Follow-up: API SF oil in a '95 Integra GS-R

OK-

After some rather rough shifting with an off-brand motor oil in
the manual transmission of my '95 Integra GS-R, I went and
bought Honda MTF ($5.66/quart). I flushed it with about 2 oz
of MTF before sealing the drain plug, then filling it. The
shifting seemed to be much improved, compared to either the
off-brand SF-grade or name-brand SL-grade 10W-30 motor oils
that I've tried. It's taking a lot less effort to change
gears - especially 1st, and shifts seem to be faster.

Anyone know what the recommendations are for drain interval
given that this is an older car that used motor oil or Redline
MTL? I'm planning on selling it, but I'm wondering what to
tell to the buyer.

 

===============

y_p_w,

One of the best ways to impress a potential buyer is to show then that
you have an owner's manual, and that you've spent a lot of time using it
.. Your honda dealer can get you one, or you can order it from Helms.com

Then you tell the new owner to read the FINE manual. (make sure you
rough it up so they don't think you just bought it)

'curly'

===============

 

The drain interval should be in the owner's manual for the car.

 

Perhaps you didn't quite understand my post.

My car is a '95 Integra GS-R. I do have the manual, as well as
the factory service manual, and I've gone through them many times.
Both were printed before Honda MTF was available.

The transmission fluid recommended was 10W-30 motor oil of API SF
or SG grade, replaced every 30K mi/24 mo standard or 15K mi/12 mo
severe service. Motor oil just wasn't working well, so I used
Honda MTF as recommended by people in this very newsgroup. My
manual has no recommendations for the drain interval using MTF,
although I understand later Honda vehicles varied from 90K to
105K miles.

So - does anyone have a recommendation for my case, which is a
high mileage Integra that has been using motor oil/Redline MTL
until this week? Perhaps someone who's seen a service bulletin
regarding Honda MTF

 

Yes - I'm the original owner and the salesman went through several
pages of the manual before letting me leave with the car. I've got
the factory service manual too (cost me $70), which was useful when
I had to torque the bolts on the valve cover. Both have been
stained by my hands as I worked on my car. The service manual is
also dog-eared. I plan on giving the service manual to the buyer.

Yes - but the manual doesn't answer the question regarding the use
of Honda MTF, because it was written a couple years before Honda
MTF was available. Apparently Honda increased the drain interval
for later vehicles when MTF was used. I was hoping there might
have been a service bulletin or perhaps dealer recommendation
referring to an older tranny using said fluid.

In fact - the manual said to use API SF/SG grade 10W-30 or 10W-40
motor oil. When I found an off-brand 10W-30 SF-grade motor oil, the
consensus on this board was that it was a bad idea.

 

15000 miles

 

As you may know, the newer cars with MTF from the factory(?) have a
recommendation which is getting higher and higher: some with 90K and even
120K/6years for normal service; 30K or 60K/2years for severe service. I'm
sure I had a container of MTF once which had the 90K marked on it but the
more recent stuff I've bought doesn't.

I tend to think the ideal "normal service" doesn't really exist in the real
world and it's probably wise to use 60K unless the conditions are really
"severe". My '99 Integra is at 51K right now and the shifts are still as
smooth as when it was new - I'm planning to do the change at 60K. I also
switched my '92 Integra to MTF at ~60K miles and at 130K now, it still
shifts nicely (actually smoother than the '99 but I think that may be
partly due to the shorter throw shift lever on the '99) - I should change
it but I'm probably going to sell it soon.

Rgds, George Macdonald

"Just because they're paranoid doesn't mean you're not psychotic" - Who, me??