Automatic Transmission Flush
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Can somebody describe the steps to change the transmission fluid in a 2002 civic? Is it a pan that needs to be dropped or is it just a magnetic drain bolt (If so, where is it located?) Is there a filter that needs to be cleaned/replaced. Any help would be great.
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All you need to do is to remove the drain bolt which is located behind the passenger front wheel. You have to be on a leveled area so all of the tranny fluid comes out. It is important for you to get honda certified auto tranny fluid from the dealership. You dont need to replace a filter. It only cost me like 20 bucks. I dont remember but I thinkyou need 3 3/4 of fluid. It so easy, it took me like 15 minutes to change. There is a DIY in here somewhere.
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All you need to do is to remove the drain bolt which is located behind the passenger front wheel. You have to be on a leveled area so all of the tranny fluid comes out. It is important for you to get honda certified auto tranny fluid from the dealership. You dont need to replace a filter. It only cost me like 20 bucks. I dont remember but I thinkyou need 3 3/4 of fluid. It so easy, it took me like 15 minutes to change. There is a DIY in here somewhere.
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Rep Power: 231 Re: Automatic Transmission Flush
Well doing the aforementioned will only drain and replace some fluid (about 25% of all the fluid). That is not what a flush is. You would need to take your car to a shop to actually get it flushed and it's usually pretty pricey. It is also unneccessary to flush unless you have some underlying circumstance to flush out ur tranny (such as metal shavings). Usually, it's "somewhat" safe to flush. Only reason why I say somewhat is because when you flush, it forces fluids in directions where it's not suppose to flow. Yea, it does clean out the system but you can already see how it can cause damage especially if you go to a shop who doesn't clean out their machine after each use.
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the manual says you need to drain and refill it 3x. most of the fluid stays in the tranny and torque converter so you gotta just do it a few times. like change it once, drive around for a week til it all mixes, then drain and refill again. generally if the fluid looks red after you do it, that means its good. i drain and refill mine once every 10k miles at the least.
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if you want to DIY automatic transmission flush, you need to use one of those pumps...(the pump you usually use for the turkey juice..) and use that to suck all the remaining transmission fluid out.
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Just did mines, I found this helpful and thought u might too.
http://https://www.civicforums.com/forums/7-honda-civic-diys-civic-tech-chat/121208-diy-atf-change.html
http://https://www.civicforums.com/forums/7-honda-civic-diys-civic-tech-chat/121208-diy-atf-change.html
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the manual says you need to drain and refill it 3x. most of the fluid stays in the tranny and torque converter so you gotta just do it a few times. like change it once, drive around for a week til it all mixes, then drain and refill again. generally if the fluid looks red after you do it, that means its good. i drain and refill mine once every 10k miles at the least.
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actually most mechanic says its a good idea to do it every 5k like engine oil change.
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its more dependent if you do a lot of city or mostly highway. My first tranny change at 32k, the fluid was pretty black. I did more city and less highway driving. I changed again at 15k and the fluid was still red.
I started doing more highway driving and changed again at 30k. The tranny fluid was mostly red.
I say 20k-30k per change is good. Depending on how your drive, your really only suppose to change it when the fluid starts to turn black.
I started doing more highway driving and changed again at 30k. The tranny fluid was mostly red.
I say 20k-30k per change is good. Depending on how your drive, your really only suppose to change it when the fluid starts to turn black.
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yeah mine was black around 18k miles, maybe it needs to be changed very soon the first time.
#16
Re: Automatic Transmission Flush
The manual specifically says drain and fill 3 times that way you change all/most of the fluid. It says to drive a short distance between drain/fills (anybodys guess as to how far a "short" distance is), so driving for a week like the other guy mentioned is wrong. In a week the new 3 qts would have been contaminated by the old 6 qts. I admit ive only changed out 3 qts at a time but Ive been doing it more often and far earlier than recommended. I feel my tranny fluid never really gets bad if I change often enough. Anyway my fluid has remained red and I havent had any tranny probs as yet(105k).
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you cant go wrong chaging it more often.... i mean come on! if you can afford to maintain... do it! it's protecting your investment!
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A: The Transmission filter is internal and cannot be changed
B: The drain plug is a magnetic plug
C: Use only Honda ATF fluid
D: A "Flush" means draining all the fluid; not some of it.
Id say its best to take it to a shop to flush it but it is possible to do it yourself but it requires you to drain and refill 3 times. The point of draining and refilling is to keep the fluid as clean as possible for as long as possible. Transmission oil has somewhat of a long life and it is not necessary to constantly flush it. Also as stated previously flushing it "could" be "bad". The transmission holds something like but not necessarily 10 quarts.....idk. So 3 quarts is good for draining and refilling. Basically drain and refill regularly to be safe and flush only so often......i do it every 30k
Fyi: if you go to the dealership to get the ATF for a flush it gets expensive like 70$........so if u can try to talk the guy at the stealership down since ur buying so much....i was able to get 20$ off
B: The drain plug is a magnetic plug
C: Use only Honda ATF fluid
D: A "Flush" means draining all the fluid; not some of it.
Id say its best to take it to a shop to flush it but it is possible to do it yourself but it requires you to drain and refill 3 times. The point of draining and refilling is to keep the fluid as clean as possible for as long as possible. Transmission oil has somewhat of a long life and it is not necessary to constantly flush it. Also as stated previously flushing it "could" be "bad". The transmission holds something like but not necessarily 10 quarts.....idk. So 3 quarts is good for draining and refilling. Basically drain and refill regularly to be safe and flush only so often......i do it every 30k
Fyi: if you go to the dealership to get the ATF for a flush it gets expensive like 70$........so if u can try to talk the guy at the stealership down since ur buying so much....i was able to get 20$ off
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[QUOTE=spudz904;4293655]
A: The Transmission filter is internal and cannot be changed
B: The drain plug is a magnetic plug
C: Use only Honda ATF fluid
D: A "Flush" means draining all the fluid; not some of it.
