smithhonda03

Sorry If this question has been beaten to death, but I am new and have researched this question with no definite answer still.

I am changing the oil in my 03' Civic DX MT 1.7L D17A1
For engine oil im using AMSOIL 100% Synthetic 0W-20 motor oil which I have no doubts about. For the manual transmission I purchased AMSOIL's Synthetic Manual Synchromesh Transmission Fluid SAE 5W-30(recommended by amsoil website)

Question: I have heard many mixed reviews about this sychromesh fluid from amsoil most raving about how smooth it makes shifting and some informing that it is not good for the transmission and to only use Honda MTF. Since there are no close Honda dealerships nearby and thats the only place selling their MTF. I chose the Amsoil based on the consensus of many civic owners praising the product and because I'm not one to fall for the manufacturer's biased claims upselling products that keep the consumer's money in the hands only of the Honda corp. Will Amsoil synchromesh MTF work well in my civic? Or is Honda in the right when they say "Do Not Use any other manual transmission fluid"
Attached is an image of the oil purchased. Need help Please, Thanks in advance.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

shouldve gone with 5w30 or at least 0w30 for engine oil. 20 weight is too thin esp if you drive where its over freezing.

MelJ

Get Redline MTF for your Civic if you go synthetic. I've heard of Amsoil eating up synchros after a few hundred miles. Hondas are picky when it comes to fluids and Redline seems to be the only compatible one. As for motor oil, I'd go with gearbox's advice. The one you chose seems too thin.

smithhonda03

Correct me if i'm wrong but 0W-20 is a multi-viscosity oil which has a winter grade of 0(designated by the W) meaning lower viscosity at colder temperatures. Which is good because in Maine when its below freezing and you start up your car you want lower viscosity as it helps to lubricate the internals of an engine quicker than say a similar oil of higher viscosity. However, my main concern is about the transmission fluid. Has anyone actually used this amsoil synchromesh MTF in their civics? How did it perform?

MelJ

He's talking about the 2nd number. The 20 weight once the engine oil gets hot. It may be too thin once its warmed up. I have no personal experience with Amsoil, only what I've read up on in different Honda forums. I know a good chunk of people who have used Redline in their transmissions with no issues. I couldn't get any in time when I had to change my axles, so I went back to OEM. I prefer the Redline in colder months as it makes shifting easier in the morning.

smithhonda03

Honda calls for 0W-20, thats what it says on the Oil refill cap on my engine, probably something to do with the new EPA standards trying to maximize fuel millage with thinner oils. Rarely does it ever get about 80* F here even in the hottest of summer days, no need in making the oil pump do the extra work in these temps.
Anyways I have heard many referrals to the Red Line MTF, yet never actually seen it for sale in any local autoshops, must be too expensive for the average Joe where the shops make most of their sales. Amsoil isnt cheap either for $11 a quart for their MTF. There must be atleast someone who has had experience with this oil in their civics.

K20Z3

5W-20 is what all the hondas use up in canada all year round (and it gets pretty hot in the summer) so I wouldn't worry about it. 0W-20 should be fine.

MelJ

Yeah, I've never seen any of that stuff offered in stores, either. Then again, I don't have any of their seller's stores(Redline) near me(all I have are Napa, Advance, Pep Boys, and Auto Zone). I'd search the web if none of the members here haven't had any experience with the Amsoil stuff. It may take a day or so, but you'll usually get some bites.

MindBomber

Switching from 5w-20 to 5w-30 during the summers is one of the best decisions I've ever made maintenance wise.

smithhonda03

Looks like I'll be holding off on the transmission oil change until i have gathered more info on this Amsoil synch. MTF. Just wanted to replace the fluids throughout vehicle as I purchased it not even a week ago used with 89,000 mi. The engine oil is still maple syrup colored but I want the peace of mind knowing that it has the correct oil and how long its been in there etc. If anyone here finds anything out about this said Amsoil MTF please enlighten me, it would be greatly appreciated.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

guys remember the first number is the cold weight so if you are worried about starting and better mileage in cold weather (before engine warms up), 5w20 and 5w30 are exactly the same. you want to switch to a 0w for winter if you want better starting. it only gets down to 20F here and usually around 30F normally, so I never saw the need for it. and in the summer above freezing, 30 weight is the best. i run 5w30 year round cause im too cheap to change oil more than once every 10 months.

Too Tall

89,000 miles is getting a bit late to change to a full synthetic like the full synthetic extended drain Amsoil or Mobil 1. The extended drain oils are PAO or Ester based and they can dissolve a lot of sludge and varnish left behind from dino oils. Grit that was held in sludge will start to circulate and that can clog filters and ruin bearings.

If your engine is really clean and sludge free, you shouldn't have any of those problems. If it is not clean, then use the 5,000 mile oils, Amsoil, Mobil 1, or any other brand you want. They are not full synthetics and will not be as likely to dissolve the sludge to quickly.

Varnish from dino oil coats the seals over time. Doing engine flushes, or using full synthetics, will clean off the varnish over time. If the seals are dried out, hardened, cracked to begin with, cleaning the varnish off may cause leaks.

I suspect the same problems occur in the transmissions. Amsoil dissolves all the varnish left behind by the dino oil and then the new Amsoil gets contaminated so bad the tranny fails.

If you insist on swithing to Amsoil, 15,000 mile Mobil 1, or other full synthetic, your only defense is to do several oil and filter changes in quick succession to minimize the risk. How quick is your guess. Amsoil also recommends use of their oil flush in the engine before draining the oil out.

Check on Amsoil's website and make sure to get the correct tranny fluid they recommend for your car. There are several different kinds available. They also have a free tech service line to answer questions. But they only make "official" recommendations, which changing to 5w - 30 in the engine isn't.

