07 FIT ATF - Amsoil?

[slackwolf]

I did the first drain and fill on my wife's 2007 Honda Fit Sport 1.5L 5spd Automatic over the weekend - 72,037 miles. Had the original factory Honda Z-1 ATF. Work got in the way of doing the 3x drain and fill and she racked up the miles quicker than I was expecting. So now I'm doing the rest of the D&F's this week 50-100 miles apart from each other. Using the Honda DW-1 that replaced the Z-1 as I already had 9 quarts sitting in my garage. 2.5 quarts drained, 2.5 quarts added with minimal gunk on the magnetic drain plug. 6.3 quarts is total system capacity, so it's about 40% DW-1 and 60% Z-1 at moment.

I was wondering if anyone has any long term reviews of doing just the drain and fill methods swapping from Z-1 to DW-1 if the fluid is holding up better than the Z-1? The Z-1 isn't exactly known to be a good fluid.... All I've really heard mention is a little bit jerky of shifts on the 07/08 Fit's with the DW-1. Too soon to tell just yet for ours. The DW-1 is a bit thinner across the board than the Z-1 (when new). Of course the old Z-1 I drained was a good bit thinner than the new DW-1. Forgot to save a sample.....

I was considering swapping over to Amsoil Signature Series Multi-Vehicle ATF due to the good results people were having on several Honda forums, but none really mentioned what fluids they've mixed with the D&F's. Some were straight from Z-1 and some were straight from DW-1 best I can assume by the model and year. The 07 Fit's transmission will have approximately 78% DW-1 and 22% Z-1 if I switched over to Amsoil ATF on a 4th drain and fill. Wondering how the Amsoil would mix with an already mixed ATF? If I'm thinking correctly it would be (IN A PERFECT WORLD) 47% DW-1, 40% Amsoil, and 13% Z-1. A 5th drain and fill, 2nd with Amsoil would equal 64% Amsoil, 28% DW-1, 8% Z-1. 6th D&F would mean 78% Amsoil, 17% DW-1, 5% Z-1. Comments from anyone with experience with the mix of these 3 fluids in similiar amounts? Need the Honda slushbox transmission to last a few more years of city driving in NW Florida.

New DW-1 left, old Z-1 right.


It has a "non-serviceable" AT filter according to the Honda dealer, but I have the replacement filter that I plan to change during the 3rd drain and fill. As well as replace the 3rd gear pressure switch that has been hit and miss on hot days.

BTW the Honda dealer here is a joke as far as the service and partsdepartment, so I buy all parts online and they no longer touch my wife's Fit for anything including recalls.

 

[901Memphis]

The Amsoil would work fine with the Honda fluid. Either of them will serve you well if you keep up with the drain and fills, you got a pretty late start but it good your catching up by doing multiple fills.

 

[stockrex]

just use up the Honda fluid, you are on the right track, do some quick drain and fill.
I have been lax in my maint regime, but with my other Hondas
I just drained and filled in fall after the summer peak heat regardless of miles.

 

[slackwolf]

I got slightly behind the curve on the transmission maintenance on this car as I've been doing everything else on it as well as my F-150 and the new Fusion.

Was planning to use up the DW-1 to clear out what I could of the Z-1. Just wasn't sure if DW-1 was actually functioning as a good fluid other than by Honda's specifications, which I don't trust. I have a little hesitation by the viscosity difference in DW-1 and Z-1, but nothing is as thin as the burnt Z-1..... Haven't seen many reports running around the Fit forums or Honda Forums regarding the Fit/Civic AT from 07/08 other than the typically 3rd/4th gear pressure switches failing similar to what I already am dealing with. Just with the 40% DW-1, the shifting has not changed. Which I guess is a good thing since it's never been really bad, just sluggish to shift and obviously not what I'm used to with my F-150 6R80 and a 5 star tuning SCT towing tune.

Amsoil's tech support basically said do not mix specification of fluids, so the only way they recommended using the Amsoil of either type would be flushing since I had both Z-1 and DW-1 in the transmission.

 

[Bill_G]

Originally Posted By: slackwolf
I got slightly behind the curve on the transmission maintenance on this car as I've been doing everything else on it as well as my F-150 and the new Fusion.

