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I have an automatic 2005 honda civic ex special edition with 60,000 miles I bought used. In the maintenance records I see that there is no evidence of any transmission fluid changes or flushes.

My question is, should I have the transmission fluid changed or flushed? Does flushing mean that the dealer will drain and refill multiple times, or that they will use a machine?

 
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u DONT need two separate threads for two questions. just ask in a single thread.

honda doesnt recommend you change until about 80-100k miles...but it never hurts to do it early. i personally do it every 50k miles for that peace of mind.

so, yes, you should.

 
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never flush, it will mess up everything. always do drain and fill but check the current fluid condition. if its red, dark red, or orange, you are okay to drain and fill with HONDA ATF only (assuming you have auto). this will change 3 qts out of the 9 qts capacity. drive it around to mix it up and check again in a month. if its still old looking, can always do another drain and fill. its best to do one every year to ensure new fluid is always being mixed in. if you have black fluid in there, i would not do any changes as this can cause alot more problems than leaving the old fluid inside.

if you have manual trans, there is no problem with changing it. honda mtf is recommended for smooth shifts.

 
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isnt that what "flush" is?


/////edit

nvm...lol i used the wrong terminology. lol

 
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btw, there is a NEW honda automatic trans fluid now.

its not the AFT-Z1 anymore...its the ATF-DW1

 
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yeah its a full synthetic for new trans only. i would not recommend it for pre 2011 civics. z1 will still be aroundfor a long time

 
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interesting.

and why wouldnt a full syn be good to use? from my understanding, full syn oil (group IV) is man made...every molecule is the exact same...where as dino is just refined almost 100% pure (they are very close to that now a days, thats what groupIII are)

so i would think it'd be beneficial to put the full syn in an automatic trans. right?


not like it matters for me, i have a manual. lol

 
Rep Power: 812

it would be fine for a new trans. for an old trans with all sorts of issues and deposits inside, there would be real problems as the synthetic starts loosening junk and moving it around clogging the filter and causing lower pressures. ideally there wouldnt be an issue, but this is a defective piece were talking about.

 
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good point.

 
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sl33pyriceboi,

I will try it myself since I change ATF frequently so I think my trans can handle dw-1. But, the problem is that Michigan is cold already. I can't do the 3x drain. I haven't done the oil change either. I'll make sure I provide feedback for the sake of SYNTHETIC LOVER : )

 
Rep Power: 353

i like you.