluid, and throw in an additive?
2. Why’d you use a fluid that’s not recommended as a DW-1 replacement? (It IS listed as a Z-1 alternative, but it’s not like DW-1 is a new fluid, so I doubt its omission is due to oversight. Maybe @Pablo can chime in on why it’s not included?)

I don’t know the history of your trans, but you can take the ~2ppm/1k mi iron as a baseline for future UOAs. But remember there are materials in a transmission that will wear and never show up in an OA. MolaKule has had some good conversations about the composition of Honda ATFs and them being very different for a reason. Hope you don’t have any issues.
 
SubieRubyRoo said:
Just a couple questions:
1. Why would you purposely mix an OEM and aftermarket fluid, and throw in an additive?
2. Why’d you use a fluid that’s not recommended as a DW-1 replacement? (It IS listed as a Z-1 alternative, but it’s not like DW-1 is a new fluid, so I doubt its omission is due to oversight. Maybe @Pablo can chime in on why it’s not included?)

I don’t know the history of your trans, but you can take the ~2ppm/1k mi iron as a baseline for future UOAs. But remember there are materials in a transmission that will wear and never show up in an OA. MolaKule has had some good conversations about the composition of Honda ATFs and them being very different for a reason. Hope you don’t have any issues.
Click to expand...
It's a long story. Transmission had shuddering problem (at 35 mph). I wanted to use just Amsoil ATL (fuel efficient one, the one that says DW1 compatible) but so many people were saying (not here) DW1 has to be used etc so I mixed them. 3x drain n refill fixed the issue like immediately but the shifting was rather harsh. Then I added the additive and now it shifts very smooth.
Will keep an eye on it. The front axels showed signs of overheating (according to my mechanic) when we replaced them due to a seal leak. So, I have little respect for DW-1 just from the thermal protection aspect over tens of thousands of miles. Just personal experience.


honda_front_axel.jpg
 
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fantastic said:
Seems to be working fine. How does it feel shifting now... Delayed shift, firm shift?
Click to expand...
After drain n refills it was shifting rather hard, with that additive (or time) added later now it shift very nice. Only when putting it in rear gear kind of makes a kicking sound which people say its Honda business as usual.
 
Fredxt said:
It's a long story. Transmission had shuddering problem (at 35 mph), I took it to dealer and they wanted 800 bucks to flush it which I declined just because of the cost. I wanted to use just Amsoil ATL (fuel efficient one, the one that says DW1 compatible) but so many people were saying DW1 has to be used etc so I mixed them. 3x drain n refill fixed the issue like immediately but the shifting was rather harsh. Then I added the additive and now it shifts very smooth.
Click to expand...
This generation CR-V has torque converter issues that causes shuddering when it shifts to the 3rd gear, it's a common issue. There is a TSB about that, there is an updated TCU tune. You should check if yours is updated.

Mine was updated but the problem still occurred few times. It went away when I switched to Valvoline Maxlife ATF though, but it still doesn't change the fact that it is more of a bandaid to a mechanical problem. No need to add additives. I'm not a fan of OEM Honda ATF/MTF as they tend to thin out quickly.

It is not the only common problem though, cam gear noise, oil consumption, interior quality etc. it is a poorly engineered vehicle overall. Just sold mine last month and not looking back. This car is the reason why I won't buy another Honda again after 7 Hondas. I wish I bought a CX-5 or RAV4 instead.

Here is my post about the problems: https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/any-cars-you-regret-buying-my-14-cr-v-experience.348005/
 
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SubieRubyRoo said:
Just a couple questions:
2. Why’d you use a fluid that’s not recommended as a DW-1 replacement? (It IS listed as a Z-1 alternative, but it’s not like DW-1 is a new fluid, so I doubt its omission is due to oversight. Maybe @Pablo can chime in on why it’s not included?)
Click to expand...
It is recommended by Amsoil, it's just not included on the PDS for some reason. If you fill in the vehicle information, the ATL is listed as the recommended fluid.
 
Not sure about the USA but here in Australia we'd sometimes use the higher viscosity Z1 compatible fluid to get rid of the shuddering issues (we never got the TCU updated that US got, so we just live with that)

It's not like the 5 speed auto changed since the Z1 days (ie: since 2002) for the 5 speed auto.

The Z1 and DW1 were both used and at the Honda dealership and they used to mix them during the transition period back in 2011-2013.
 
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