Was planning to use up the DW-1 to clear out what I could of the Z-1. Just wasn't sure if DW-1 was actually functioning as a good fluid other than by Honda's specifications, which I don't trust. I have a little hesitation by the viscosity difference in DW-1 and Z-1, but nothing is as thin as the burnt Z-1..... Haven't seen many reports running around the Fit forums or Honda Forums regarding the Fit/Civic AT from 07/08 other than the typically 3rd/4th gear pressure switches failing similar to what I already am dealing with. Just with the 40% DW-1, the shifting has not changed. Which I guess is a good thing since it's never been really bad, just sluggish to shift and obviously not what I'm used to with my F-150 6R80 and a 5 star tuning SCT towing tune.

Amsoil's tech support basically said do not mix specification of fluids, so the only way they recommended using the Amsoil of either type would be flushing since I had both Z-1 and DW-1 in the transmission.


You don't do your first ATF drain/refill until 72k miles and YOU don't trust Honda's specifications - wow.

A Honda drain/refill takes only a few minutes.

 

[slackwolf]

Originally Posted By: Bill_G
Originally Posted By: slackwolf
I got slightly behind the curve on the transmission maintenance on this car as I've been doing everything else on it as well as my F-150 and the new Fusion.

Was planning to use up the DW-1 to clear out what I could of the Z-1. Just wasn't sure if DW-1 was actually functioning as a good fluid other than by Honda's specifications, which I don't trust. I have a little hesitation by the viscosity difference in DW-1 and Z-1, but nothing is as thin as the burnt Z-1..... Haven't seen many reports running around the Fit forums or Honda Forums regarding the Fit/Civic AT from 07/08 other than the typically 3rd/4th gear pressure switches failing similar to what I already am dealing with. Just with the 40% DW-1, the shifting has not changed. Which I guess is a good thing since it's never been really bad, just sluggish to shift and obviously not what I'm used to with my F-150 6R80 and a 5 star tuning SCT towing tune.

Amsoil's tech support basically said do not mix specification of fluids, so the only way they recommended using the Amsoil of either type would be flushing since I had both Z-1 and DW-1 in the transmission.


You don't do your first ATF drain/refill until 72k miles and YOU don't trust Honda's specifications - wow.


Yeah yeah, little history here before you start with the SA comments.... NOT my car. I don't drive this car. I basically inherited it and it's history with lack of maintenance from dealer.
My wife has had it since new and let the Honda Dealer handle the maintenance (prior to us being married) until they ripped the front bumper off on a lift doing an oil change (snapped a few plastic clips back in where the holes weren't torn and tried claiming it was fixed, then refused to do any further). Not an oil and oil filter change, since that Honda spec only shows changing the filter every other oil change. Following MM on this car would run about 16-17k miles on that rebadged Fram orange can Honda filter (Makes you really trust their specs). The Honda filter I removed when I started doing the oil changes was pretty much destroyed on the inside with tears and no telling if it was changed 1 or 5 oil changes prior. Service writeups always showed Oil and Filter but they would X out with a pen on the filter and reference the MM code for oil change only, every time. Not the only maintenance related issues from them but I will leave it at that.

I purchased the DW-1, ATF Filter, and crush washers probably 1 week prior to having 3rd gear and 4th gear go out. I pulled codes and left them stored in ECM. Took to dealer who repeatedly tried troubleshooting the 3rd and 4th gear pressure switches failing and since nobody could replicate the issue each and every single time taking it there under powertrain warranty (100k). Tried charging $85 each visit for diagnostic fee to reset a code and say no problems. At the time, I inquired about doing a drain and fill or 3 to DW-1 and the service manager recommended waiting until they were able to resolve the pressure switch problems rather than adding more variables to the mix as DW-1 was new and they were seeing a lot of Z-1 failures in the odysseys and one of their cars, with some being after a DW-1 swap. Called around a few other dealers and was pretty much told bring it in when the code pops up and they will try to replicate. Same issue as first dealer.... This went on for a while btw. Also, same recommendation on doing a ATF fluid change, wait until resolve current issue as they wouldn't touch it on the fluid side if the level was correct and looked/smelled ok for now and MM hasn't popped up for it. Being under powertrain warranty and in the process of trying to get a dealer to fix the issues, I wasn't going to touch the fluid and have them blame me for an easy out as they already tried it several times.

