Rep Power: 206

I thought it was going to be hard so I read thread after thread making sure I understood the procedures. But when it came time to doing it it was a cinch.

So, if you're hesitant about doing it don't be. It's a lot easier than you think.

Service manual states to do the following and that's exactly what I did: Here's a breakdown

- Warm up the car by driving it around (I did it immediately after my drive back home from work)

- Lifted the front from the side then placed jack stands; broke loose the transmission drain plug and commenced draining the transmission oil. However, I discovered I could drain the oil without having it on stands. And I guess this is what the service manual meant by having it leveled. So I lowered the car back down and completed draining the oil.

- When I removed the drain plug there were a lot of black slimy buildup around the plug. Some clear, some black. Felt very rubbery. I cleaned the plug nice and clean and used a new washer that came with the transmission oil.

- Reinserted the drain plug and torqued it down to 36 ft. lbs

- Poured in 2.9 qts of oil per service manual

- checked level and it looked full. I couldn't really tell. And I'm not sure if anyone can because the moment you insert the dip stick or even pull it out oil gets all over the stick. Transmission oil isn't as thick as engine oil so it's harder to tell

- reinserted the dipstick and packed away my tools.

I took the car for a drive around the block and the first thing I noticed was how much better the car pulled. Also, the car shifted smoother. I know that sounds vague so let me elaborate: before the car jerk slightly or tugged when the car shifted. But no more.

Now, keep in mind the test drive was around 10pm and at slow speeds. The true test will be Friday (Thursday I'm taking the truck to work) so I'll report back when I do.

 
Rep Power: 216

Nice job, and ya draining and filling the tranni is easy as hell. Its just as easy as changing the motor oil and changing brake pads and all that easy stuff. For real cars really are not that hard just some things takes longer than the others and you just got to have patients.

 
Rep Power: 0

One tip I received before I changed my MTF on my 98 LX was you should always break the fill plug loose before the drain plug so you're not SOL. Not a huge deal, just precautionary

 
Rep Power: 206

2 things:

1) I thought all LX's were autos.

2) Not that it matters to me since I drive an auto LX but for MT owners, can you tell us why that matters?

 
Rep Power: 0

1. No, my LX is a manual
2. There's a drain plug and a fill plug on the tranny. You want to make sure you can get the fill plug off before the drain plug so you don't drain all the fluid out just in case the fill plug is frozen/stripped/unopenable. Doesn't happen often but just a precaution