daswafford

I was at Jiffy Lube tonight to get the oil changed on my '05 Civic and asked if they also did MT fluid changes for it. They said that it depended on the model of Civic and had to look it up. The book they looked it up in said that motor oil can be substituted for the MT fluid.

I decided not to have them tough the MT fluid because that just felt wrong....
has anyone ever put motor oil into the tranny instead of normal transmission fluid?

David.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

use the oem honda fluid, and never go back to jiffy lube again if you care even 1% about your car functioning the way it should.

lowlife9

i agree . why would you pay someone for something that can so easily be done yourself ??? its like paying someone to wipe your butt.are you physically incapable of using a socket wrench?

MelJ

There isn't an lol smiley epic enough for that. No...wait. Found one.

Seriously dude. MTF change is a cakewalk. I find it easier than changing the oil. It really isn't that hard of a job. Use the OEM MT like gearbox said. You can use motor oil, but it'll make for some rough gear changes and other stuff.

daswafford

LOL , I guess I was thinking that it was more complicated than just a single screw/bolt.

Thanks for all the replies,

David.

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

Honda OEM is good. I heard GM (or pennzoil) Synchromesh is even better. But you can never go wrong with OEM.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

heres my quick diy oil change

park car on flat surface, set the parking brake, make sure car is in park for auto or gear for manual, then jack up front driver side and support using a jackstand (see owner manual for details and where to put the jack). never climb under the car with only a jack holding it up. next undo the drain bolt from the oil pan (theres an arrow pointing to it), and let the oil fall into a container like those oil storage thingies at the auto store. you may need a cheater pipe on the socket if the bolt was overtightened from last time. wipe the bolt threads and the pan threads. if the bolt doesnt look good, just get a new one. also you MUST use a new washer every time you change the oil. put the new washer on the bolt and then reinstall the bolt. tighten to spec, i think around 20 ft/lbs but just use the rule of "tight enough" with a socket using moderate force, dont tighten it as hard as you can. next reach up and unscrew the filter. you may need a filter wrench if it was overtightened last time. take it off and pour out any oil. get the new filter, and pour some new oil into it around the edges, maybe 1/2 quart at most, just enough to get it wet. then put a lil bit of oil around the rubber o-ring. reinstall onto the car and make sure it is HAND tight. thats it, tighten it as much as you can with your hand and leave it. youre done! lower the car back down, take off the oil cap, and pour in the rest of the first bottle (that you used to add oil to the filter with), and then pour two more bottles in. check the dipstick level and carefully pour in small amounts of oil from the fourth bottle til the level is at the max (top dot). do NOT overfill! very bad things will happen including vtec engagement problems and leaking seals, as well as engine damage. close the oil cap, then check to make sure oil does not leak from the drain bolt. start the car and drive it around slowly til operating temp, making sure to stop and check to see that there are no leaks. you can check the level one more time after the engine is shut off for 10 mins. go return the used oil to the auto store.

lowlife9

its alot easier if you buy some car ramps from walmart there like $30 dollars.

Brian1037

I have some car ramps but the car is too low to get onto time (the bumper scrapes the ramps before the wheels get on).

that's why I had to bring it in to get an oil change. sucks cause i wanted to do it myself

lowlife9

you could place a board under the tires or by low profile ramps http://www.discountramps.com/low_profile_car_ramp.htm or make your own http://www.crossfireforum.org/forum/...car-ramps.html for the most part with lowerd cars you can drive them onto boards then jack the car up or get these http://www.discountramps.com/plastic_car_ramps.htm

Kennykid2002

iTrader: (1)

Do your own fluid changes. Always, and stick with OEM MTF.

Our honda trannies need a certain additive, and viscosity that only the OEM fluid has. (So I was told by my dad)

MelJ

I have Redline MTF in my Civic and it works really well, especially in the colder months. It's been in the tranny for a little over a year.

ExistEvolution

easier i just drive one wheel up on a piece of firewood (yeahhhh redneck style) no need for a ramp and jack, also you don't need to run the car for 10 minute to do the final check, 30 seconds to a minute is plenty of time, don't believe leave the filter off and see how much oil pumps out and at how fast =]

kbook

I saw in the our manual stated that motor oil can be used temporarily. I am not sure whether 5w-30 or 10w-30 but It should not be used instead of the MT fluid for sure.

ExistEvolution

this sounds like a bad idea

BlueEM2

iTrader: (1)

I'm pretty sure cars used to use regular motor oil in the transmissions all the time. I'm not sure when or if it changed. A lot of stuff that Honda does unfortunatly is a money grab. I think someone with some education would have to put some input into this. I have heard however that honda MTF is inferior compared to a lot of other products that have been tried and tested on here.

Kennykid2002

iTrader: (1)

Older cars, especially american made, can temporarily use engine oil as tranny lubricant
But the honda genuine fluid has a specific density, and additives for the honda transmission

Engine oil (even same weight) will vary slightly in brands
Honda genuine stays 1 standard


I was told this by my dad
He's been a Honda salesman for 20 years

kbook

FYI, here's the statement from the manual.

"If Honda MTF is not available, you may use an SAE 10W-30 or 10W-40 viscosity motor oil with the API Certification seal that says ‘‘FOR GASOLINE ENGINES’’ as a temporary replacement. However, motor oil does not contain the proper additives, and continued use can cause stiffer shifting. Replace as soon as it is convenient. The transmission should be drained and refilled with new fluid according to the time and distance recommendations in the maintenance schedule."