Fast forward of being completely done with Honda dealers, I ordered the needed pressure switches and then 70-90+hr work weeks put a halt. My wife changed jobs and started driving more per day than she ever did in an entire month. But now 1st drain and fill is over with 2 more planned this week. MM JUST NOW POPPED UP FOR ATF 1x drain and fill this week.

The primary reason for not trusting the Honda spec entirely with the ATF is they knew Z-1 was junk and kept peddling it for a few more years, then backwards spec'ed DW-1 that was designed for cold climate fuel efficiency in cars that certain models and years had issues locking up the torque converters in hot climates. Yes, there is a bit of pause for concern of whether to just roll with the DW-1 and leave it in, or use it as a flush to get most of the Z-1 out and continue cleaning the magnetic drain plug on D&F's, then switch to something a little closer to the original Z-1 spec viscosity. Then add in their specifications for the MM oil and filter change intervals that not many people agree with, especially with the OE relabeled fram orange can Honda oil filters.

And yes, I do have the Helm Inc Factory service manuals for the 2007 Honda Fit as well as the 2010 F-150. They are not available for my 2015 Fusion as of yet. I also have the H-D factory service manual for my 2009 H-D FLHTCU. I have no issues understanding manufacturer service procedures, recommendations, or intervals. Some I do not agree with however. The oil and oil filter interval and recommendation being one. One I'm hesitant about just happens to be the ATF fluid recommendation as of now. Which is why I asked the original questions for people with experience of how these transmissions respond coming from Z-1 or Z-1 spec viscosity ATF to thinner fluids.

Your 2011 Civic would have been DW-1 from the factory, not transitioned from Z-1, so why comment?

 

[slackwolf]

Originally Posted By: Bill_G

A Honda drain/refill takes only a few minutes.


That would not have been a problem had any of the dealers around me had Z-1 in stock (A few had a couple quarts in the bottom of 55gal bulk drums) and they did not recommend DW-1 at the time even though Honda did. It's bad when every service manager I talked to out of 5 dealers just said hold on unless MM comes up and figure out the pressure switches as we don't trust DW-1 yet and Z-1 is scarce. I wasn't giving any of the dealer's an easy out at the time. That and hard to find time to slide under the car with a newborn and working a 70-90+ hr week. When it came to fluid changes, my F-150 took priority as it was on the road 1,500-2,500 miles per week every week.

 

[Bill_G]

Ok ok - apologize for the hasty comment - with the additional info, sounds like you are one busy son of a gun - congrats on the new baby. I misunderstood your first post to indicate it was a choice to wait so long to change the ATF - I know on Hondas this is pretty easy to do no matter which fluid you choose - I commented because...well...its a discussion board.

 

[slackwolf]

Originally Posted By: Bill_G
Ok ok - apologize for the hasty comment - with the additional info, sounds like you are one busy son of a gun - congrats on the new baby. I misunderstood your first post to indicate it was a choice to wait so long to change the ATF - I know on Hondas this is pretty easy to do no matter which fluid you choose - I commented because...well...its a discussion board.


Understood.

Unfortunately I had intentions on doing the 3x drain and fill as soon as all the items arrived. Dealing with the dealers, etc put that on hold. Waiting on dealer resolution for the pressure switches was my first mistake. Then the not so good news of the Z-1 designed and spec'ed transmissions including the cars, not just the vans having a hard time with the DW-1 at first. I was kinda stuck on the sideline temporarily to find out if it was the change in fluid or transmissions having prior issues. Wasn't sure if someone had experience with it as far as long term or if Honda had a ECM/TCM upgrade for the transmissions to adjust for the lower viscosity. Some reports from the change were good results, some were bad. The only long term reports I've been given were bad..... I was trying to plan for what to do after I finish cycling the DW-1 through the car. Stick with it long term and just do a d&f or 3 every 6mo-year, or go ahead and buy a case of Amsoil ATF and cycle that through for my long term solution.

