2004 Honda Civic - 96k miles - Never Changed ATF

[nuclfusion]

Since my wife traded her Celica for an Odyssey, I've had a desire to actually work on both our cars instead of letting someone do it. I'll be attempting my first oil change on our Civic EX within the next week, but that's for another forum...

However, when I have had the oil changed at various locations, the topic of changing/flushing the ATF has come up. In short, 96k miles, ATF never replaced. Yes, I'm hanging my head in shame.

Question: I'm assuming I'll hold on to the Civic for some time and would like to take better care of it. At this point in time, should I even touch the ATF? I've read that Hondas don't care to have their ATFs flushed so a drain/fill/engine run technique is used to "flush" out the old ATF.

For those with Honda/Civics, do you end up using OEM Honda ATF Z1 or could/would you switch to something like a Red Line D4? I'm seeing 100k coming up soon (about 400 miles a week) so I'd like to try and take care of this as best as possible from here on out.

In terms of fluids, motor oil has been the only thing changed. All other fluids are original.

 

[ram_man]

do 3 drain and fills with Honda dw1 fluid it replaced the z1. I would drive a little before each drain. maybe one drain a day for 3 days.

 

[pbm]

I would do a D&R every month or so until the fluid looks nice and red (probably 4 times total). Doing it this way precludes shocking the system all at once. I don't consider Honda Z-1 to be anything special...I had good luck using Valvoline Maxlife ATF in my Honda but I would probably use Castrol IMV in a unit with 96K (Maxlife is now thinner than when I used it).
The Redline D4 or Amsoil are also good choices.

 

[gregk24]

Do a drain and refill with Honda DW-1 every month for 3 months, that will slowly introduce the new fluid. As long as your transmission is still working properly you should be fine. Expect smoother shifts with the new fluid =)

 

[The Critic]

It is not due until 10 years or 120k under normal service. You change it sooner if you wish, but there is nothing to be concerned about.

 

[lubedude13]

I would recommend what the others said. Drain and refill a few times. Transmission fluid has cleaner additives so if there is any "accumulated dirty stuff" let the first drain n fill work the system for 250-500 miles then drain again. Then maybe again after another 500-1000 miles.

 

[SatinSilver]

Honda techs on a different forum who know their stuff have recommended replacing every 30k miles. I'd space them 500-1000 miles apart for the slow and gentle cleaning. Three to four drain/fills. Maybe add a bottle of Lubeguard to it for good measure. If it has an inline filter replace that as well.

 

[nuclfusion]

Holy.. was not expecting so many responses in a short period of time. Thanks all for the help! Looks like I have a bit of work to do!

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: gregk24
Do a drain and refill with Honda DW-1 every month for 3 months, that will slowly introduce the new fluid. As long as your transmission is still working properly you should be fine. Expect smoother shifts with the new fluid =)


+1

 

[lubedude13]

Another question in your original post was brands. I personally use amsoil in my parents Honda and my toyota and seems to shift better

 

[901Memphis]

I prefer to do my drain in fills all in the same day with about 8 miles of driving in between, I have a nice little route I take.

 

[gregk24]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
It is not due until 10 years or 120k under normal service. You change it sooner if you wish, but there is nothing to be concerned about.


IMO this was a mistake on Hondas part. The fluid in most Hondas looks very dark after 40K miles, and would probably be black at 120K miles.

 

[Nyati]

I have a 2008 Civic with 51K. About 10K ago, I changed the Auto Trans fluid with Redline. Got a shimmering at low speeds starting out from red lights. It felt like it was a tire out of balance. Took the tires in and got balanced/rotated. Still there. I took it in to Honda to diagnose. They said they looked at the trans fluid and it was toast. They told me I needed a new transmission. Instead I flushed it 4X with Honda Z1. The problem immediately went away and hasn't returned. YMMV.

 

[david_ES2]

First drain and refill on my 04 civic ex was at 20k, it made a huge difference

 

[PhillyJoe]

I did my daughter's '03 Civic's ATF for the first time at 90k. Who knew it was this easy. All you need is a socket wrench a long funnel and a drain pan. 3 quarts out, 3 qts. in. I used Honda ATF. Did this while the car was on the ramps for an oil change. Will do another D&F at the next oil change. Honda service told me I would be dumping perfectly good fluid to change it any sooner. After 3 changes, I will start over again in 30,000 miles.

 

[pbm]

Originally Posted By: gregk24
Originally Posted By: The Critic
It is not due until 10 years or 120k under normal service. You change it sooner if you wish, but there is nothing to be concerned about.


IMO this was a mistake on Hondas part. The fluid in most Hondas looks very dark after 40K miles, and would probably be black at 120K miles.




I agree (with Greg).
Letting any A/T go over 100K on original fluid is a mistake IMO.
This is especially true for Honda's A/T's (which aren't that great IMO)
Remember that manufacturers specify 'Maintenance' based on cost of ownership rather than what will keep the vehicle running best for the longest time.

PS: Early Honda A/T's were great but trying to 'improve' them hurt durability. I don't know about newer versions but their Accords, Odysseys and Civics from the late 90's to mid 2000's had plenty of issues. This can't be said for Toyota's....

 

[Hokiefyd]

I would use DW-1 fluid and I'd do a drain & fill at each oil change for the next few oil changes. I wouldn't do it at a shorter interval than that.

I have used various aftermarket fluids in ours. I have gone back to DW-1 in both. The shifts are most consistent on DW-1, and the 1-2 shift especially is smoothest on DW-1. At slower speeds on other fluids, it felt like the 1-2 shift would "hang", like the 1st gear clutches weren't releasing all the way before the 2nd gear clutches would engage. It didn't lock the transmission up or anything like that, but it did feel like forward power was sucked up into the transmission until 2nd finally engaged all the way. It doesn't do that with enough DW-1 in the system.

Our Acura MDX had the factory fill until about 70k miles. It has 100k miles on it now and it certainly shifts better than it did when we bought it (from my folks) with 58k miles on it. So the car has been in our family since new, and I know the fluid was original at 70k miles.

 

[nuclfusion]

Picking up my DW1 case from local dealership this afternoon. Should be fun! Thanks all!

 

[Ken2]

The Honda transmissions I've worked on drain a larger proportion of the fluid than most transmissions. Drain & fill does more good on these Hondas.

Quote:
Transmission fluid has cleaner additives
Huh? Transmission fluid contains:
Dispersants..... Sludge & varnish control
Antioxidants...... Prohibit oxidation
Antiwear..... Planetary gear, bushing, thrust washer protection
Friction modifier..... Modify clutch plate and band friction
Corrosion inhibitor..... Prevent corrosion and rust
Seal swell agent..... Prevent loss of fluid via seals
Viscosity Improver..... Reduce rate of change of viscosity
Pour Point Depressant..... Improve low temperature fluidity
Foam inhibitor..... Foam control
Red dye..... Identification

http://www.lubrizol.com/DrivelineAdditives/AutomaticTransmissionFluidAdditives/default.html

 

[Boss302fan]

Originally Posted By: satinsilver
Honda techs on a different forum who know their stuff have recommended replacing every 30k miles. I'd space them 500-1000 miles apart for the slow and gentle cleaning. Three to four drain/fills. Maybe add a bottle of Lubeguard to it for good measure. If it has an inline filter replace that as well.


Ditto...