I would definitely switch to 5w - 30 oil, regardless if you choose dino or synthetic.

lazlong

****, I roll 1600 miles a month just going to work. About 2-3 months after an oil change I start to feel it getting sluggish and it loses mpg. That's when I know it's time to change the oil. I use 30 weight since it gets HOT here in Summer (around 100 degrees from May to October).

RemyL31

iTrader: (1)

That does not sound good

Too Tall

Is there any kind of engine abuse police that can stop this insanity?

MindBomber

That couldn't have been more well put!

K20Z3

You guys do realize that the optimal warm engine temperature is constantly regulated right? Our liquid cooling systems automatically keep the engine at a very precise temperature when its warmed up. This means that winter or summer your engine will not run hotter or warmer with normal driving, it will warm up to the exact same temperature, and if it starts overheating then you most likely have a more serious problem. Honda recommends a 20 weight oil (second number) which means it was purposely designed to run optimally on this oil. Can you run other oils? I'm sure you can and I'm not saying your car will blow up but I'd stick to what honda says regarding the weight of my oil.

If you're worried about engine starts then yes, you can switch to 0w-20 in the winter for an easier start and go to 5w-20 in the summer. The ONLY reason to go to a thicker weight oil is if your engine starts burning oil really bad (which hondas all eventually do) so going thicker (5w30 or 5w40) will help reduce the burning of oil.

Too Tall

Except the "rumor" is Honda recommends 5w-30 in European cars. And 5w-20 in USA to meet CAFE standards.

I sticking with 5w-30. My 07 has been burning oil since new.

MindBomber

Do you know why Honda recommends 5w-20?

The benefit to Honda is a 0.33 increase in mpg for trips under 17 miles, undetectable to the average driver, but to a company selling millions of cars there is an overall benefit. Also undetectable to the average driver is the very slight increase in engine protection, which if you get into really technical discussions on oil can be proven.

I've heard that rumor many times too, but Honda has actually recommended 0w-20 in Europe since 2001.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

the d17 motor was designed for 5w30, regardless of what american honda "recommends" for it. I have had serious issues in hot weather running 5w20 oil that have all disappeared after switching to 5w30.

sl33pyriceboi

iTrader: (3)

that is correct. we call that a thermostat. oem thermostat bottle necks the coolant under 170F and starts letting it flow after it reaches 170F+

engine operation is around 200-210F

copper 04 Civic

I switched my 04 Civic EX 5 speed to Amsoil over 50000 miles ago and I have no regrets at all. Transmission shifts up and down extremely smooth.

kbook

I used to look up the oil used in our civic and found that in Japan, 7 th gen is factory filled with 0w-20. That was around 2004-2005. So I used 0w-20 mobil 1 once but I don't like the fact that the engine's noise was louder than using 5w-20. I was afraid of the engine wear so I have never used it again

smithhonda03

Did you use the synthetic synchromesh MTF by amsoil? Did the clutch ever slip while engine was cold? I'm very tempted to just dump my ams oil in the trans. just to test it out and see then maybe in a month or two buy the Honda MTF and compare.

Too Tall

Manual tranny fluid has nothing to do with the clutch. Unless the seal is bad and leaks fluid onto the clutch. If the car is new and low miles you should not have problems switching to full synthetic if you make sure to get the fluid recommended by Amsoil for your car. The older and more miles you have, the better to stick with non-synthetic oils.

I just realized you already have 89,000 miles. I would not use Amsoil or any other full synthetic. It's too late.

smithhonda03

Yeah, im not sure why i said clutch, i was thinking the gears in the transmission, I heard that sometimes the synthetic may work "too well" and something about gears slipping, not entirely sure about it though. Anyways I bought the car used in great shape but I'm not sure what the previous owner used for oil/ lubricants(part of the reason for changing out all the fluids now so I can be sure whats in my car and how old it is. Now you say no to the synthetic MTF, but im thinking the synthetic engine oil will be alright, I hope. What do you recommend for the transmission? Its look like I'l be making a trip to Honda stealer-ship for some of that "top secret exclusive Honda oil"

MelJ

I put Redline into my car at 130,000 miles with no side effects. You shouldn't have anything to worry about unless the transmission is already messed up. You may benefit from the Amsoil in colder months. That's where I noticed the biggest change in changing gears. It seems like the Honda stuff took longer to warm up.

Brenden

iTrader: (1)

My d16Y7 has 200k miles on the ticker, its still going strong, just put in Amsoil MTF in, and I can assure you INSTANT smoother shifting that gets even better after a few days, yes the Amsoil might clean a lot of sludge out fast and in turn make the fluid bad, just check it when you change your oil next after like 3k miles on the fluid, check to see if its chunky or not, if its not, put it back in, keep going..

The amsoil cured almost all of the shifting notchy feel, except for when you go for 5th gear, which i suspect is just my linkage being worn, and the cold weather shifting is REALLY improved, it was down to 5 degrees once after I had it in, before it wouldn't go into reverse cold, now it does... The increased cold weather shifting is where Amsoil really shines, but a worn transmission is just an old transmission and is to be expected...

If you live in a cold state, its defiantly worth trying..

MelJ

Yeah. A second drain and fill will help that out if the fluid is really dirty. Just make sure you check for any metal in the fluid.

Brenden

iTrader: (1)

Well mine was about 1qt short of the proper level when i bought it and swapped out the fluid, and it had more than it should have for shavings in it, but im not too worried, transmissions are cheap and only take a day of drinking to put in, LOL

The last dipstick didn't do anything but oil/filter changes for 60k miles..

But after doing a major maintenance update its great, except for the clutch being worn, and the input shaft bearing grinding constantly when in a gear.. but soon to be replaced