I have no issues paying for whatever fluid will get this Honda by another few years until it gets traded in at the Ford dealer.

I have no issues with universal ATF's that are well thought out and designed for their specifications, such as Redline D4/D6 and the Amsoil Signature Series (multi-vehicle and fuel efficient). Sometimes they are better solutions than a backwards specified OEM Fluid only put in place in that particular model year(s) because they realized the original ATF was not holding up even remotely close to what they thought. I'm sure DW-1 is good ATF in the years that the transmission and transmission control was designed for the lower viscosity ATF. I was just concerned of the end results down the road with a Z-1 speced transmission. Fresh DW-1 is leaps and bounds better than used Z-1 obviously, but what from here.

Easy? Yes, extremely. But also very time consuming on the Fit. Probably took 15-20minutes for the first 2 quarts and a good 2-3 hours for the remaining .5 quart to dribble and finally stop.... That and I loved how tight that drain bolt was on a cold transmission. Half tempted to use my shop vac next time with the fluid separator that I've used on boat bilges and speed the process up.

For low viscosity ATF's, I have no heartburn with the Motorcraft Mercon LV in my F-150's 6R80. 2010_FX4 has posted up some great UOA's with that particular low viscosity fuel effeciency ATF in a 2010 6R80, and I've had great results myself.

 

[ltslimjim]

So, I was just forced to buy a used car since our car was stolen recently. I too now have an '07 Fit Sport with the A/T. On the CarFax report it mentioned a trip to AAMCO 10k miles ago/spring of 2014(yikes? meh idk 1 owner lady).

So, I believe a "flush"; the repeat D&Fs, to ensure all new DW1 is installed will be the COA for this new to me app. Also, Amazon sells those in-line filters (Honda Genuine) for cheap compared to the dealer. I think I'll save about $13 there alone and the dealer is reasonably priced on DW1. If I wanted to go away from that, I'd try either the Amsoil Universal ATF(closer to Z1 in viscosity) or their newer 'fuel efficient' (closer to DW1 in viscosity). Likewise, Red Line D4(closer to Z1) or D6(more like DW1) would suit these just fine.

Just got mine last week so all giddy to do the maintenance catch up. Already have to get all the new coils. I think this car has the original coils which were known to go out, and who knows about spark plugs. I ordered some for the heck of it since the plugs all together are less expensive than one of the coils.

I hope your Fit does better on complete swap to DW1 now and you get that new filter in there soon. AFAIK it's supposed to be under the battery tray. I plan to remove that and intake box for easier access after my last d&f; just got with 157k miles , so no telling what else I have to get on track.

 

[slackwolf]

Originally Posted By: ltslimjim
So, I was just forced to buy a used car since our car was stolen recently. I too now have an '07 Fit Sport with the A/T. On the CarFax report it mentioned a trip to AAMCO 10k miles ago/spring of 2014(yikes? meh idk 1 owner lady).

So, I believe a "flush"; the repeat D&Fs, to ensure all new DW1 is installed will be the COA for this new to me app. Also, Amazon sells those in-line filters (Honda Genuine) for cheap compared to the dealer. I think I'll save about $13 there alone and the dealer is reasonably priced on DW1. If I wanted to go away from that, I'd try either the Amsoil Universal ATF(closer to Z1 in viscosity) or their newer 'fuel efficient' (closer to DW1 in viscosity). Likewise, Red Line D4(closer to Z1) or D6(more like DW1) would suit these just fine.

Just got mine last week so all giddy to do the maintenance catch up. Already have to get all the new coils. I think this car has the original coils which were known to go out, and who knows about spark plugs. I ordered some for the heck of it since the plugs all together are less expensive than one of the coils.

I hope your Fit does better on complete swap to DW1 now and you get that new filter in there soon. AFAIK it's supposed to be under the battery tray. I plan to remove that and intake box for easier access after my last d&f; just got with 157k miles , so no telling what else I have to get on track.


