FrankMazzarella

Hey, I have a 2004 Honda Civic LX with about 80,000 miles on it and im starting to feel my transmission downshift quite hard. I have never done anything like this before and the fluid looks like a reddish-brown and does not have a burnt smell. I dont think the color is terrible, but i feel I should take care of this now before anything happens.

I have only owned this vehicle for about 6 months and I dont know how well the transmission has been cared for. My question is how many times I should change the fluid in order to flush it and how much driving should i do in between. Also, I know that this is a big job but should I consider replacing the filter?

Thanks and BTW, would anyone know how much ATF-Z1 I should purchace and what a good price is for that?

cchiang12

If you have ever changed your own engine oil, then you could do the ATF.
The only difference is that you pour back the amount you took out.
And you need a big long funnel to reach the ATF dip stick : )
For you, I would do an ATF "flush" only because you don't know what the previous owner did.

Concerning ATF, and I've also did a lot research on this, there are more people that would stick with Honda's ATF than not.
Since I have 170,000 miles on my civic, I wasn't willing to risk it, so I stick with the Honda ATF-Z1.
It is couple dollars more expensive (per qt) than the generic brand--only because you are getting it from the dealer.
As for how many times you should do it:
You let it drain/refill 3 times (with a very short drive in between), I think that's the proper procedure.
However, I do it by drain/refill and wait 'till the next oil change (5 times total).

As for filter, I don't think there is a filter on the 7th gen civic... if there is, please let me know

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

its not a big job, if the car isnt lowered, you can even drain it without jacking up the front of the car. just loosen the drain bolt with a ratchet (its the only bolt with a square hole), let fluid drain into a pan, put bolt back on with new washer, and fill 2.9 qts of honda atf from the dipstick hole at the top. manual recommends doing 3x drain and fills, but i think one should be enough. you can always do it again in a week or so when the fluid gets worked together. honda dealer is the only one who carries the atf you need and its around $7 a bottle. get 3. filter is inside the trans and cannot be serviced.

FrankMazzarella

thanks but what is considered a short drive? like 35 miles?

lowlife9

like 10 miles. im not sure if it does anything but i also shift threw all my gears a couple times.

FrankMazzarella

is there a difference between Castrol ATF Z1 and Honda ATF Z1?

lowlife9

additives are different use honda.