A: Hondas do not have a AT filter at all
Honda does not recommend a flush. They say to do a "drain & fill". This is in the Honda service manual, and this is what the dealership service dept does when you have them do it. Also if you do not use OEM Honda ATF-Z1 fluid you will ruin your tranny.
A: The Transmission filter is internal and cannot be changed
B: The drain plug is a magnetic plug
C: Use only Honda ATF fluid
D: A "Flush" means draining all the fluid; not some of it.
A: Hondas do not have a AT filter at all
Honda does not recommend a flush. They say to do a "drain & fill". This is in the Honda service manual, and this is what the dealership service dept does when you have them do it. Also if you do not use OEM Honda ATF-Z1 fluid you will ruin your tranny.
Last edited by TheJGB3; 03-05-2008 at 11:24 PM.
#22
Re: Automatic Transmission Flush
I changed the automatic transmission fluid on a Ford car once and ruined the tranny. I don't know the technical reason why have heard a transmission get can get used to the dirty old stuff and simply can't handle the new fluid. Is a Honda transmission tougher or....? Thanks
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that does happen alot in poorly maintained, older transmissions. you need to keep up with the scheduled fluid changes and not wait 100k miles and then decide to change it. new fluid has much higher cleaning capacity and will dislodge alot of the buildup caused by abuse, which will then circulate thru the pump and trash it. if you waited too long, its better to leave the old fluid in and hope for the best.
#24
Re: Automatic Transmission Flush
BUMP
I'm at 65,000 miles on my 2004. I don't think it's ever had a drain and fill done before. The fluid is somewhat dark, but still has a red tint to it. Doesn't smell burnt, and shifts great. Should I go ahead and change it? Or would I be doing more harm than good?
I'm at 65,000 miles on my 2004. I don't think it's ever had a drain and fill done before. The fluid is somewhat dark, but still has a red tint to it. Doesn't smell burnt, and shifts great. Should I go ahead and change it? Or would I be doing more harm than good?
#25
Re: Automatic Transmission Flush
Hondas are a drain and fill. at work we check the fluid at 30k and see how it looks but it's recommed at least 60k. and yes use Honda trans fluid. Hondas are very picky with the fluids.
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If you want to make sure to put the proper amount of fluid back, use a catch basin with a spout when draining. Simply get a plastic washed out milk jug and pour the drained fluid into the milk jub and mark the level on the outside of the jug or on a clean like jug ( youcan discard the old fluid in the old jug ). You now have a clean jug with the fill mark. Pour the new ATF fluid into the jug to the line that was drawn. Pour the new fluid in the jug into the funnel inserted into the ATF dipstick tube.
You should always check the fluid level regularly to make sure it is correct regardless of this procedure.........my 2 cents
You should always check the fluid level regularly to make sure it is correct regardless of this procedure.........my 2 cents
#27
Re: Automatic Transmission Flush
The 2002 Civic is notorious for automatic transmission problems. Check the fluid. If it smells burnt, flush it out at least 3 times. What I mean is drain it, refill with 2.9 quarts, drive it about 30 min or more. This will flush the new oil through the torque convertor. Honda recommends this procedure 3-4 times. Also if you see any junk on the drain plug, clean it. Use oil recommended for "ATF-Z1". You don't have to use the Honda brand even though they say you should. I use the Valvoline Max Life Dextron III/Mecor (good for ATF-Z1 on back). Never had a problem. If you don't know how to change the fluid, go to Youtube and watch the video "How To Change Transmission Fluid on Honda Civic".
After that, if you have money to spend, buy a good stacked plate transmission cooler. I recommend a B&M. These trannys run hot. Heat kills automatic transmissions. Don't buy a tiny cooler. Get one for a light truck/SUV. ~15000-25000 BTU. And remember, a stacked plate (no tube types). Good Luck.
After that, if you have money to spend, buy a good stacked plate transmission cooler. I recommend a B&M. These trannys run hot. Heat kills automatic transmissions. Don't buy a tiny cooler. Get one for a light truck/SUV. ~15000-25000 BTU. And remember, a stacked plate (no tube types). Good Luck.
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I have a 2002 Civic, bought it new, w/AT & 80k mi. Have never changed the ATF but now considering try flushing it using the method I found on YouTube, and here's the link .
I like what I see on the video. Has anyone here used the flush method shown in the video?
While google'ng I also found how probamatic '01 & '02 Civic automatic transmissions are. See here. I now feel the urgency to change the ATF and want to do it throughly but in a safe manner so I won't shorten the transmission life.
I ordered 12qts of Honda Z1 ATF.
Any feedback will be appreciated.
Thanks,
honda-99
I like what I see on the video. Has anyone here used the flush method shown in the video?
While google'ng I also found how probamatic '01 & '02 Civic automatic transmissions are. See here. I now feel the urgency to change the ATF and want to do it throughly but in a safe manner so I won't shorten the transmission life.
I ordered 12qts of Honda Z1 ATF.
Any feedback will be appreciated.
Thanks,
honda-99
Last edited by honda-99; 07-12-2010 at 04:54 PM.
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if you have 80k on the original fluid, i can almost guarantee the gears will start slipping if you flush it. even just a 3 qt drain and fill may do damage. i say just leave it with the old fluid and hope it lasts for a while. esp if its driving normally now.