So far have done 2 D&F's on DW1 on the Fit and it's been interesting. First drain and fill really didn't show any sort of change in shifts. Same sluggish shifts into each gear since pretty much new as I was told. Put 145 miles on that mix, then did another D&F. After 10-15 miles the transmission apparently couldn't make up it's mind on shifts and would hunt. That seemed to clear up some and come back occasionally. Have put about 200 miles on since the 2nd drain and fill and planning to do another D&F next week when I have time. Depending on how the transmission responds after that, I may jump the Honda ship and go with Amsoil ATF or some of the Redline D4 I have stashed in my garage for my F-150's transfer case.

As of right now, I'm not exactly pleased with the hit and miss hunting this transmission is doing since the 2nd drain and fill. If it smooths out after the 3rd D&F then I'll take care of the filter and everything as planned since I have it waiting. I ordered all the parts and fluids from one of the discount Honda dealers online, can't recall which one. Still came out less than local by large margin or Amazon. Filter is below battery box and not hard to get to. FitFreak forum is a good resource for some of the maintenance stuff if haven't been over there yet.

For spark plugs, I swapped the OE NGK Iridiums not too long ago (less than 1k miles) for Denso Iridium TT plugs that I was given for free to test by Denso. Cyl #1 plug was ROUGH.... 2-4 looked fine. It kinda looked like the PCV dumps primarily into Cyl 1. Didn't really research much into the issue as of yet.

157k miles on that Fit? Any records if valve adjustments were done, ever?

 

[ltslimjim]

^Not much in the way of records on this car. My BIL has owned 2 other '07 Fits (both sport, first A/T and now a M/T).

I've contacted Pablo about which Amsoil ATF he would recommend for this car. Very interested to hear an update on post 3rd D&F and after you swap the filter!

I checked my fluid the other day; in P on a level ground at full-temp I shut off, and it was CLEAN in color(so maybe the 12k mile ago AAMCO was just a fluid service? Who knows if they touched filter and what fluid they used...I hope they didn't flush it with a machine >
I may have lucked out on A/T condition, but I do have delays between 3rd/4th & 4th/5th. I'd imagine it's the torque converter hanging up slightly? I just don't like it. My first car had a NEGLECTED family owned Dodge Stratus that was still on the older ATF +III for 8 years or more/past 100k and no ATF service). It did alright on ATF+4 and Lubegard Red but before that boy the torque converter did NOT want to stay locked up. Kept going from O/D mode to sluggish.

Anyways, yes I'll be doing a valve adjustment soon. I put in some Denso OE LL Iridiums and ironically pulled some of the PK20TTs; which seem narrowly gapped to me but my rough idle/performance was most likely original coils (2 were still the ones from factory, 2 that appeared to be 'newer' but still decent wear to them if you take the boots off

). So, I installed 4 Hitachi's with he blue boots for a 'decent' price on RockAuto.

Supposed to be newer design, less breakdown(even if still a roughly 100k replacement part or until flaky), but after that and the new plugs no more rough idle.

Back to A/T: I honestly am thinking of skipping D&F/cooler line flush of DW1; regardless if that is what the AAMCO perhaps used, and just convert to Amsoil ATL or Red Line D6 and if one seems slightly lackluster opt for their respective 'thicker' counterparts (Universal Amsoil ATF/RL D4).

Then perhaps do 60k intervals once truly on one or the other, or if fluid ever gets to a point it is degrading by smell/appearance along with any marginal loss of performance. If it lasts longer and performs as good, I say win win.

Worst-cast is you change it as often as 'severe' service for the OE dealership fluids which have great VIIs and a solid additives package, but much like the Honda's MTF once the VIIs/add pack starts wearing its usefulness the shifting quality always seems to take a hit especially in temperature extremes...enter the more stable base fluid ATFs of Amsoil/Red Line, less VIIs and their own add-pack but stable BASE product that won't later shear out of grade or simply lose effective VI due to earlier fluid breakdown, and to me the performance drop of the OE fluids; as recent as Honda's Z1 with their problematic A/Ts of the early-mid 2000s, and you see what a more stable-over-time fluid can do for your transmission. DW1 is better as an OE fluid, but judging by the condition of the fluid you have there I'd say you definitely NEED to change the transmission filter most likely as there is cleaning going on. Do the filter change ASAP. Maybe even cut and post it?

