I just got the V6 this week from a private party. The PO told me that the oil was replaced the 1st time around 40k which the dealer confirmed. Its got 59k now. The oil is between pink and brown in color. I called the dealer who informed me about the Honda tranny that the torque converter does not get drained, etc, etc. I am a bit surprised about this with the Honda.

Been driving old Benzes, Toyotas and other domestic cars. Their tranny oil don't turn color this quick. I changed the tranny oil of my 96 MB C220 last December that had 317k miles. I'm pretty sure its never been changed before. Tranny oil didn't look bad. Plus it had a separate drain for the torque converter.

 

They probably only did one drain and fill at 40k. It takes 3 drain and fills to replace most of the old fluid. I do one drain and fill every 15k miles, to keep the fluid as clean as possible. Never power flush (with a machine) a Honda transmission.

 

MaxUtility, very nice video. I myself could definitely use more videos like this one. Couple of questions...

Should I drive the car around a bit to warm the ATF up so more would come out? I see you didn't warm it up yet you still got 3.5 qt so that's not bad.

How long did that old ATF stay in? 30k miles? Just wondering if it could get that dark before you even reach 30k miles. Thanks.

 

Warming it up doesn't necessarily get more FLUID to drain out, but it stirs up the dirt so you remove more of the dirt.

 

Anyone ever change one on a 2007 4 cyl? Does it have the same 17 mm cap/bolt?

 

I don't think the 4 cylinder has a fill bolt. You have to add fluid through the dipstick tube. Make sure you have a funnel or whatever it takes to add the fluid, before you drain the transmission (plan ahead). You don't want to have to devise something after you've drained the old fluid out.

 

I do recall driving the car a little before draining it the first time. If I recall correctly from chemistry, liquid that is heated up is likely to move faster than a liquid at a cooler state. But at the end of the day, you should get the same amount out, but probably different times.

The ATF was in there for 70k. Its funny just a couple weeks ago my wrench light came on, and it suggested doing a "3" maintenance, which is a transmission fluid flush. It was disgustingly dark, so I might actually do 1 3.5 quart drain and refill every 15k/1 year instead of waiting to do all 3 at the same time. The more I hear about Honda transmissions, the more paranoid I get. So I hope by doing that it may increase the longevity of the car's transmission.

I have another video on how to do a brake fluid bleed with a partner. It is as detailed as this one. I am currently making one for adding coolant. As soon as I get home from school, I plan on buying new calipers for all 4 wheels and painting them with caliper paint and installing them. I will document.

I did rotor and brake pad changes back in Nov. 2011, but I didn't have the sense to actually video it.

 

thank you for the detailed write-ups you are a great asset to the board, please keep them coming.

I will add, however, if you ever use a vacuum pump to bleed a brake line you will never go back to the 2 person method.

 

Exactly!!! It's good hear that someone else is doing what I do to automatic transmissions. Try to never allow the transmission fluid to become black.

You rock

 

In my opinion, you get more out when the fluid is hot.

Most people already know this, but I will say it anyway.
When you drain the transmission fluid, you are only able to drain a portion.

So when the fluid is hot, it is more "runny" which allows for the fluid to drain faster,
Which allows for a faster flow and brings more out than if it was cold and thicker. This has been proven many times as I have drained trans fluid over the years.