Yes, changing OE in 30k intervals at the mileages we have is probably just fine, but to me I'm 'strongly' leaning on the side of a fluid with arguably more 'headroom'.

 

[ltslimjim]

^My previous post I meant to refer to the Friction Modifiers (when speaking of the additive package of the Honda Fluids vs aftermarket); which are great for newer transmissions but perhaps aren't as useful/wear out more quickly anyway compared to the robustness of the arguably longer-serviceable life fluids like Amsoil, Redline, etc.

They don't seem to be formulated as dependent 'perhaps' on the highly valued FM packages of the OE fluids; which can give a great initial smoothness but not necessarily keep firm shifts as long(leading to more slippage in neglected apps more so); i.e. leading to shorter intervals on OE fluids generally speaking much like engine oil on top of the base oils not being as robust.

 

[KlubMarcus]

Originally Posted By: ltslimjim
So far have done 2 D&F's on DW1 on the Fit and it's been interesting. First drain and fill really didn't show any sort of change in shifts. Same sluggish shifts into each gear since pretty much new as I was told. Put 145 miles on that mix, then did another D&F. After 10-15 miles the transmission apparently couldn't make up it's mind on shifts and would hunt. That seemed to clear up some and come back occasionally. Have put about 200 miles on since the 2nd drain and fill and planning to do another D&F next week when I have time. Depending on how the transmission responds after that, I may jump the Honda ship and go with Amsoil ATF or some of the Redline D4 I have stashed in my garage for my F-150's transfer case.
Did you check the ATF level 60-90 seconds after the engine is turned off? My CR-V manual says that specifically. Honda wants you to check the ATF after it's warm and settles. Is that step in your FIT manual also?

 

[ltslimjim]

^I just read the manual again. It only describes getting the vehicle warmed up, parking on a level surface, and the basic procedure of checking the fluid level. However, for some reason does not mention waiting the 1-2 minutes. I believe I did so anyway and was still just below the hatch marks. My mechanic said it was fine, though. Yet, my OCD won't allow me to rest until I buy a Quart of ATF just for those precious 3 or 4 ounces.

Well, actually I'll probably just convert to Amsoil pretty soon. My only dilemma right now is whether or not to use their Universal ATF or the Fuel Efficient (which is slightly thinner than DW-1 virgin; where as the Universal is actually slightly thicker than the previous Z1 which tended to shear quickly anyway).

 

[slackwolf]

Originally Posted By: KlubMarcus
Did you check the ATF level 60-90 seconds after the engine is turned off? My CR-V manual says that specifically. Honda wants you to check the ATF after it's warm and settles. Is that step in your FIT manual also?


I don't recall the 60-90 seconds after shutdown being mentioned in the owners manual, but it is in the Helm/Honda service manual. Checking the Fit's level while warm right after shutdown usually results in some nice burn marks and scratches on my forearm as well as neighbors hearing me cuss the Honda.

 

[ltslimjim]

Originally Posted By: slackwolf
Originally Posted By: KlubMarcus
Did you check the ATF level 60-90 seconds after the engine is turned off? My CR-V manual says that specifically. Honda wants you to check the ATF after it's warm and settles. Is that step in your FIT manual also?


I don't recall the 60-90 seconds after shutdown being mentioned in the owners manual, but it is in the Helm/Honda service manual. Checking the Fit's level while warm right after shutdown usually results in some nice burn marks and scratches on my forearm as well as neighbors hearing me cuss the Honda.


I have tiny arms and I still get burned.

By the way, how do you prefer to fill the new ATF? Fill bolt or dipstick? I have one of those long plastic funnels, but it's one piece (not a flexible tube attached to a neck). It seems like removing the air filter box is a must and either coming at it from one side of the radiator hose or removing the bracket under the intake near the battery if filling through dipstick.

Leaning towards Amsoil's Fuel Efficient.

 

[slackwolf]

Originally Posted By: ltslimjim

I have tiny arms and I still get burned.

By the way, how do you prefer to fill the new ATF? Fill bolt or dipstick? I have one of those long plastic funnels, but it's one piece (not a flexible tube attached to a neck). It seems like removing the air filter box is a must and either coming at it from one side of the radiator hose or removing the bracket under the intake near the battery if filling through dipstick.

Leaning towards Amsoil's Fuel Efficient.

I just measure what I drain and refill via the dipstick hole with the flotool measure funnel I have that has the twist valve and hose connected. Had to extend the hose about 5" but it works. None of my long funnels seemed to reach.

I'm leaning towards the amsoil signature series multi-vehicle atf myself. So far at WOT getting on the interstate, the Fit's transmission is slipping more between shifts and gets a little jerky 3-4 seconds after it shifts. Haven't plugged in my data logger to see what the temps are looking like, but the shift feel with dw-1 sucks to say the least. The old z-1 was better than this..... No codes like when I was having issues with pressure switches.

Cold, the transmission shifts perfectly fine. After 20-30 miles is when it starts really getting sloppy.

 

[ltslimjim]

Originally Posted By: slackwolf
Originally Posted By: ltslimjim

I have tiny arms and I still get burned.

By the way, how do you prefer to fill the new ATF? Fill bolt or dipstick? I have one of those long plastic funnels, but it's one piece (not a flexible tube attached to a neck). It seems like removing the air filter box is a must and either coming at it from one side of the radiator hose or removing the bracket under the intake near the battery if filling through dipstick.

Leaning towards Amsoil's Fuel Efficient.

I just measure what I drain and refill via the dipstick hole with the flotool measure funnel I have that has the twist valve and hose connected. Had to extend the hose about 5" but it works. None of my long funnels seemed to reach.

I'm leaning towards the amsoil signature series multi-vehicle atf myself. So far at WOT getting on the interstate, the Fit's transmission is slipping more between shifts and gets a little jerky 3-4 seconds after it shifts. Haven't plugged in my data logger to see what the temps are looking like, but the shift feel with dw-1 sucks to say the least. The old z-1 was better than this..... No codes like when I was having issues with pressure switches.

Cold, the transmission shifts perfectly fine. After 20-30 miles is when it starts really getting sloppy.


Presumably the PO had DW-1 installed recently so I haven't driven a Fit with Z1 in a long time (my BIL's first one was 07 with auto, but he replacd with a MT 07 model back in 2010) so with no comparison I don't know what to think of DW-1; just got this car used to replace my stolen EG Civic Hatch and it's carfax had an AAMCO service 4/2014. So, assuming they used DW-1? Flip a coin? Maybe I could send in a UOA of the current fill if I change soon?

At 13k on it currently.

Also, I wonder if the auto trans has an 're-learning' to do if the old fluid of Z1 you originally drained was 'that' used up and over-due? I recall older transmissions have a separate TCM module but those were for domestic apps. I know there is a different computer/setup on the Hondas and newer vehicle, but is there a similar re-learn procedure for fresh fluid; especially on an over-due app?

I emailed Amsoil directly for more input from their tech support on the regular Amsoil ATF vs their Fuel Efficient for our transmission.

Got a replacement filter on the way from Amazon (since unsure if AAMCO would bother replacing) and I'll be swapping that out, but I'm completely on board for a better ATF.

 

[slackwolf]

Service manual really didn't say much for reset of the ECM/TCM to allow relearning. Not sure how "adaptive" the fit transmission actually is but I did reset it after a week or so of lousy shifts after the 2nd d&f. Didn't change anything.... Afternoon showers has prevented me from doing 3rd d&f and filter change, but probably this weekend. Will reset ECM/TCM again during the 3rd change and see what happens from there. Will give it 2-3 weeks afterwards, then decide on Amsoil.

When I emailed Amsoil, they just said Z-1 spec was the multi vehicle and DW-1 spec was the fuel efficient, and not to mix with different specs as the end result is unknown. So basically do a full cooler line flush going from 3 d&f dw-1 to the multi vehicle, but I could d&f with the fuel efficient if I wanted. Although, either way, I would probably go with a line flush just to ditch the Honda ATF.....

How soon are you thinking about pulling trigger? Curious to hear how your shifts compare coming from somewhat fresh unknown atf.

Not sure if a UOA would help you much on unknown atf from aamco as z-1 seems to drop viscosity well below dw-1 QUICK.